An in depth summary on the Abstract expressionism movement including artists like Jackson Pollock, artworks, characteristics, subject matter, and influences on the movement.
Art Theory - Abstract Expressionism
Saturday, 07 September 2024
17:51
Abstract Expressionism
Characteristics
No uniform stylistic traits
Filled the entire canvas with a composition with no representation
No motif
Filled entire canvas with expressive brushstrokes that went past the edge of the canvas
Expressive brushstrokes created movement
Flatness of canvas was emphasised
The multiple layers of paint created an illusion of depth through the overlapping lines and
colours
Shapes are meant to be interpreted as brushstrokes and dips of colour, nothing identifiable,
just paint on a canvas
Application was aggressive and told about the emotions of the artist
Colour did not refer to reality
Conveyed individual freedom
Colour field painters
Extended fields
Abstract colour and form were used to communicate with viewer in an immediate way
Composition was more structured and geometric
Application was not gestural
Action Painters
There was no realistic subject matter, the physical act of painting, the marks of paint on the
canvas, and the surface of colour was the focus in conveying the artists experiences and
emotions that were drawn from the subconscious
Artists + Artwork
Jackson Pollock
o Moved around a canvas on his studio floor
o Through the paint onto the canvas with sticks or directly from the tin
o Included glass and sand into his paintings
o His paint application was no premeditated
o The way he applied art was representative of the turmoil in his life and emotional
Jackson Pollock - Autumn Rhythm
o Pollock moved around an unprimed canvas
o Painted edge to edge
o Visually has no beginning or end
o Very large in scale
o Similar to looking at the universe through a microscope
o Network of drips, lines and splatters of paint
o Was not predetermined but nothing happened by mistake
o Title, landscape orientation, colours evokes a feeling of nature e
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