HUM16 Abstract expressionism & Pop Art

HUM16 Abstract expressionism & Pop Art

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  HUM16 Arts & Ideas ABSTRACTEXPRESSIONISM & POP ART
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  1. Abstract Expressionism Influences from expressionism:  Non-European art – saw it as closer to humanity’s origin  Style: flattened planes; vibrant colors; geometric shapes  Expression of intense or extreme emotion  Move away from Realism and Regionalism  Influenced by surrealism  Related to psychoanalysis (Freud & Jung)  Abstract + expressionism  i.e., emotion of the expressionists without clearly defined or outlined figures  Turn away from “things” – rejection of materialism  Came to prominence in the 1950s Surrealism: art movement that tried to release the unconscious mind, often through the irrational juxtaposing of images.
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  2. Jackson Pollock,painter  Bio (1912-1956):  Born in Wyoming, but grew up in Southern CA  Mother: seamstress; Father: farmer, land surveyor  Moved to NYC with older brother in 1930  studied at Art Students League under Thomas Hart Benton  Struggled with alcoholism – died in car crash under influence  Career:  Worked for WPA Federal Paint Project  Contracted by Peggy Guggenheim to paint mural for residence  1949: Life magazine does 4-page spread on his work
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  3a. Jackson Pollock,style  Technique & Style:  Used paint pouring, later dripping technique  Painted on large canvases on floor  Allowed multiple perspectives & use of force from body  Paintings more events than pictures  “record of artist’s gestures”  Not an accident – planned and purposeful  Textured – can see the drips raised on canvas  Pollock claimed machines could represent objects, but humans could uniquely depict the nature of experience/ reality inside the person – the self
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  3b. Jackson Pollock, style Question: What in thispainting reflects the idea that Pollock painted actions instead of pictures?
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  4. Mark Rothko,painter  Bio (1903-1970):  Born in Russia to educated Jewish family (father = pharmacist & intellectual)  Family emigrated to U.S. (Portland) in 1913 to avoid draft in Russian army  Education: public schools; Yale University  Satirized Yale’s stuffiness & bourgeois tone  Committed suicide – struggled with depression  Career:  Moved to NYC in 1923  Worked in garment district  Took classes at Parsons School of Design & Art Students League  Began showing in galleries in early 30s  Style shifted mid-career from abstract figurations & cityscapes to color blocks he’s most known for
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  5. Mark Rothko,style  Style:  Modernist  Surrealist  Abstract Expressionist  Influenced by Friedrich Nietzsche, subject of art came to be: relieving spiritual emptiness  Belief that art could affect one’s psyche  “Multiforms”: layered blocks of color on canvas  Sometimes bright (esp. early paintings); sometimes dark (esp. later paintings)  Often kept his process secret  Sometimes used organic materials (egg, glue)  Layering required quick drying in order to layer more color without mixing  Multiforms: about expressing human emotion Yellow and Gold (1956)
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  5. Mark Rothko, style SlowSwirl at the Edge of the Sea (1944)
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  5. Mark Rothko, style FourDarks in Red (1958)
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  6. Willem deKooning, painter  Bio (1904-1997):  Born in Netherlands; parents divorced when he was 3  Left school at 12 to become apprentice to commercial artists  Attended night classes until 1924 instead  Stowed away on ship to U.S. in 1926  Moved to NYC  Became citizen in 1961  Career:  NYC: carpenter, house painter, commercial artist  Joined artist colony in Woodstock in 1928  Joined artist’s union in 1934  Worked for WPA in 1935  Had several solo shows in mid-20th-c.  Work has sold for near record prices (Woman III sold for $137.5 million in 2006
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  7. Willem deKooning, style  Style:  Early paintings: abstract still-life  Woman series = most well-known  Abstract  Cubist-influenced  Disassembled  Energetic, frenetic  Emotions: frustration, desire, inner conflict  Quote from Elaine de Kooning (wife):  “He was always pressing and reaching through paint until he found the gesture he wanted and had what satisfied him.”
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  8. Jasper Johns,painter  Bio (1930-):  Born & raised in South (Georgia; South Carolina)  Educated at University of South Carolina & Parsons School of Design (New York)  Served in Korean War  Returned to NYC after war  met Robert Rauschenberg  Career:  Started as abstract expressionist  Neo-Dadaist/pop artist  First solo show in 1958  Included Flag (1955)  Idea for Flag came to him in a dream  many of his paintings are valued in the millions  Flag sold in 2010 for $110 million Pop art: art using objects from popular culture • E.g., Johns’ use of flags, maps, and targets
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  9. Jasper Johns,style  Style:  Used found objects (newspapers, coffee cans, etc.) in his art  Flag is made out of newspaper dipped in pigmented hot wax (encaustic)  Dried newspaper mimics brushstroke  Created images of common objects (like flags & targets)  Dialogue between artist & viewer  Blurred line between “high art” & “everyday life”
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  10. Johns, style Style:  Incorporated sculpture into painting  Plaster cast faces  Newspaper dipped in wax  Called paintings “facts”  Interpretation up to the viewer  Flag & Target both painted during the Cold War era  Question: How might the Cold War have influenced these paintings & their interpretations? Cold War: era in mid-20th c. marked by political tension between U.S. + allies & Soviet Union + allies • Democracy vs. Communism • Second Red Scare – McCarthyism • Political repression • Suspicion & fear of Soviet espionage
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  11. Andy Warhol,pop artist  Bio (1928-1987):  Born & raised in Pittsburgh by Austro-Hungarian immigrants (Slovakia)  Educated at Carnegie Mellon – studied commercial art  Career:  Worked as shoe illustrator for Glamour  Worked for shoe designer  Worked for RCA records designing album covers  By early 60s, had exhibitions on both coasts  Founded “The Factory”  Studio in NYC; frequented by artists, musicians, etc.
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  12. Andy Warhol,style  Style:  Frequently used silkscreening/screen- printing  As pop artist, depicted everyday objects  But also obsessed w/celebrity  Repetition of images – celebrity as product to be consumed – icon  Use of bright colors  Flat, unrealistic, unflattering portraits
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  13. Andy Warhol,style
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  14. Andy Warhol,style  Silver Car Crash (1963)  Screen-printed photos of a car crash from newspaper  Repetition = statement on how impact can be weakened by its mass reproduction (like in the news)