Robert Goodnough was an American painter known for his calligraphy like mark-making. Born on October 23, 1917 in Cortlant, New York, Goodnough graduated from Syracuse University, and at the time he predominantly worked realistically from casts and from life. After serving in the military during World War II, he attended the painting classes of both Amédée Ozenfant and Hans Hofmann. The artist went on to receive his MA from New York University, and soon after became associated with such artists and writers that included Willem de Kooning and Helen Frankethaler. Though associated with Abstract Expressionism, Goodnough’s style varied as he once explained, “I like to work freely to slash with the brush and let loose, I also like to work carefully and with discipline.” Goodnough later became a contributing writer for Art News and exhibited his works both in the United States and abroad. 

Goodnough’s works are held in the collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, The Museum of Modern Art in New York, and the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D.C., among others.

The artist passed away on October 2, 2010 in White Plains, NY at the age of 92.