While other areas of the paining, like the head, hands and arms, seem to fade away into sheets Of color. Figure 2 Gladiators Philip Gusto The Estate of Philip Gusto Philip Gusto’s Gladiators is an abstract expressionist painting in which Gusto applied a social-realistic style that was often preferred by left-leaning artists around the 1 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 cartoonist 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 Gusto, is struggling with is his own identity and whether or not he is a victim or victimizer. Figure 3 1941-42 Symphony NO. I The Transcendental Richard Opposite – Dart Symphony 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. Opposite – 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 Opposite-Dart wanted a piece of art that was “mysterious and transcending, yet solid and real. ” Figure 4 1947 Agony Archive Gorky The Estate of Archive Gorky Archive 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 he use of smoldering reds and suggests that the Corky 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 Archive Gorges 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 Pollack’s, Autumn River (Number 30), is an Abstract Expressionist “drip” painting. Drip painting was a new approach that Pollack preferred where thinned paint as 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 1 USGS No. 13 (White, Red, on Yellow) Mark Roth The Metropolitan Museum Of Art Mark Rotator’s NO. 13 follows the compositional Structure that he was most known for starting in 1950. In addition to paint brushes, Roth 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 7 959 Black Reflections Franz Cline painting Franz Cline started painting in an Abstract Expressionist style much later than his peers, but by the sass his abstract expressionist work brought him great success.
The use of broad brush strokes to create large gestures aligns Black Reflections to many Of Clings 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 room one Of Clines earlier works, a black and White untitled painting created in 1954.
Figure 8 1961 Elegy to Spanish Republic Robert Motherly Robert Motherless studies in philosophy, art history, and poetry were key influences 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 Malaria speak in San V-ranchos in 1937, These experiences influenced Motherless work for years to come. The Elegy to Spanish Republic is a white canvas with six black images spanning it. Horizontally and vertically there re 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 g 1369 Night Creatures Lee Crasser Lee Grassers, Night Creatures, is an abstract expressionist painting with quite the appropriate title. Detroit art dealer, Franklin Sides, 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 Roman Bearded The Woodshed by Roman Bearded is an example Of Abstract Expressionist painting in the 19th century. Prior to creating The Woodshed, Bearded 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 busts 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.
