Abstract expressionism, American Art
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Abstract expressionism
, , oil on , 244 x 122 cm. (96 x 48 in.), private collection.
Abstract expressionism was an American post– . It was the first specifically American movement to achieve international influence and put New York City at the center of the western , a role formerly filled by Paris. Although the term "abstract expressionism" was first applied to American art in 1946 by the art critic , it had been first used in Germany in 1919 in the magazine , regarding . In the United States, was the first to use this term in 1929 in relation to works by .
The movement's name is derived from the combination of the emotional intensity and self-denial of the German with the anti-figurative aesthetic of the European abstract schools such as , the and Synthetic . Additionally, it has an image of being rebellious, anarchic, highly idiosyncratic and, some feel, nihilistic.
Style
, VI (1963), , . David Smith was one of the most influential American sculptors of the 20th century.
An abstract expressionist painting by (1918-1986): Crags and Crevices, 1961
Technically, an important predecessor is , with its emphasis on spontaneous, or subconscious creation. 's dripping paint onto a canvas laid on the floor is a technique that has its roots in the work of , and . Another important early manifestation of what came to be abstract expressionism is the work of American Northwest artist , especially his "white writing" canvases, which, though generally not large in scale, anticipate the look of Pollock's drip paintings.
The movement's name is derived from the combination of the emotional intensity and self-denial of the German with the anti-figurative aesthetic of the European abstract schools such as , the and Synthetic . Additionally, it has an image of being rebellious, anarchic, highly idiosyncratic and, some feel, nihilistic. In practice, the term is applied to any number of artists working (mostly) in New York who had quite different styles and even to work that is neither especially abstract nor expressionist. California Abstract Expressionist , who typically painted in the non-objective style, wrote about his painting Mare Nostrum, "It is far better to capture the glorious spirit of the sea than to paint all of its tiny ripples." Pollock's energetic "", with their "busy" feel, are different, both technically and aesthetically, from the violent and grotesque Women series of 's and the rectangles of color in 's paintings (which are not what would usually be called expressionist and which Rothko denied were abstract). Yet all four artists are classified as abstract expressionists.
Abstract expressionism has many stylistic similarities to the Russian artists of the early twentieth century such as . Although it is true that spontaneity or the impression of spontaneity characterized many of the abstract expressionists works, most of these paintings involved careful planning, especially since their large size demanded it. With artists like , , Emma Kunz, and later on Rothko, , and , abstract art clearly implied expression of ideas concerning the spiritual, the unconscious and the mind.
Why this style gained mainstream acceptance in the 1950s is a matter of debate. American had been the mainstream in the 1930s. It had been influenced not only by the but also by the of such as and . The political climate after World War II did not long tolerate the social protests of these painters. Abstract expressionism arose during World War II and began to be showcased during the early forties at galleries in New York like . The after World War II was a time of artistic in the United States, but if the subject matter were totally then it would be seen as apolitical, and therefore safe. Or if the art was political, the message was largely for the insiders.
While the movement is closely associated with painting, and painters like , , , , , Jackson Pollock and others, and and certain sculptors in particular were also integral to Abstract Expressionism. , and his wife , , , , , Phillip Pavia, , Richard Stankiewicz, , and in particular were some of the sculptors considered as being important members of the movement. In addition, the artists , , , , and sculptors , , Raoul Hague, , , and even , , , and several others were integral parts of the Abstract expressionist movement. Many of the sculptors listed participated in the the famous exhibition curated by on East Ninth Street in New York City in 1951. Besides the painters and sculptors of the period the of Abstract expressionism also generated a number of supportive poets, like and photographers like and , (whose book The Artist's World in Pictures documented the during the 1950s), and filmmakers — notably — as well.
Although the abstract expressionist school spread quickly throughout the United States, the major centers of this style were New York City and the San Francisco Bay area of California.
Art critics of the post–World War II era
, Woman V, 1952–1953. De Kooning's series of Woman paintings in the early 1950s caused a stir in the circle.
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At a certain moment the canvas began to appear to one American painter after another as an arena in which to act. What was to go on the canvas was not a picture but an event.
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In the 1940s there were not only few galleries (, , Julien Levi Gallery and a few others) but also few critics who were willing to follow the work of the New York Vanguard. There were also a few artists with a literary background, among them and who functioned as critics as well.
While New York and the world were yet unfamiliar with the New York by the late 1940s, most of the artists who have become household names today had their well established patron critics: advocated and the painters like , , , and Hans Hofmann. seemed to prefer the action painters like , and , as well as the seminal paintings of . Thomas B. Hess, the managing editor of , championed .
The new critics elevated their proteges by casting other artists as "followers" or ignoring those who did not serve their promotional goal.
In 1958, "became the first American painter since (1895) to win top prize at the .
, Onement 1, 1948. During the 1940s Barnett Newman wrote several important articles about the new American painting.
, a late member of the , wrote catalogue ...
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