How the hell did Barnett Newman ever sell the "Voice of Fire" painting for $1.8 million?

It doesn't have to be aesthetically creative. It just has to be what the market calls for. Talent doesn't necessarily creativity and technicality. It can simply mean that the artist (in this case Barnett Newman) knows how to make the simplest of things more meaningful than then the most technical (Newman was a master at this). Just try to look beyond creativity. Probe your feelings when you look at these types of paintings.