Abstract Expressionism

Abstract Expressionism

Share this information with your students:
Abstract Expressionism is a term applied to a movement in American painting that flourished in New York City the 1940s and 1950s, sometimes referred to as the New York School or, very narrowly, as action painting. Abstract Expressionism resists definition as a cohesive style, ranging from Barnett Newman’s unbroken fields of color to Willem de Kooning’s aggressive handling of paint in representations of the female figure. Abstract Expressionist works are linked by a concern with varying degrees of abstraction as a means to convey strong emotional or expressive content. Abstract Expressionism respected, but challenged and overturned, the clear domination of the early-20th-century giants Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso. Jackson Pollock. One: Number 31, Oil and enamel paint on canvas, 8' 10" x 17' 5 5/8" (269.5 x cm). Sidney and Harriet Janis Collection Fund (by exchange). © 2012 Pollock-Krasner Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York Jackson Pollock. One: Number 31, 1950 MoMA Abstract Expressionism Theme

Willem de Kooning: Depictions of Woman in Art
MoMA Abstract Expressionism Theme

Questions Why might an artist choose to paint abstractly instead of representationally—depicting figures, shapes, objects, or scenes? What kinds of choices do artists make when painting? MoMA Abstract Expressionism Theme

Take a close look at Woman I by Willem de Kooning…
How would you describe this work to another person? What do you notice about the application of paint and brushwork? The colors? The background? If you were to recreate the physical gestures de Kooning made as he painted Woman, I, what would they look like? Share this information with your students: Although the painting appears direct and spontaneous, de Kooning worked on Woman, I for over a year and a half, during which he interspersed vigorous painting sessions with long periods of looking and thinking. Over months, he applied paint to the canvas and scraped it away. At a point, he even discarded the unfinished painting for several weeks before eventually retrieving it and returning to work. Willem de Kooning. Woman, I Oil on canvas, 6' 3 7/8" x 58" (192.7 x cm). Purchase. © 2012 The Willem de Kooning Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York Willem de Kooning. Woman, I MoMA Abstract Expressionism Theme

How is Woman I different from these other representations of women
How is Woman I different from these other representations of women? How is it similar? Share this information with your students: Woman, I is the first of a series of six paintings of women de Kooning created. He was influenced by images including Paleolithic fertility sculptures, and pinup girls. “Paleolithic” refers to the prehistoric era distinguished by the development of stone tools, and extends roughly 2.6M-12,000 years B.P. (before Present). Paleo = “old”; Lithic = “stone”. He diverges from these traditional representations of women, which he called, "the idol, the Venus, the nude”, de Kooning paints a woman with gigantic eyes, massive breasts, and a toothy grin. Willem de Kooning. Woman, I Oil on canvas, 6' 3 7/8" x 58" (192.7 x cm). Purchase. © 2012 The Willem de Kooning Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York LEFT TO RIGHT: Venus von Willendorf paleolithic sculpture, image protected under Creative Commons by Oke; Willem de Kooning. Woman, I ; Pinup Girl image protected under Creative Commons by Tor Kristensen MoMA Abstract Expressionism Theme

Let’s compare Woman, I to Lee Krasner’s Gaea…
Share this information with your students: Krasner would lay her canvas on the floor and pour oil paint directly out of the can onto the canvas surface. She would then spread around the paint with large brushes, or even her hands, to create active shapes, colors, and movement. This large scale painting measures 69" x 10' 5 1/2" (175.3 x cm). Lee Krasner was the only female artist associated with the New York school of Abstract Expressionists. Willem de Kooning. Woman, I Oil on canvas, 6' 3 7/8" x 58" (192.7 x cm). Purchase. © 2012 The Willem de Kooning Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York Lee Krasner. Gaea Oil on canvas, 69" x 10' 5 1/2" (175.3 x cm). Kay Sage Tanguy Fund. © 2012 Pollock-Krasner Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York Lee Krasner. Gaea How are these paintings similar? How are they different? Willem de Kooning. Woman, I MoMA Abstract Expressionism Theme

What words would you use to describe this image?
Share this information with your students: In Greek mythology, Gaea means Mother Earth and is the title of Lee Krasner’s painting. Gaea personifies Earth in many forms and is often shown in transition from one form to another. Anselm Feuerbach, 1875 image licensed under Creative Commons Anselm Feuerbach, 1875 image licensed under Creative Commons MoMA Abstract Expressionism Theme

Let’s take a closer look…
Lee Krasner. Gaea Share this information with your students: Anselm Feuerbach, 1875 image licensed under Creative Commons Do you see any lines, forms or gestures that evoke a sense of the movement or shifting forms? Anselm Feuerbach, 1875 image licensed under Creative Commons MoMA Abstract Expressionism Theme

Barnett Newman: Abstraction in Painting

Let’s take a look at Vir Heroicus Sublimis by Barnett Newman
Share this information with your students: The English translation of the title is, "Man, heroic and sublime.” Barnett Newman. Vir Heroicus Sublimis Oil on canvas, 7' 11 3/8" x 17' 9 1/4" (242.2 x cm). Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Ben Heller. © 2012 Barnett Newman Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York Barnett Newman. Vir Heroicus Sublimis What words would you use to describe this painting? What stylistic choices did the artist made in terms of color, composition, and subject? MoMA Abstract Expressionism Theme

Let’s take a look at Vir Heroicus Sublimis by Barnett Newman
Share this information with your students: The English translation of the title is, "Man, heroic and sublime.” Barnett Newman. Vir Heroicus Sublimis Oil on canvas, 7' 11 3/8" x 17' 9 1/4" (242.2 x cm). Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Ben Heller. © 2012 Barnett Newman Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York Barnett Newman. Vir Heroicus Sublimis How does the title relate to what you see? How might the painting’s large scale relate to the title? MoMA Abstract Expressionism Theme

Let’s compare Newman and Giacometti
Barnett Newman. Vir Heroicus Sublimis How is viewing an artwork for the first time like meeting a new person? Do you think it’s possible to reduce a human figure to abstract lines, shapes, and colors? Share this information with your students: Newman hoped that the viewer would stand close to this expansive work, and he likened the experience to a human encounter: "It's no different, really, from meeting another person. One has a reaction to the person physically.” Newman admired Alberto Giacometti's thin sculptures of the human figure, and his stripes, or "zips," as he called them, may be seen as symbolizing figures against a void. In this painting, the zips vary in width, color, and firmness of edge: the white zip at center left, for example, looks almost like the gap between separate planes, while the orange-red zip two over to its right seems to recede slightly into the red. Barnett Newman. Vir Heroicus Sublimis Oil on canvas, 7' 11 3/8" x 17' 9 1/4" (242.2 x cm). Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Ben Heller. © 2012 Barnett Newman Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York Alberto Giacometti. Standing Woman (cast 1949). Painted bronze, 65 3/8 x 6 1/2 x 13 1/2" (166 x 16.5 x 34.2 cm). James Thrall Soby Bequest. © 2012 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / ADAGP, Paris Alberto Giacometti, Standing Woman, 1948 MoMA Abstract Expressionism Theme

Questions How did Newman translate his ideas into paint?
How does this work change your perception of paint as a tool for expressing ideas and emotions? MoMA Abstract Expressionism Theme

Jackson Pollock: Revolutions in Painting

Take a close look at One: Number 31, by Jackson Pollock…
Share this information with your students: This work is an example of what is called and “allover” painting. Allover painting refers to a canvas covered in paint from edge to edge and from corner to corner, in which each area of the composition is given equal attention and significance. This is a radically different approach from modes of painting that offer specific focal points, such as the sitter's face in the case of a portrait. With an allover composition, our eyes are invited to wander the canvas from the top to the bottom, following lines, shapes, and colors. To create this and his other drip paintings, Pollock began by tacking unstretched, unprimed canvas to the floor. He would use hard brushes, turkey basters, and wooden sticks dipped in paint to splatter and drip color across the canvas. This method required not just the use of his wrist and arm, but his entire body. Referring to his process, Pollock said: “I feel nearer, more a part of the painting, since this way I can walk around it, work from the four sides and literally be in the painting. I prefer sticks, trowels, knives and dripping fluid paint....When I am in my painting, I'm not aware of what I'm doing. It is only when I lose contact with the painting that the result is a mess.” [Jackson Pollock, quoted in Kirk Varnedoe, Jackson Pollock (New York: The Museum of Modern Art, 1998), p. 48.] Jackson Pollock. One: Number 31, Oil and enamel paint on canvas, 8' 10" x 17' 5 5/8" (269.5 x cm). Sidney and Harriet Janis Collection Fund (by exchange). © 2012 Pollock-Krasner Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York Jackson Pollock. One: Number 31, 1950 What words would you describe this painting? What gestures or movements did Pollock make, based on what you see? How would you describe the lines in the painting? MoMA Abstract Expressionism Theme

Let’s look at Jacob’s Ladder by Helen Frankenthaler
How does Frankenthaler use lines to create shapes? What kinds of shapes do you see in her work? What gestures or movements did Frankenthaler have to make, based on what you see? Share this information with your students: Like Pollock, Frankenthaler experimented with line and paint. Frankenthaler developed a painting technique in which she thinned pigments with turpentine so that they soaked through and stained the unprimed canvas rather than resting on the surface. The images and colors then become embedded in the picture, in the fabric of the canvas, resembling giant watercolors. Helen Frankenthaler. Jacob's Ladder Oil on canvas, 9' 5 3/8" x 69 7/8" (287.9 x cm). Gift of Hyman N. Glickstein. © 2012 Helen Frankenthaler / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York Helen Frankenthaler. Jacob's Ladder MoMA Abstract Expressionism Theme

Let’s compare Pollock and Frankenthaler
Share this information with your students: Frankenthaler has spoken about opposites in her work—about a combination of freedom and restraint; accident and control. When Frankenthaler saw Pollock's work for the first time, she said, "It was as if I suddenly went to a foreign country but didn't know the language, but had read enough and had a passionate interest, and was eager to live there. I wanted to live in this land. I had to live there, and master the language." [Helen Frankenthaler, quoted in Helen Frankenthaler (New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1989), p. 37.] In November 20, 1950, Time magazine quoted an Italian critic who wrote of Pollock’s work, “It is easy to detect the following things in all of his paintings: Chaos. Absolute lack of harmony. Complete lack of structural organization. Total absence of technique, however rudimentary. Once again, chaos.” Pollock replied with a telegram stating, “No chaos, damn it.” Although he worked spontaneously and admitted chance effects into his work, Pollock asserted that he maintained control while making his drip paintings. Jackson Pollock. One: Number 31, Oil and enamel paint on canvas, 8' 10" x 17' 5 5/8" (269.5 x cm). Sidney and Harriet Janis Collection Fund (by exchange). © 2012 Pollock-Krasner Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York Helen Frankenthaler. Jacob's Ladder Oil on canvas, 9' 5 3/8" x 69 7/8" (287.9 x cm). Gift of Hyman N. Glickstein. © 2012 Helen Frankenthaler / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York Jackson Pollock. One: Number 31, 1950 Helen Frankenthaler. Jacob's Ladder How are these paintings similar? How are they different? MoMA Abstract Expressionism Theme

Let’s compare Pollock and Frankenthaler
Share this information with your students: Frankenthaler has spoken about opposites in her work—about a combination of freedom and restraint; accident and control. When Frankenthaler saw Pollock's work for the first time, she said, "It was as if I suddenly went to a foreign country but didn't know the language, but had read enough and had a passionate interest, and was eager to live there. I wanted to live in this land. I had to live there, and master the language." [Helen Frankenthaler, quoted in Helen Frankenthaler (New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1989), p. 37.] In November 20, 1950, Time magazine quoted an Italian critic who wrote of Pollock’s work, “It is easy to detect the following things in all of his paintings: Chaos. Absolute lack of harmony. Complete lack of structural organization. Total absence of technique, however rudimentary. Once again, chaos.” Pollock replied with a telegram stating, “No chaos, damn it.” Although he worked spontaneously and admitted chance effects into his work, Pollock asserted that he maintained control while making his drip paintings. Jackson Pollock. One: Number 31, Oil and enamel paint on canvas, 8' 10" x 17' 5 5/8" (269.5 x cm). Sidney and Harriet Janis Collection Fund (by exchange). © 2012 Pollock-Krasner Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York Helen Frankenthaler. Jacob's Ladder Oil on canvas, 9' 5 3/8" x 69 7/8" (287.9 x cm). Gift of Hyman N. Glickstein. © 2012 Helen Frankenthaler / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York Jackson Pollock. One: Number 31, 1950 Helen Frankenthaler. Jacob’s Ladder, 1928 Do these paintings convey chaos or control? What do you think? MoMA Abstract Expressionism Theme

Mark Rothko: Color and Environment

Questions How do artists convey a sense of place, atmosphere, or environment in an abstract work of art? MoMA Abstract Expressionism Theme

Take a close look at No. 16 (Red, Brown and Black) by Mark Rothko
What gestures or movements did Pollock make, based on what you see? What words would you describe this painting? How would you describe the lines in the painting? Share this information with your students: No. 16 (Red, Brown, and Black) is executed in the signature style that Rothko developed around It is based on a deceptively simple compositional structure involving two or three vertically stacked rectangular blocks of color on a monochrome ground. Artist quote: “We favor the simple expression of the complex thought. We are for the large shape because it has the impact of the unequivocal. We wish to reassert the picture plane. We are for flat forms because they destroy illusion and reveal truth.” (Joint statement with Adolph Gottlieb to Edwin A. Jewell, written primarily by Rothko, often referred to as a manifesto. written 7 June 1943; published 13 June 1943) Mark Rothko. No. 16 (Red, Brown, and Black) Oil on canvas, 8' 10 5/8" x 9' 9 1/4" (270.8 x cm). Mrs. Simon Guggenheim Fund. © 1998 Kate Rothko Prizel & Christopher Rothko / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York Mark Rothko, No. 16 (Red, Brown and Black), 1958 MoMA Abstract Expressionism Theme

Take a close look at No. 16 (Red, Brown and Black) by Mark Rothko
What do you notice about his choice of color? How would you describe the brushwork? What effect do you think Rothko hoped to create? Share this information with your students: No. 16 (Red, Brown, and Black) is executed in the signature style that Rothko developed around It is based on a deceptively simple compositional structure involving two or three vertically stacked rectangular blocks of color on a monochrome ground. Artist quote: “We favor the simple expression of the complex thought. We are for the large shape because it has the impact of the unequivocal. We wish to reassert the picture plane. We are for flat forms because they destroy illusion and reveal truth.” (Joint statement with Adolph Gottlieb to Edwin A. Jewell, written primarily by Rothko, often referred to as a manifesto. written 7 June 1943; published 13 June 1943) Mark Rothko. No. 16 (Red, Brown, and Black) Oil on canvas, 8' 10 5/8" x 9' 9 1/4" (270.8 x cm). Mrs. Simon Guggenheim Fund. © 1998 Kate Rothko Prizel & Christopher Rothko / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York Mark Rothko, No. 16 (Red, Brown and Black), 1958 MoMA Abstract Expressionism Theme

Let’s look at an earlier work by Mark Rothko…
What words would you use to describe this painting? How is Rothko using line, shape and color? How do the figures and shapes relate to one another? Share this information with your students: Early on in his career, Rothko saw art as "an adventure into an unknown world" and, like the Surrealists before him, sought to create universal symbols drawn from the subconscious. Slow Swirl at the Edge of the Sea shows two sinuous biomorphic creatures that seem to float between sea and sky, surrounded by arabesques, spirals, and stripes that can be read as musical notations (?)symbols. He applied the paint in transparent layers of thinned out paint—a practice he retained when even after he abandoned representational images and began to develop his large-scale color field paintings a few years later. Mark Rothko. Slow Swirl at the Edge of the Sea Oil on canvas, 6' 3 3/8" x 7' 3/4" (191.4 x cm). Bequest of Mrs. Mark Rothko through The Mark Rothko Foundation, Inc. © 1998 Kate Rothko Prizel & Christopher Rothko / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York Mark Rothko, Slow Swirl by the Edge of the Sea, 1944 MoMA Abstract Expressionism Theme

Let’s compare these two Rothko paintings
Share this information with your students: In both paintings, Rothko applied the paint in transparent layers of thinned out paint—a practice he retained even after he abandoned representational images in favor of large-scale abstract paintings. Both works feature multiple figures or shapes that seem to be “in conversation.” Mark Rothko. Slow Swirl at the Edge of the Sea Oil on canvas, 6' 3 3/8" x 7' 3/4" (191.4 x cm). Bequest of Mrs. Mark Rothko through The Mark Rothko Foundation, Inc. © 1998 Kate Rothko Prizel & Christopher Rothko / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York Mark Rothko. No. 16 (Red, Brown, and Black) Oil on canvas, 8' 10 5/8" x 9' 9 1/4" (270.8 x cm). Mrs. Simon Guggenheim Fund. How would you describe the mood of each painting? How did Rothko create a sense of space in each of these paintings? How did he create a space for contemplation and reflection? Mark Rothko, Slow Swirl by the Edge of the Sea, 1944 Mark Rothko, No. 16 (Red, Brown and Black), 1958 MoMA Abstract Expressionism Theme

Abstract Expressionism

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Abstract Expressionism

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