Abstract Expressionism

Paper Summary:

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 abstract expressionism. 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."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Paul, Stella. "Abstract Expressionism." Metropolitan Museum of Art. Internet. Retrieved from http://www.metmuseum.org/TOAH/hd/abex/hd_abex.htm.
• De la Croix, Horst and Richard G. Tansey, eds. Gardner's Art Through the Ages. 10th ed. New York: Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich, 2003.

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