Abstract Expressionism (art)

Abstract expressionism refers to a vanguard art styles that surged around the 1940s in the post-World War II United States. It was centered in New York City and is considered to be the first American avant-garde art movement. It grew to international recognition and great influence. It also turned New York City into the world leader in the field of modern art. Abstract expressionism moves away from the need to represent figuratively and instead employs a visual language that is largely symbolic. The movement has many modern influences, particularly from the fauvist, surrealist, cubist, and expressionist styles. Scholars often relate it to lyrical abstraction, another post-World War II movement. Abstract expressionism is characterized by deep emotion expressed through strong gestural painting, abstract forms, and fields of strong color.

Brief History

Abstract expressionism was born in New York in the 1940s. It became the dominant style in the United States for decades. It shows a strong influence from the surrealists—as well as from other schools—yet it remains at its core an inherently American avant-garde movement. Abstract Expressionism developed at the inception of World War II, when many European artists moved to New York City as war refugees or political exiles. Among these were surrealists such as Max Ernst (1891–1976), Salvador Dalí (1904–1989), André Masson (1896–1987) and Chilean artist Roberto Matta (1911–2002). The influx of international artists undeniably contributed to the art scene ferment at the time. Matta, a surrealist, became one of the most emblematic representatives of the abstract expressionist movement.

In the 1940s, the art circles and galleries of New York City became a hub of intense activity. Art of this Century, a gallery established by Peggy Guggenheim, opened in 1942. Guggenheim was married at the time to artist Max Ernst. The gallery showcased the work of avant-garde artists, particularly surrealist and abstract pieces. The presence of international artists in the United States and Guggenheim’s patronage had a strong influence on young American artists, such as Jackson Pollock (1912–1956), who soon became a star, spear-heading a technique known as "drip painting."

The term "abstract expressionism" was coined by The New Yorker art critic Robert Coates in 1946. Another critic, Harold Rosenberg, referred to common elements in the movement as "action painting." It was also known as "New American Painting" in the 1950s. Another term related to the movement is "painterly abstraction," coined by Clement Greenberg in the 1960s to define a movement that branched from abstract expressionism,

In the beginning, abstract expressionism evidenced figurative elements, although eventually it would move on to its gestural phase. The first expression of abstract expressionism is known as the mythic phase, and in its later expression is known as its gestural phase. The latter refers to privileging the act of painting over the content of the painting itself. Gestural painting refers to a form of expressive brushwork, applied with emotion and broad strokes.

Overview

Some particular common elements define abstract expressionism, among them a preference for large formats. Some works are truly monumental in size. This largeness is one of the reasons it is considered an inherently American style. Another common element is the technique of painting over the entire surface of the canvas, using gestural brushwork and striving for flatness, or the lack of tri-dimensionality; in other words, it is all about the front view. Another important element is a limited chromatography, or color palette, which basically includes black, white, and vivid primary colors. Some abstract expressionists, in fact, created monochromatic works, using only one color. The color palette of vivid—sometimes violent—colors, in combination with expressiveness and gestural brushstrokes, sought to portray strong emotions, such as passion, conflict, and anguish. Abstract expressionism also used geometric forms, which was one of the factors that initially differentiated it from some prior movements.

Abstract expressionists preferred to work with oil on canvas and avoid figurative depictions. The style privileges free expression, even accidental and random results, and subjectivism. Other dynamic expressions of emotion and movement are created by way of stains, drops, spots and lines, created rhythmically. Exceptions to the rejection of figurative representation include Willem de Kooning (1904–1997) and Elaine de Kooning (1918–1989), who did paint recognizable figures. Willem de Kooning’s Woman, I is considered one of the most emblematic of the style.

Abstract expressionism developed through two main periods: Its mythic and its gestural phases. The mythic phase is recognizable for its use of surreal or subconscious imagery and the representation of myths and symbols that play with collective archetypes. Some of the most famous works in this style have been created by de Kooning, Pollock, and Mark Rothko (1903–1970). Rothko, for example, viewed art as a venue for both mystic and mythic expression.

The gestural phase is characterized by a general lack of figurative representation and by novel ways of using paint, such as drip painting, and a preference for strong contrasts in black and white, or in vivid colors. This phase opened doors to innovations in composition, such as gestural work and color techniques known as all-over field and color field.

All-over field is a technique in which the surface of a canvas is covered with paint in the form of curvy lines or drip painting. The idea was to provide the sensation that color extends beyond the canvas. Color field, on the other hand, is large, flat fields of color without any gestural work, which seek to create an impression of space. Among the most famous artists in this style have been Mark Rothko, Barnett Newman (1905–1970), Ad Reinhardt (1913–1967), and Clyfford Still (1904–1980). Rothko’s color field series, some of which can be seen in the Rothko Chapel in Houston, Texas, are representative of this technique. Gestural compositions are characteristic of abstract expressionism, and show rhythmic lines, undulating or sinuous tracks, drip paint and other novel techniques, such as those created by American artist Joan Mitchell (1925–1992).

Bibliography

Anfam, David. Abstract Expressionism. Thames & Hudson, 2015.

Craft, Catherine. An Audience of Artists: Dada, Neo-Dada, and the Emergence of Abstract Expressionism. U of Chicago P, 2012.

Darwent, Charles. Surrealists in New York: Atelier 17 and the Birth of Abstract Expressionism. Thames and Hudson, 2023.

Gabriel, Mary. Ninth Street Women: Lee Krasner, Elaine De Kooning, Grace Hartigan, Joan Mitchell, and Helen Frankenthaler: Five Painters and the Movement That Changed Modern Art. Little, Brown, 2018.

Landau, Ellen G., ed. Reading Abstract Expressionism: Context and Critique. Yale UP, 2005.

Nimmer, Dean. Creating Abstract Art: Ideas and Inspirations for Passionate Art-Making. North Light Books, 2014.

Perl, Jed, ed. Art in America: 1945–1970: Writings from the Age of Abstract Expressionism, Pop Art, and Minimalism. Library of America, 2014.

Siegel, Katy, Lillian Davies, and Pauline Pobocha. Abstract Expressionism. Phaidon Press, 2011.

Temkin, Ann. Abstract Expressionism at the Museum of Modern Art. Museum of Modern Art, 2010.

Walter, Ingo. Art of the 20th Century. Taschen, 2012.