Abstract Expressionists Of The 19th Century: Willem De Kooning
Abstract Expressionists of the 19th Century – Canvas/Painting
Figure 1
1940
The Glazier
Willem de Kooning
Painting
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Willem de Kooning’s The Glazier, is an abstract expressionist painting from the 19th Century. De Kooning’s use of a figurative subject in The Glazier, makes it less mainstream abstract expressionism, an area in which he was seen as a leader. The Somber earth tones and ambiguous use of space give the painting a mysterious feel. Certain portions of the painting are very easy to identify and are well structured, for example the table covering, the vase, the face, right shoulder, and the trousers. While other areas of the paining, like the head, hands and arms, seem to fade away into sheets …show more content…
of color.
Figure 2
1940
Gladiators
Philip Guston
Painting
The Estate of Philip Guston
Philip Guston’s Gladiators is an abstract expressionist painting in which Guston applied a social-realistic style that was often preferred by left-leaning artists around the 1930s. While the modeling is very pronounced and there is a strong illusion of depth and volume, the colors and shapes of the objects, give the painting a cartoonish feel. The picture depicts conflict, but does not clearly articulate which subjects are the victimizers and which ones are the victims. All of the subject’s faces are covered; not to be identified. It’s almost as if the artist, Philip Guston, is struggling with is his own identity and whether or not he is a victim or victimizer.
Figure 3
1941-42
Symphony No. 1 The Transcendental
Richard Pousette – Dart
Painting
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Symphony #1, The Transcendental, is mural sized example of an Abstract Expressionism in the 19th Century.
The work has a grid that spans across the canvas and appears sporadically throughout the painting. Pousette – Dart breaks away from the cubist structure to include diamonds, circles, ovals, arcs, teardrops and crosses. Occasionally, you can almost make out an object, potentially a bird in the lower left or a flower in the lower right. The grid and shapes are very apparent and clearly outlined, however, the image as a whole seems to shift in and out of focus possibly because Pousette-Dart wanted a piece of art that was “mysterious and transcending, yet solid and real.”
Figure 4
1947
Agony
Arshile Gorky
Painting
The Estate of Arshile Gorky
Arshile Gorky experienced several tragic events in his life, including a fire in his studio, a serious car accident, and cancer. The title of this painting, Agony, and the use of smoldering reds and suggests that the Gorky was transferring his own pain onto the canvas. Majority of the canvas is engulfed in red, possibly flames. To the left you can make out a man, his face smudged black. Although Arshile Gorky’s life tragically ended when he took his own life in 1948, his artwork had a profound impact on the art community and he is remembered as one of the first abstract expressionists.
Figure 5
1950
Autumn River (Number 30)
Jackson Pollack
Painting
The Metropolitan Museum of …show more content…
Art
Pollacks, Autumn River (Number 30), is an Abstract Expressionist “drip” painting.
Drip painting was a new approach that Pollack preferred where thinned paint was applied to un-stretched and unprimed canvas that lay flat on the floor rather than on an easel. Pollack used various methods to apply the paint to the canvas, including flicking, dripping, splattering, and using unconventional tools like knives and towels, rather than paint brushes. The Autumn River is 207 inches wide. The background is a beige tone covered in black and white swirls, lines, and drops. There is no significant vocal point of the painting; every part of the painting is equally significant.
Figure 6
1958
No. 13 (White, Red, on Yellow)
Mark Rothko
Painting
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Mark Rothko’s No. 13 follows the compositional structure that he was most known for starting in 1950. In addition to paint brushes, Rothko was also known to use rags and sponges when painting. No. 13 consists of three rectangular blocks that are red, white and yellow in color. The edges and depths of the rectangles are soft and inconsistent. Some areas of the canvas are heavily saturated and stained, and in other areas the paint has been applied very thinly. The large scale of No. 13, along with the bright colors and luminous effects, evoke a sense of intimacy and joy with the viewer.
Figure 7
1959
Black Reflections
Franz Cline
Painting
The Metropolitan Museum of
Art
Franz Cline started painting in an Abstract Expressionist style much later than his peers, but by the 1950s his abstract expressionist work brought him great success. The use of broad brush strokes to create large gestures aligns Black Reflections to many of Cline’s previous work. However, the use of a color make this painting a bit of a stand out from this other work as he often stuck to black and white. Franz Cline was known for finding inspiration for his paintings from previous works. In Black Reflections, the central black shape is a mirror image from one of Cline’s earlier works, a black and white untitled painting created in 1954.
Figure 8
1961
Elegy to Spanish Republic
Robert Motherwell
Painting
The Metropolitan Museum of Art Robert Motherwell’s studies in philosophy, art history, and poetry were key influencers in his artwork and his path towards becoming an abstract expressionist artist. Much of his work was also driven from his experience in listening to Andre Malraux speak in San Francisco in 1937. These experiences influenced Motherwell’s work for years to come. The Elegy to Spanish Republic is a white canvas with six black images spanning it. Horizontally and vertically there are a mix of straight images and curved images that almost create a pattern. When studying the painting, you almost question a literal translation, perhaps two birds hanging from a tree branch.
Figure 9 1969
Night Creatures
Lee Krasner
Painting
The Metropolitan Museum of Art Lee Krasner’s, Night Creatures, is an abstract expressionist painting with quite the appropriate title. Detroit art dealer, Franklin Siden, who exhibited the painting shortly after it was completed, was the person who suggested the title Night Creatures. The background of the painting is mostly red. The canvas is almost entirely covered in black and white swirls, with occasional earth tones. The swirls have significant volume and depth and are placed strategically across the canvas and work together to suggest they are the eyes of disembodied creatures. Viewers are strongly impacted by the Night Creature’s somber color palette and suggestive imagery.
Figure 10 1969
The Woodshed
Romare Bearden
Painting
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Woodshed by Romare Bearden is an example of Abstract Expressionist painting in the 19th century. Prior to creating The Woodshed, Bearden reflected on his role as an artist in a time of social turbulence and explored the ways in which he could contribute to the Civil Rights movement. The fragmented cubists shapes and the abstraction of human figures help define early abstract expressionism. The Woodshed depicts a family with constrained resources. In a dark room, a bare bulb hangs above the table, which is covered in pictures of food, taken from magazines. A toddler is eating at the table, while the mother stands next to it, holding a baby. A man, playing the saxophone, stands outside next to the woodshed. The structure and organization of the different materials seem to highlight the divide between family members which reinforces a feeling of constraint and sadness that is evident throughout the entire scene.
Figure 1
1940
The Glazier
Willem de Kooning
Painting
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Willem de Kooning’s The Glazier, is an abstract expressionist painting from the 19th Century. De Kooning’s use of a figurative subject in The Glazier, makes it less mainstream abstract expressionism, an area in which he was seen as a leader. The Somber earth tones and ambiguous use of space give the painting a mysterious feel. Certain portions of the painting are very easy to identify and are well structured, for example the table covering, the vase, the face, right shoulder, and the trousers. While other areas of the paining, like the head, hands and arms, seem to fade away into sheets …show more content…
of color.
Figure 2
1940
Gladiators
Philip Guston
Painting
The Estate of Philip Guston
Philip Guston’s Gladiators is an abstract expressionist painting in which Guston applied a social-realistic style that was often preferred by left-leaning artists around the 1930s. While the modeling is very pronounced and there is a strong illusion of depth and volume, the colors and shapes of the objects, give the painting a cartoonish feel. The picture depicts conflict, but does not clearly articulate which subjects are the victimizers and which ones are the victims. All of the subject’s faces are covered; not to be identified. It’s almost as if the artist, Philip Guston, is struggling with is his own identity and whether or not he is a victim or victimizer.
Figure 3
1941-42
Symphony No. 1 The Transcendental
Richard Pousette – Dart
Painting
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Symphony #1, The Transcendental, is mural sized example of an Abstract Expressionism in the 19th Century.
The work has a grid that spans across the canvas and appears sporadically throughout the painting. Pousette – Dart breaks away from the cubist structure to include diamonds, circles, ovals, arcs, teardrops and crosses. Occasionally, you can almost make out an object, potentially a bird in the lower left or a flower in the lower right. The grid and shapes are very apparent and clearly outlined, however, the image as a whole seems to shift in and out of focus possibly because Pousette-Dart wanted a piece of art that was “mysterious and transcending, yet solid and real.”
Figure 4
1947
Agony
Arshile Gorky
Painting
The Estate of Arshile Gorky
Arshile Gorky experienced several tragic events in his life, including a fire in his studio, a serious car accident, and cancer. The title of this painting, Agony, and the use of smoldering reds and suggests that the Gorky was transferring his own pain onto the canvas. Majority of the canvas is engulfed in red, possibly flames. To the left you can make out a man, his face smudged black. Although Arshile Gorky’s life tragically ended when he took his own life in 1948, his artwork had a profound impact on the art community and he is remembered as one of the first abstract expressionists.
Figure 5
1950
Autumn River (Number 30)
Jackson Pollack
Painting
The Metropolitan Museum of …show more content…
Art
Pollacks, Autumn River (Number 30), is an Abstract Expressionist “drip” painting.
Drip painting was a new approach that Pollack preferred where thinned paint was applied to un-stretched and unprimed canvas that lay flat on the floor rather than on an easel. Pollack used various methods to apply the paint to the canvas, including flicking, dripping, splattering, and using unconventional tools like knives and towels, rather than paint brushes. The Autumn River is 207 inches wide. The background is a beige tone covered in black and white swirls, lines, and drops. There is no significant vocal point of the painting; every part of the painting is equally significant.
Figure 6
1958
No. 13 (White, Red, on Yellow)
Mark Rothko
Painting
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Mark Rothko’s No. 13 follows the compositional structure that he was most known for starting in 1950. In addition to paint brushes, Rothko was also known to use rags and sponges when painting. No. 13 consists of three rectangular blocks that are red, white and yellow in color. The edges and depths of the rectangles are soft and inconsistent. Some areas of the canvas are heavily saturated and stained, and in other areas the paint has been applied very thinly. The large scale of No. 13, along with the bright colors and luminous effects, evoke a sense of intimacy and joy with the viewer.
Figure 7
1959
Black Reflections
Franz Cline
Painting
The Metropolitan Museum of
Art
Franz Cline started painting in an Abstract Expressionist style much later than his peers, but by the 1950s his abstract expressionist work brought him great success. The use of broad brush strokes to create large gestures aligns Black Reflections to many of Cline’s previous work. However, the use of a color make this painting a bit of a stand out from this other work as he often stuck to black and white. Franz Cline was known for finding inspiration for his paintings from previous works. In Black Reflections, the central black shape is a mirror image from one of Cline’s earlier works, a black and white untitled painting created in 1954.
Figure 8
1961
Elegy to Spanish Republic
Robert Motherwell
Painting
The Metropolitan Museum of Art Robert Motherwell’s studies in philosophy, art history, and poetry were key influencers in his artwork and his path towards becoming an abstract expressionist artist. Much of his work was also driven from his experience in listening to Andre Malraux speak in San Francisco in 1937. These experiences influenced Motherwell’s work for years to come. The Elegy to Spanish Republic is a white canvas with six black images spanning it. Horizontally and vertically there are a mix of straight images and curved images that almost create a pattern. When studying the painting, you almost question a literal translation, perhaps two birds hanging from a tree branch.
Figure 9 1969
Night Creatures
Lee Krasner
Painting
The Metropolitan Museum of Art Lee Krasner’s, Night Creatures, is an abstract expressionist painting with quite the appropriate title. Detroit art dealer, Franklin Siden, who exhibited the painting shortly after it was completed, was the person who suggested the title Night Creatures. The background of the painting is mostly red. The canvas is almost entirely covered in black and white swirls, with occasional earth tones. The swirls have significant volume and depth and are placed strategically across the canvas and work together to suggest they are the eyes of disembodied creatures. Viewers are strongly impacted by the Night Creature’s somber color palette and suggestive imagery.
Figure 10 1969
The Woodshed
Romare Bearden
Painting
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Woodshed by Romare Bearden is an example of Abstract Expressionist painting in the 19th century. Prior to creating The Woodshed, Bearden reflected on his role as an artist in a time of social turbulence and explored the ways in which he could contribute to the Civil Rights movement. The fragmented cubists shapes and the abstraction of human figures help define early abstract expressionism. The Woodshed depicts a family with constrained resources. In a dark room, a bare bulb hangs above the table, which is covered in pictures of food, taken from magazines. A toddler is eating at the table, while the mother stands next to it, holding a baby. A man, playing the saxophone, stands outside next to the woodshed. The structure and organization of the different materials seem to highlight the divide between family members which reinforces a feeling of constraint and sadness that is evident throughout the entire scene.