Abstract A look at the impact of world wars on abstractexpressionism, a genre of art. The author examines what paintings under this genre represent and how they come to play significant roles in the expression of historical events.
Table of Contents
I. Introduction
A. Brief definition of abstractexpressionism
B. Examples of other relationships between artistic movements and political happenings
1. Romantic movement
2. Vietnam
C. Brief description of the effects of World War
1. effects on the U.S. economy/politics
2. effects on the people
D. Thesis as to the relationship of World War II and the rise of AbstractExpressionism
1. Three major influences
a. immigration of European artists, writers, intellectuals, scientists
b. the Surrealist movement
c. ancient influences (art)
II. Body
A. Before World War II
1. Depression
2. Thirty Years War
3. World War I
B. Historical Roots
1. the 1930s
a. political happenings/economy
b. art & the relationship between the two
2. late 1930s early 1940s
a. political happenings/economy
b. art & the relationship between the two
C. Intellectual Roots
1. Themes of AbstractExpressionism
a. the return to origins
b. the human continuum
c. conflict and the dualistic pattern of human life
d. opportunities/new beginnings
2. Heritage (Ancient influences)
3. Nature
4. the subconscious
D. Artists
1. Gesture
a. style
b. specific artists
2. Color Field
a. style
b. specific artists
3. In-between
a. style
b. specific artists
III. Conclusion
A. The evolution of art starting from the period of the 1930s (WWI, Depression, etc.) to
after World War II
1. Content
2. Purpose
3. Style
B. How World War II molded AbstractExpressionism and how the artists drew from World War II
1. the people's responses to the war
2. united aspects of the art that showed a general feeling towards WWII
C. How, by the rising of AbstractExpressionism, modern art was affected, and how it
changed the way that people expressed their sentiments
From the Paper "At first, there was an initial resistance to Abstract Expressionism, but by the 1950s it was recognized as the dominant force in American painting, encouraged by the government while being considered a symbol of American cultural freedom.For the first time ever, American art received widespread and serious attention in Europe. Abstract Expressionism can hardly be characterized as a single movement due to the diversity of the art it encompasses. Despite this variety, Abstract Expressionist paintings share several broad characteristics ? they are basically abstract, emphasizing free, spontaneous, and personal emotional expression, and they exercise considerable freedom of technique in order to attain this goal. The artists of this period manipulate the physical variables of the paint in order to convey expressive qualities, often on large canvases to give the visual effects an engrossing power. Abstract Expressionist artists can be divided into three categories based on style - gesture painting, such as done by Jackson Pollock, color field painting as done by Mark Rothko, or an in-between style as done by Robert Motherwell."
Abstract The paper explains how abstractexpressionism emphasized the basic character of a person or object while having little visual reference to the real world or to nature. The paper discusses some of the artists associated with abstractexpressionism that include Jackson Pollack, Willem de Kooning, Franz Kline and Mark Rothko.
From the Paper "According to Paul Stella of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, abstract expressionism was created in the early 1940's in New York City by a small group of artists who devised "a stylistically diverse body of work that introduced radical new directions in art. Some of the artists associated with abstract expressionism include Jackson Pollack (1912-1956), Willem de Kooning (1904-1997), Franz Kline (1910-1962) and Mark Rothko (1903-1970), all of whom advanced "audacious formal inventions in a search for content" via new techniques and subject matter. Overall, the works of art that currently define abstract expressionism stand as reflections of these artist's individual psyches and their attempts to "tap into universal inner sources," meaning that abstract expressionists relied heavily on the collective unconscious in the form of archetypes that express man's most primitive and at times violent emotions ("Abstract Expressionism," Internet)."
Abstract This paper discusses the life of Jackson Pollock, (1912-1956) who is one of the central figures in the development of the strictly American art movement called AbstractExpressionism. Included are biographical information, description of major works, quotes from Pollock and his critics describing his innovative drip painting style, a brief description of the major motion picture made of his life, and an "art inventory," or comprehensive analysis of the 1953 painting called "Easter and the Totem".
From the Paper "American painter, Jackson Pollock, born in Cody, Wyoming in 1912, was a troubled genius who became known as a quintessential abstract expressionist in the art world of the twentieth century. Pollock, a freedom seeking rebel, was instrumental is the development of the distinctly American abstract expressionist movement in the United States. He became notorious for his drip painting methods and his huge canvases layered with paint and embedded objects. Pollock, known for his emotional volatility and heavy drinking, seen as a phony by some, and a hero by others, used his innovative, individualistic and uninhibited style to birth a new artistic genre in post World War II America."
Abstract This six-page paper presents a comparative study of expressionism and abstractexpressionism and the impact it has on modern art. Definitions and descriptions of each type of art are explained as well as examples of each style.
Abstract The paper explains that an abstract artist expresses his/her own viewpoint or perspective through re-shaping the natural world until it reflects a specific ideal or principle. The paper discusses the artwork of Hans Hofmann, Jackson Pollack, Franz Kline, Willem de Kooning, Mark Rothko and Stuart Davis who all stand as American masters of abstractexpressionism. The paper then shows how these artists created a new and sometimes shocking artistic style that went completely against traditional forms of expression.
From the Paper "After World War II in 1945, expressionist artists in the United States began to assert their own individual personalities through their artwork, such as personal identities and even their own psychological makeup. Although expressionism can be traced back to artists like Gauguin and Van Gogh in the late 19th century, American expressionists in the 1950's and 1960's "set themselves apart from the earlier artists by deciding to do away with the human figure" (de la Croix & Tansey, 769) as the one true representative of natural beauty. Some of these artists fall into a category known as figural expressionism, while others have been designated as purely abstract artists."
Tags: Hans, Hofmann, Jackson, Pollack, Franz, Kline, Willem, de, Kooning, Mark, Rothko, Stuart, Davis
Abstract This paper discusses the life and work of Jackson Pollock, who is one of the central figures in the development of the strictly American art movement called AbstractExpressionism. The paper includes his biographical information, description of major works, quotes from Pollock and his critics describing his innovative drip painting style, and an "art inventory" of the 1953 painting called "Easter and the Totem."
From the Paper "American painter, Jackson Pollock, born in Cody, Wyoming in 1912, was a troubled genius who became known as a quintessential abstract expressionist in the art world of the twentieth century. Pollock, a freedom seeking rebel, was instrumental is the development of the distinctly American abstract expressionist movement in the United States. He became notorious for his drip painting methods and his huge canvases layered with paint and embedded objects. Pollock, known for his emotional volatility and heavy drinking, seen as a phony by some, and a hero by others, used his innovative, individualistic and uninhibited style to birth a new artistic genre in post World War II America. "
Tags: painter, expressionism, biography, works, rebel, painting, post
Abstract This paper explains that Willem de Kooning was one of the artists who developed the AbstractExpressionism movement of post-World War II in which paintings were generally painted on large canvases with the artists appling paint rapidly with forceful strokes, demonstrating the energy and creativity of the country. The author points out that, in the early 1950s, de Kooning started painting a monumental series of paintings entitled "Woman" on large canvases, painted with slashing marks of the brush, having an overwhelming appearance. The paper relates that Willem de Kooning's career spanned six decades; his art was very controversial, especially his "Woman" series, violent with colors, formed with eloquent brushstrokes appearing savagely applied.
From the Paper "Willem de Kooning was born on April 24, 1904 in the Netherlands, also known as Holland. In 1916, at the age of twelve, he was accepted into the Rotterdam Academy of Fine Arts and Techniques and trained there for eight years. In 1926, he entered the United States as a stowaway on a boat and eventually settled in Hoboken, New Jersey. De Kooning made his living as a house painter and later, a teacher at Black Mountain College. A year later, he moved to a studio in Manhattan and met artist, connoisseur, and art critic John Graham and painter Arshile Gorky. Gorky became one of de Kooning's closest friends."
Abstract This paper examines, compares and contrasts realism and expressionism in the works of Kathe Kollwitz and Paula Modersohn-Becker. It focuses on Modersohn-Becker's "Self-Portrait with Amber Necklace" and "Self Portrait on Her Sixth Wedding Anniversary" and Kathe Kollwitz's "Praying Girl" and "Small Self-Portrait". The paper shows how both artists comparably use a feminine self-expression, but they use differing variations of drawing and painting in their stylistic methods of art.
From the Paper "The latest of the works that will be analyzed in this study will be the etched lithograph "Small Self Portrait" (1920) by Kathe Kollwitz. The grim countenance of the artist in this drawing reflects her old age, as well as a tired expression defining her life-long artistic commitment and loyalty to the working classes. This feminine image is not grandiose or tainted as are normative standards of beauty that were common in this period, and reveal the reality of an old woman who has seen a great many difficulties in life. In her life, she often sought out women models that reflected her "interest and sympathy for the hardships of the humble working women" (Prelinger 105). The hard lines of her face are depicted in the drawing, which connotes the hardship that she often wished to see in the working people in her community. In many cases, the dark lines and shadowing reflect the realist manner of clarity and proportion, which depict the essence of a clear-sighted view of the artist's presence. Often, this "reality" of her line and composition often dictated her desire to depict people as they appeared, not as an artist's own selfish distortion or beautification of life."
This paper compares the works and aims of abstract artists Frank Stella and Robert Pepperell with those of the founder of abstract art, Wassily Kandinsky.
Abstract The paper attempts to illustrate how ideas and conceptions of abstract art have changed and developed since the early years of the twentieth century. The paper compares two modern abstract artists, Frank Stella and Robert Pepperell, with more traditional views of abstract art, such as those of Wassily Kandinsky. The paper shows how contemporary abstract artists still adhere to the formal and stylistic tenets of early abstraction but without the idealism that had initiated the abstract art movement.
Outline:
Introduction
Brief Overview of Abstract Art
Modern Abstract Artists: Frank Stella and Robert Pepperell
Conclusion
From the Paper "Abstract art is commonly defined as, "art that does not depict objects in the natural world, but instead uses color and form in a non representational way." (NationMaster Encyclopedia: Abstract art). This definition does not deal with all the issues surrounding the meaning and understanding of abstract art and there is a great deal of dissension and argument among critics and art theorists about the nature and meaning of the term 'abstract'. However, the general view is that abstract art is essentially non-representational and non-objective. It is also seen from an artistic viewpoint as an attempt to provide an understanding of the world and reality that cannot be obtained by the methods and techniques of representation."
Abstract This paper explains that Frank Stella, born in 1936, influenced by the flag paintings of Jasper Johns, emerged in the 1960s as a leading example of Post-Painterly Abstraction, a reaction against AbstractExpressionism. The author relates that Andy Warhol's Pop Art applied a commercial art style to painting, as he appropriated subject matter from the pulp media. Warhol creating a style out of his own non-involvement with the material and his attempt to produce works that were machine-like, thus separated from the artist. The paper recounts that Roy Lichtenstein (1923-1997) is known for his series of paintings as a comic strip working with stencils to make rows of over-sized dots, forming his paintings of prints and making them look like a huge mass publication product.
Table of Contents
Frank Stella
Andy Warhol
Roy Lichtenstein
From the Paper "Lichtenstein similarly imitated objects of popular culture, as in his comic-strip paintings taken from comic books and the like, or from his series of advertisements recreated on canvas, such as "Girl with Ball" (1961). Warhol's "Marilyn" images were mechanically reproduced and celebrated the machine element both in the way they were created and in the way they imitated a strip of motion-picture film, which is a mechanical means for reproducing movement. Lichtenstein in "Girl with Ball" and similar images recreated the mechanical look such newspaper print ads have in their original state, as if created by an off-set process that leaves the image flat, with texture showing through from the paper, or the canvas, and with a limited palette in keeping with the tri-color off-set process."
Tags: reproduction, newspaper, post-painterly, comics, marilyn
Abstract This paper discusses two of the leading abstract artists in America in the Twentieth Century, Georgia O'Keeffe and Ronnie Landfield. This paper takes into consideration their subjects, styles, and how they differ, with O'Keeffe beginning work as a more realistic painter until various influences pushed her more toward abstract art, though even then she tended to mix her styles and to paint her abstractions in a concrete and rather realistic manner, and with the leading figure in what is known as Lyrical Abstraction.
From the Paper "His compositions, executed in the gentle vibrancy of stain painting, are stylization of landscapes. Yet, in no real sense is there a dependence on observation from nature. His landscapes present no identifying details, they are not individualized by topographical details and cannot be located in the world . They are generically landscapes, landscapes only by principles of composition and according to the interpretive reflex by which we necessarily read any horizontal division as a horizon line (Cohen para. 7)."
Abstract This paper explains that Claude Monet's "Water Lily" paintings represent plein-air painting, meaning they were painted outside the confines of the studio, which relates directly to the Impressionistic mode of thinking about art. The author points out that Claude Monet emphasized the visual experience of the sensuously immediate, producing a new kind of art from an unacknowledged, yet most commonplace, kind of visual experience called "the glance". The paper relates that these later Monet paintings are akin to the AbstractExpressionism of Jackson Pollack and Abstractionists like Kandinsky because, in essence, the later water lily paintings are abstract in their concentration on flow, color texture, and movement.
Table of Contents
Monet and Impressionism
Giverney and the Water Lilies
"Water Lilies"
Importance
Figure 1: "Water Lilies" ("The Clouds")
Figure2: "Water Lilies" (1906)
Figure 3: "Waterlilies, Green Reflection, Left Part" (1916-1923)
Figure 4: "Water Lilies" (1907)
Figure 5: Bridge at Giverney. "Le Bassin aux Nympheas"
From the Paper "In art historical terms Monet was the heir to a departure in style and content in 19th Century painting and was one of the instigators of the new school of French landscape painting. Monet's earlier work signals a break from the past conflict in art between line and color as the dominant aspects of painting. He also began his painting career in an atmosphere which no longer felt bound to paint from a religious and mythological basis - which had previously been seen as essential elements of artistic creation. This meant that the artist felt free to explore new and more expressive methods of artistic creation and "they no longer troubled themselves about composing pictures based on geometric principles. They continued to compose, of course, but they chose their patterns with an eye to pictorial rhythm, and were thereby led to seek out new rhythms."
Abstract This paper explains that Vassily Kandinsky's work is often chaotic and formless; however, they are somehow pleasing to the eye as seen in paintings such as "Landscape Near Murnau with Locomotive" (1909), "Black Lines No. 189" (1913) and "Little Pleasures" (1913). The author points out that Kandinsky believed the purpose of painting was to prepare people to think and see in terms of immaterial form rather than perceived objects like apples and nudes. The paper concludes that Vassily Kandinsky, the founder of abstractexpressionism, was unique in his successful endeavors to juxtapose color, light, landscape, music, spirituality, nature and other essences of life into his artistic works.
Table of Contents
Introduction and Thesis Statement
Personal Feelings about Kandinsky's work
Biography of Kandinsky
Kandinsky's German Expressionism The Blau Reiter (Blue Rider) Movement
The Influence of Theosophy on Kandinsky
Kandinsky's Color Theory
Conclusion
From the Paper "Typically, German Expressionists depicted aspects of real life as they saw it, not just abstraction and spirituality. Also, they painted not so much within a vacuum of pure art but rather to artistically express diverse influences on art and life of nature, spirituality, music, architecture and sculpture. Within that spirit, Kandinsky and Franz Marc co-founded the Blue Rider (Blaue Reiter) movement (1911-14), and along with it, their Blaue Reiter Almanac (1911) and a Blaue Reiter Exhibition (1912), all so-named because of Kandinsky's fondness for two canvases he painted years earlier."
This paper is an overview of the minimalist movement in art and it most prominent minimalist painters: Robert Rauschenberg, Frank Stella, Robert Morris, Carl Andre, Dan Flavin, Sol LeWitt and Robert Morris.
Abstract This paper defines Minimalism as the tendency by a new generation of artists towards non-allusiveness and decontextualisation from tradition, impersonality in tone, and the flattening of perspectival schema's though the emphasis on surface, and the subsequent neutralization of depth cues. The author states that there is little agreement as to when the movement officially came into being, and who if anyone was its innovator. The paper states that Minimalism emerged primarily as a reaction against Pop and AbstractExpressionism.
Table of Contents
The Emergence of Minimalism
The Influences of High Modernism
Robert Rauschenburg's "White on Whites"
Frank Stella's Black Paintings
Carl Andre and the Influence of Brancusi
Dan Flavin and the Russian Avant-Garde
Sol LeWitt and the Opening Up of Space
Robert Morris and Phenomenological Vision
Conclusion
From the Paper "Superficially Minimalism was everything that motion-painting was not, and indeed it's physical characteristics embodied, at least for the American critic Clement Greenberg, the very elements that modern formalistic abstraction had strove so hard to escape from. It's closest physical relative was early Constructivism, whilst its ideology could be said to have been initiated by Kasimir Malevich's Suprematism movement. Both Constructivism and Suprematism renounced the need for art to be visually complex, Malevich through his Black Square and Vladimir Tatlin's via his Counter-Corner relief?s, although these cannot really be seen as anything more than a indicative forerunner of this new aesthetic. "
Abstract The paper contends that German Expressionism is far from being merely an arbitrary and specific or unique style. The paper discusses how the movement is supported by a complex theoretical framework, which is both metaphysical and based in everyday reality. The paper explains that the great significance of German Expressionism is that the movement consciously found the means to explore and to reflect people's own subjective experience even when the subject seemed to be inexpressible.
From the Paper "Expressionism is concerned not with mere external reality but with the interior experience and reactions of the artists. German Expressionism is marked by the attempt to understand the most elusive and complex themes of the human condition, ranging from feelings of dislocation and insanity to alienation and despair. German Expressionism represents a reaction to reality, not only in terms of each individual artist but also in relation to the entire Expressionist movement. For example, the movement emerged at precisely the moment that the Industrial Revolution was gaining greater ground. German Expressionism is far from being merely an arbitrary and specific or unique style."
