Abstract Expressionism
Julia Burger
What is Abstract Expressionism?
- Started in 1940s in New York
- "The New York School"
- Spontaneity and improvisation
- Dynamic and reflective
What sparked the movement?
- Most artists started in the 1930s, when the Great Depression was in swing
- Artists did not find place in Regionalism or Social Realism
- Museum of Modern Art opens in New York City in 1929
- The Solomon R. Guggenheim museum opens in 1939
- Museums like this allowed Abstract Expressionists to see and be influenced by the works of artists like Picasso and Matisse, as well as styles like Surrealism, Cubism, and Abstract.
- The war sparks concern in artists, who want to express this through their work
Joan Mitchell
- Born in Chicago, lived between France and New York
- Supported young artists by allowing them to stay with her in her home in Vétheuil
- Joan Mitchell Foundation: support for individual artists
- Attended School of the Art Institute of Chicago
- Husband: Barney Rosset
- Participated in “9th Street Show” in 1951
- Known as a leading American Abstract Expressionist, despite her young age
- Oil paint on canvas
- Professional period began on 1950s
- Painted at night, in solitude (except for her dogs), slowly and carefully
- “She transformed the gestural painterliness of Abstract Expressionism into a vocabulary so completely her own that it could become ours as well.” -Klaus Kertess
Untitled
Untitled, 1960. Oil on canvas, 48 x 79 1/2 inches (121.9 x 201.9 cm). Collection of the Joan Mitchell Foundation, New York. © Estate of Joan Mitchell.
Cercando un Ago
Cercando un Ago, 1957. Oil on canvas, 94 1/4 x 87 5/8 inches (239.4 x 222.6 cm). Collection of the Joan Mitchell Foundation, New York.
Untitled
Untitled, 1981. Oil on canvas, 31 5/8 x 23 5/8 inches (80.3 x 60 cm). Private collection.
Alma Thomas
- Born in Columbus, Georgia, lived and worked in Washington, D.C.
- Studied watercolor and color theory
- Shows rhythm in her works, inspired my movements and patterns in nature
- Faced many barriers as a black, female artist
- Taught art to middle schoolers for thirty years
- First black woman to have a solo exhibition at the Whitney Museum in New York (1972)
Autumn Leaves Fluttering in the Breeze
Autumn Leaves Fluttering in the Breeze, 1973. Acrylic on canvas, 40 x 50 inches. Smithsonian American Art Museum.
The Eclipse
The Eclipse, 1970. Acrylic on canvas, 62 x 49 3/4 inches. Smithsonian American Art Museum.
White Roses Sing and Sing
White Roses Sing and Sing, 1976. Acrylic on canvas, 72 1/2 x 52 3/8 inches. Smithsonian American Art Museum.
Corinne Michelle West
- Born in Chicago, lived in Ohio, then New York City
- Attended Cincinnati Conservatory of Art and Cincinnati Art Academy
- Painted under the name 'Michael West' in order to gain respect from fellow Abstract Expressionists
- Painted in a cubist style like Picasso and Juan Gris
- Wrote poetry, related it to paintings
- Visited by Jackson Pollock and Peggy Guggenheim
- Her art in the 50s showed extreme movement with intersecting lines and planes
- Her art in the 80s showed white cryptic calligraphy
Harlequin
Harlequin, 1946
Oil on Canvas
55 x 36 in
137.5 x 90 cm
Private collection; gift from the artist c. 1958
Egian Girl
Egian Girl, 1942
Girl With Guitar
Girl With Guitar, 1944
What is Abstract Expressionism?