Though the painter Michael Loew is today best known for his colorful and gestural Abstract Expressionist paintings, his style culminated from a multitude of influences. Loew first trained in a stained-glass workshop and with the Ashcan School, and produced figural murals with his like-minded friend Willem de Kooning as part of the WPA initiatives. During his time spent in the tutelage of Hans Hofmann, Loew turned his interest towards abstraction, and his works became influenced by both Post-Cubism and Neo-Plasticism. His radical experiments with color and geometry came to define his mature style. Loew was also passionate about artists’ rights and activism, and led a number of demonstrations. He was part of the Spiral Group, an artist organization devoted to exhibiting experimental art.