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Art After World War II
In the decade following World War II, American artists emerged as leaders
in the development of abstract art. Although abstract art had its origins
in such European movements such as Cubism, Surrealism, and Expressionism,
it was American artists like Robert Motherwell, Norman Lewis and Mark
Rothko who extended its potential and vitality into the second half of the
twentieth century. In doing so, they redefined abstraction in a uniquely
American way.
These artists, who come to be known as Abstract Expressionists, recognized that while abstract art might lack a recognizable subject, it did not have to give up content. And like the age in which they lived, that content was complex: they drew upon diverse philosophies, myths, Freudian and Jungian psychology and even the symbolism of native peoples. The resulting works were rich with meaning. As Rothko stated, these artists "favor[ed] the simple expression of the complex thought."
Despite its complexity, this new art was fueled by its makers' belief in art's ability to communicate universal, spiritual truths. Agreeing on a common cause, these artists sought this universality using different styles. Rothko's fluid washes of paint, for example, stand in contrast to De Kooning's energetic, nearly violent brushstrokes. Yet both artists believed strongly in the ability of art to evoke powerful and meaningful emotions in the viewer.
Gesture Painting
Abstract painting in the post-World War II era can be roughly divided into
two groups: gesture (or action) painting and color field painting. Gesture
painting evolved out of the work of artists such as Jackson Pollock and Willem
De Kooning. For them, the canvas was "an arena in which to act," and the image
on the canvas was "not a picture but an event." These ideas drew chiefly from
the existentialist philosophy of the Frenchman Jean-Paul Sartre, whose statement
"there is no reality except in action" influenced artists and critics alike.
Gesture painting is a term used to describe styles marked by impulsive brushwork, visible changes or errors (called pentimenti), and unstable, energetic compositions. In combination, these characteristics seem to serve as an unedited record of how the artist felt while creating the work. For a period in the 1940s and 1950s, gesture painting was championed as the most authentic mode of painting. Begun by such masters as De Kooning and Pollock in the 1940s, gesture painting remained a strong force in the art world through subsequent decades thanks in part to its adoption by such "second generation" Abstract Expressionists as Joan Mitchell.
Color Field Painting
Abstract painting in the post-World War II era can be loosely divided into two
general groups: color field painting and gesture, or action, painting. Color
field artists such as Kenneth Noland, Jules Olitski and Helen Frankenthaler
applied color in large areas, or fields. The main characteristics of color field
painting include the use of colors close in tone and intensity; highly simplified
compositions; and large formats.
Color field artists used new synthetic paints such as acrylic and magna in unique, innovative ways: the paint, for example, was sometimes sprayed on, or soaked into unprimed (raw) canvas. These techniques so closely united the pigment with the support that the two seemed to become one. This was an achievement admired in the 1950s and 1960s as the purest kind of painting, one uncomplicated by subject matter, illusionism or even gesture (the record of the artist's hand). Decades later, these works still resonate with luminous color and an elegance of form that remains unparalleled in contemporary art.
Web LINKS
National Gallery of Art
Themes in American Art: Abstraction
http://www.nga.gov/education/american/abstract.htm
ArtLex
Abstract Expressionism
http://www.artlex.com/ArtLex/a/abstractexpr.html
Art and Culture
Modern Sculpture
http://www.artandculture.com/arts/movement?movementId=1020
Color Field
http://www.artandculture.com/arts/movement?movementId=1013
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