The Unknown Cullen
New member
Abstract Expressionism
Order and chaos finally have meaning together. The movement of abstract painting emerged in New York during the nineteen-forty’s. It is also called action painting and the New York school. “The New York school was significant in American paintings because it declared independence from European styles and it influenced the development of art throughout”. (1) Jackson Pollack was one of the pioneers of abstract expressionism and his style consisted of spattering paint on huge canvases placed on the floor. To many, his paintings were purely luck but to him each step was carefully planned. His paintings expressed violence and activity unlike Mark Rothko, who portrayed simple images with in depth meanings. Despite the different styles that expressionist painters have, they share the same outlook of having individual freedom of expression. We will discuss the abstract expressionist style, and the influence that Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko had on expressionism. Who would ever think that a line or a color would trigger so many different conclusions to what message the artists were trying to relay?
Abstract expressionism began as lyrical and as a remerabrance of the past that ended up forcefully and boldly dramatic. “Basic to most abstract expressionist painting were the attention paid to surface qualities, ie., qualities of brushstroke and texture: the use of huge canvases: the adoption of an approach to space in which all parts of the canvas played an equally vital role in the total work; the harnessing of accidents that occurred during the process of painting; the harnessing of accidents that occurred during the process of painting; and the glorification of the act of painting itself as a means of visual communication”. (2) Expressionism presented a broad range of style diversity, which was largely nonrepresentational. This movement had an influence on the many varieties of works that followed it, especially the way the artists used colors and materials. Expressionism does not express one style, but rather a general attitude; not all works were abstract or expressive. Many artists had common similarities such as being morally loaded and often portraying tragic. Their themes consisted of social realism, regional life, individuality and spur of the moment improvisions. Conventional styles and subjects were avoided at all costs.
Jackson Pollock has been called one of the greatest painters of the twentieth-century. “Many traditionalists disagree that Pollock was largely to credit for developing the abstract expressionist style of action painting”. (3) This technique is where the artist drips or throws colors on a canvas. Pollock used sticks, trowels and knives to add texture to his paintings and would mix sand, broken glass or other small objects into the paint. The creativeness is left up to the artists’ discretion since the artist becomes the art. Pollock was misunderstood because his new art form drip and splash was difficult for most to understand; meaning there was nothing concrete to grasp. “Others said that unlike other styles, abstract expressionism didn’t reveal some “universal truth” to the viewer”. (4) When looking at Pollock’s “Nuraber One 1948” (5), it is obvious how much paint can be unrestricted, unexpected and uncontrolled. The shapes are complex with paint layered on top of another yet they still have freedom. Order and freedom do not usually go hand and hand but Pollock has managed to successfully accomplish both in this painting. To the average person order is not the first thing to come to mind when looking at Pollock’s work, but his masterpieces are not accidental. Much thought and preparation went into every line and detail in his artwork. His career was ended abruptly when he was involved in a car accident with his lover. His sudden death along with the fact that the world did not know what he was capable of creating helped to give him more fame than he had achieved while he was alive.
Mark Rothko was opposite of Pollock, his style was simple yet carried complex meanings. His works were not ordinary to interpret; they were read by interpreting the colors. They seem to have deep inner meanings that are not easily understood. To the naked eye they are nothing more than different colors put together on a canvas with the subject unclear. In his piece “Yellow Band”(6) the worRAB explain exactly what you see, but what is the real meaning behind this? This is not so cut and dry, could it be a way out, a way in or possibly a cry for help? When starring at this I feel as though the yellow band pulls you closer but the meaning still baffles me. At one point in his career the meanings of his works must have been clear because he painted murals at Harvard University and The Rothko Chapel. Mark stated “I became a painter because I wanted to raise painting to the level of poignancy of music and poetry”. (7) His trademarks of luminous colors and rectangular forms took Rothko from rags to riches. While talking with his colleagues about expressionism Rothko stated “We favor the simple expression of the complex thought. We are for the large shape because it has the impact of the unequivocal…. We are for flat forms because they destroy illusion and reveal truth…. There is no such thing as a good painting about nothing. We assert that the subject is crucial and only that subject matter is valid which is tragic and timeless. That is why we profess spiritual kinship with primitive and archaic art.”(8) Pressure from his dealer to sell more paintings and the ending of a second marriage caused Rothko to take his life. Another mystery of what would have been next was created all over again.
Abstract Expressionism can be interpreted many ways according to the person critiquing it. To many the style had no sense of order and the subject was unclear. To the people that understand the concept of expressionism, every small dot had a meaning that could be logically thought out. We have discussed the abstract expressionist style, and the influence that Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko had on expressionism. In the beginning when I viewed these artworks the meaning was unclear but as I bonded, each line and color took on a meaning of its’ own. Even though I gathered my own thought of what the artist was trying to say, who is to say that I am correct? It has become obvious that the meanings that I grasp from these works will not be the same that another will grasp. The beauty of this style is that to each is each own; meaning that no two people will comprehend this style the same because of the complex meanings of such simple shapes and colors. Although expressionist paintings have different meanings the fascination with the vivid colors and unusual subjects keep people intrigued. Watching the artists’ create there masterpieces in itself is an art form, simply because of their techniques and creativity. It is hard to grasp the full spectrum of artists’ imagination. In my opinion the world is an empty canvas for artists’ to create new styles and techniques, only they control the destiny of where their artworks can take them.
References:
1. http://www.hallpainters.com/individual-_artists/2850.shtml
2. http://www.kiRAB.infoplease.com/ce5/CE0411543.html
3. http://metalab.uncedu/wm/paint/auth/pollock/
4. http://doble.interspeed.net/influence/14pollock.html
5. http://www-tep.ucsd.edu/students/Salerno/pollock.html
6. http://sheldon.unl.edu/HTML/ARTIST/Rothko_M/Yelband_SSI.html
7. http://www.pacewildenstein.com/rothko/
8. http://sheldon.unl.edu/HTML/ARTIST/Rothko_M/Yelband_SSI.html
9. http:www.denniswalker.com/rothko-prints/rothko-prints.html
Order and chaos finally have meaning together. The movement of abstract painting emerged in New York during the nineteen-forty’s. It is also called action painting and the New York school. “The New York school was significant in American paintings because it declared independence from European styles and it influenced the development of art throughout”. (1) Jackson Pollack was one of the pioneers of abstract expressionism and his style consisted of spattering paint on huge canvases placed on the floor. To many, his paintings were purely luck but to him each step was carefully planned. His paintings expressed violence and activity unlike Mark Rothko, who portrayed simple images with in depth meanings. Despite the different styles that expressionist painters have, they share the same outlook of having individual freedom of expression. We will discuss the abstract expressionist style, and the influence that Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko had on expressionism. Who would ever think that a line or a color would trigger so many different conclusions to what message the artists were trying to relay?
Abstract expressionism began as lyrical and as a remerabrance of the past that ended up forcefully and boldly dramatic. “Basic to most abstract expressionist painting were the attention paid to surface qualities, ie., qualities of brushstroke and texture: the use of huge canvases: the adoption of an approach to space in which all parts of the canvas played an equally vital role in the total work; the harnessing of accidents that occurred during the process of painting; the harnessing of accidents that occurred during the process of painting; and the glorification of the act of painting itself as a means of visual communication”. (2) Expressionism presented a broad range of style diversity, which was largely nonrepresentational. This movement had an influence on the many varieties of works that followed it, especially the way the artists used colors and materials. Expressionism does not express one style, but rather a general attitude; not all works were abstract or expressive. Many artists had common similarities such as being morally loaded and often portraying tragic. Their themes consisted of social realism, regional life, individuality and spur of the moment improvisions. Conventional styles and subjects were avoided at all costs.
Jackson Pollock has been called one of the greatest painters of the twentieth-century. “Many traditionalists disagree that Pollock was largely to credit for developing the abstract expressionist style of action painting”. (3) This technique is where the artist drips or throws colors on a canvas. Pollock used sticks, trowels and knives to add texture to his paintings and would mix sand, broken glass or other small objects into the paint. The creativeness is left up to the artists’ discretion since the artist becomes the art. Pollock was misunderstood because his new art form drip and splash was difficult for most to understand; meaning there was nothing concrete to grasp. “Others said that unlike other styles, abstract expressionism didn’t reveal some “universal truth” to the viewer”. (4) When looking at Pollock’s “Nuraber One 1948” (5), it is obvious how much paint can be unrestricted, unexpected and uncontrolled. The shapes are complex with paint layered on top of another yet they still have freedom. Order and freedom do not usually go hand and hand but Pollock has managed to successfully accomplish both in this painting. To the average person order is not the first thing to come to mind when looking at Pollock’s work, but his masterpieces are not accidental. Much thought and preparation went into every line and detail in his artwork. His career was ended abruptly when he was involved in a car accident with his lover. His sudden death along with the fact that the world did not know what he was capable of creating helped to give him more fame than he had achieved while he was alive.
Mark Rothko was opposite of Pollock, his style was simple yet carried complex meanings. His works were not ordinary to interpret; they were read by interpreting the colors. They seem to have deep inner meanings that are not easily understood. To the naked eye they are nothing more than different colors put together on a canvas with the subject unclear. In his piece “Yellow Band”(6) the worRAB explain exactly what you see, but what is the real meaning behind this? This is not so cut and dry, could it be a way out, a way in or possibly a cry for help? When starring at this I feel as though the yellow band pulls you closer but the meaning still baffles me. At one point in his career the meanings of his works must have been clear because he painted murals at Harvard University and The Rothko Chapel. Mark stated “I became a painter because I wanted to raise painting to the level of poignancy of music and poetry”. (7) His trademarks of luminous colors and rectangular forms took Rothko from rags to riches. While talking with his colleagues about expressionism Rothko stated “We favor the simple expression of the complex thought. We are for the large shape because it has the impact of the unequivocal…. We are for flat forms because they destroy illusion and reveal truth…. There is no such thing as a good painting about nothing. We assert that the subject is crucial and only that subject matter is valid which is tragic and timeless. That is why we profess spiritual kinship with primitive and archaic art.”(8) Pressure from his dealer to sell more paintings and the ending of a second marriage caused Rothko to take his life. Another mystery of what would have been next was created all over again.
Abstract Expressionism can be interpreted many ways according to the person critiquing it. To many the style had no sense of order and the subject was unclear. To the people that understand the concept of expressionism, every small dot had a meaning that could be logically thought out. We have discussed the abstract expressionist style, and the influence that Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko had on expressionism. In the beginning when I viewed these artworks the meaning was unclear but as I bonded, each line and color took on a meaning of its’ own. Even though I gathered my own thought of what the artist was trying to say, who is to say that I am correct? It has become obvious that the meanings that I grasp from these works will not be the same that another will grasp. The beauty of this style is that to each is each own; meaning that no two people will comprehend this style the same because of the complex meanings of such simple shapes and colors. Although expressionist paintings have different meanings the fascination with the vivid colors and unusual subjects keep people intrigued. Watching the artists’ create there masterpieces in itself is an art form, simply because of their techniques and creativity. It is hard to grasp the full spectrum of artists’ imagination. In my opinion the world is an empty canvas for artists’ to create new styles and techniques, only they control the destiny of where their artworks can take them.
References:
1. http://www.hallpainters.com/individual-_artists/2850.shtml
2. http://www.kiRAB.infoplease.com/ce5/CE0411543.html
3. http://metalab.uncedu/wm/paint/auth/pollock/
4. http://doble.interspeed.net/influence/14pollock.html
5. http://www-tep.ucsd.edu/students/Salerno/pollock.html
6. http://sheldon.unl.edu/HTML/ARTIST/Rothko_M/Yelband_SSI.html
7. http://www.pacewildenstein.com/rothko/
8. http://sheldon.unl.edu/HTML/ARTIST/Rothko_M/Yelband_SSI.html
9. http:www.denniswalker.com/rothko-prints/rothko-prints.html