Abstract Expressionism

Visual Art

Where does the term Abstract Expressionism come from?

The term was first used in 1919 to describe the works of Wassily Kadinsky. In 1946 the term was re-introduced in connection with the work of Jason Pollok( action panting) and Willem de Kooning (gestural painting).

Abstract

to be involved with concepts rather than reality / creating a new reality severed from the actual reality

Expressionism

the need to express, negating traditional ways of expression.

What does Abstract Expressionism manifests?

the emotional approach caused by the disillusionment of WWII.

What can be found in found in Abstract Expressionism?

chance, automatism, new boundaries, invented process - are found in Abstract Expressionism

Characteristics of Abstract

• The whole painting portrays a mass of paint

• Direct painting methods are used- no planning - automatism/ intuitive painting

• Chance is absorbed in the painting process.

• Texture, harmony through marks is deemed important.

Gestalt theory

The Gestalt theory promotes the comprehension of a whole entity, as well as all the parts that it consists of. i.e. a tree. On e sees the tree and read it as a whole, but one is aware of roots, trunk, branches and leaves, even though all of it is not visible.

How is the Gestalt theory applied to Abstract Expressionism?

this theory is applied in the ‘overallness’ of the paint – no part of the canvas is more important than another, and by itself it will still represent the whole canvas

WHO WAS POLLOCK?

Jackson Pollock (28 January 1912 – 11 August 1956) grew up in Arizona and California.

Pollocks Influences

• eastern philosophy and religion, i.e. Zen Buddhism and Taoism.

• Eastern religions emphasise the energy concept, also prevalent in their handwriting – brush strokes for letters.

• Pollock connects this handwriting process with modern automatism in painting

Jackson Pollock Characteristics (action painter)

• He uses any possible objects as paintbrushes: sticks, trowels, knives, broken glass, perforated tins, and bicycles.

• He uses his entire body to perform a gesture to activate the ultimate amount of energy, while remaining in upright position, distancing himself from the canvas.

• His paintings appear to be layered webs of paint, forming a textured network of lines splattered in all directions

• Various line qualities are created through the painting action: flowing, splattered, bent, straight, angular, curved etc.

WHO IS WILLEN DE KOONING

De Kooning is a Gestural Painter well known for his depiction of women, often portrayed in a mode of evil, sexual or frightening.

Gestural

When a painted mark is created through a gesture/ free movement of the artist’s involving more than a mere hand movement

Action painting

a style of abstract painting in which paint is randomly splashed, thrown, or poured on to the canvas. It was made famous by Jackson Pollock, and formed part of the more general movement of abstract expressionism.

De Kooning Influences

He was influenced by a number of his contemporaries e.g. Miro as well as the portrayal of women in the American mass media e.g. billboards, advertisements.

Willem de Kooning Characteristics

• Highly energetic, aggressive brushwork

• Flesh-tones in pinks

• There is little differentiation between figure and ground

• He creates crowded, even claustrophobic works

• Thick swirling strokes that are individualistic and identifiable

• Alloverness is also found in his works – a similarity in the urgency and energy is evident in all the gestural marks which make up the paintings

Background of Abstract Expressionism

They did not form a movement but knew each other and were contemporaries in age. There were no uniform stylistic traits and they did not have a manifesto or program.

Characteristics of Abstract Expressionism: Subject matter

Artists broke from conventional realism, creating abstract works where the physical act of painting, bold marks, and large areas of color conveyed personal experiences drawn from the subconscious.

Characteristics of Abstract Expressionism: Composition

• artists filled the whole canvas with a non-representational composition.

• compositions of the Action painters lack a central motif.

• They abandoned the traditional idea of composition in terms of relations among the parts.

• - The paintings are filled with expressive brushstrokes creating movement all over the canvas that could continue past the edge of the frame.

Characteristics of Abstract Expressionism: Shapes

• The shapes created on the canvas are meant to be interpreted as brushstrokes, drips or geometric surfaces of colour divided by smaller geometric surfaces of other colours.

• It does not refer to anything recognizable except for paint on canvas.

Characteristics of Abstract Expressionism: Application

The application of paint by the Action painters was gestural and aggressive. Every brush mark is like the “handwriting” of the artist, telling us about his emotions and his experience.

Characteristics of Abstract Expressionism: Colour

• Their use of colour generally did not refer to visual reality.

• It is only in De Kooning’s works where the reference to flesh is echoed in his use of colour.

• Colour was very important to the Colourfield painters who saw the non-figurative colour surfaces as expressions of the ideas of transcendence and the infinite.

Example of the Gestalt Theory

a tree. On e sees the tree and read it as a whole, but one is aware of roots, trunk, branches and leaves, even though all of it is not visible.

What does the Gestalt Theory state

The Gestalt theory states that all arts are equal to the whole, and vice versa.

About Jackson Pollock

• His works are seen as leading examples of action painting of the Abstract Expressionist movement.

• The expressive character of his works correlates with the existential anguish he experienced throughout his emotional and tumultuous life.

What term can be used to describe action painting

The term over-all composition is used for such a work.