John Ferren was a sculptor-turned-painter who belonged to the American Abstract Artists (AAA) group from 1938 until 1940. He had apprenticed with an Italian stonecutter, which likely influenced the sculptural quality of his abstract paintings, with their curved planes and flat backgrounds. A typical example of Ferren’s style, Red Space also incorporates clearly delineated colors and active surfaces. Ferren was especially interested in Zen Buddhism and the idea of art as a means of expressing reality beyond appearance.