New York City: The birthplace of Abstract Expressionist art.
If you could pull your innermost, deepest emotions out of yourself and display them for all the world to see, would you? That's exactly what Abstract Expressionist painters sought to accomplish. Heavily influenced by Cubism and Surrealism, Abstract Expressionism was not about the actual object being painted. It was more about what the artist felt while he painted.
Classification
The movement can be divided into two distinct groups. The first group, Action Painting, which resembles a form of performance art, allows the artist to let himself go emotionally and unleash feelings onto the canvas. This style was expressed by American artist Jackson Pollock, Armenian-born artist Arshile Gorky and Dutch-born artist Willem de Kooning. The other group, Color Field Painting, focuses on the power of color, deliberately avoiding a subject or any object form painted against a background. This style was practiced by Latvian-born artist Mark Rothko and American artist Kenneth Noland.
Artists
One of the more prominently known artists of the genre would have to be Pollock. Nicknamed "Jack the Dripper," his technique of dripping and splattering paint on canvas earned him critical acclaim worldwide. It also draws debate as to whether it is even technically considered painting at all because it has no brushstrokes. Most critics of his work believe this method reflected his battle with alcoholism and his eruptive personality. Rothko once described his own work as "the simple expression of complex thought." His paintings were often dark and moody color works and are considered symbols of the tragedy of human condition. This may have spawned from his living through the Depression of the 1930s and World War II. De Kooning developed a style of abstract anatomy. His most notable works were of the female form, painted with harsh strokes and paint dripping, not unlike his contemporary Pollock.
Paintings
Pollock's most definitive work may be "Lavender Mist." The use of color and design covers every square inch of canvas and makes it almost impossible to absorb the entire piece with the naked eye. Rothko's "Magenta, Black, Green on Orange" is by far his most notable work during this era. Rothko attempted to use the canvas to paint the landscape of the human spirit. One of de Kooning's most popular works is "Woman V," which displays the influence Surrealism. Gorky's "Cascada" demonstrates his philosophy that art, like music, does not adhere to the constraints of reality and, in fact, seeks to break those boundaries and become a reality of its own.
In Their Own Words
Quotes from Abstract Expressionist painters include this from Pollock: "Every good painter paints what he is." Gorky said, "I painted so intensely that my knees trembled." De Kooning is quoted as relating, "Art never seems to make me peaceful or pure." Noland said, "I think of painting without subject matter as music without words."
Significance
Abstract Expressionism was groundbreaking in the sense that it rebelled against the preceding traditional painting methods, which emphasized the subject/object style. It sought to expand the artist's as well as the viewer's visual boundaries and favored improvisation and spontaneity. It attempted to draw the viewer into an emotional bond with the artist as well as enable the viewer to make her own interpretation of the emotion behind the piece.
