Gottlieb, Adolph, 1903-74, American painter, b. New York City. Gottlieb studied under John Sloan and Robert Henri. In the 1940s he created pictographs which were stylized, primitive symbols set in a gridlike pattern. His abstract dynamic canvases of the following decade (e.g., Frozen Sounds, Number One, 1951; Whitney Mus., New York City) placed him in the front ranks of abstract expressionism. Many of his later works, called bursts, display large fiery circles over a network of spiky lines.