A Life Dedicated to the Void: The Abstract World of John McLaughlin John Dwyer McLaughlin, born in Sharon, Massachusetts in 1898, was a quiet revolutionary in the landscape of American art. His journey toward becoming a pivotal figure in minimalism and hard-edge painting wasn’t one of precocious artistic ambition, but rather a gradual unfolding shaped by life experiences, philosophical inquiry, and a deep reverence for Eastern aesthetics. Unlike many artists who find their voice early on, McLaughlin began painting relatively late in life, in the 1930s, after a career path that included milit…