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Abstract Expressionism
- short descriptions, what encyclopedias say: -

Abstract Expressionism: US movement in abstract art that emphasized the act of painting, the expression inherent in the colour and texture of the paint itself, and the interaction of artist, paint, and canvas. Abstract Expressionism emerged in New York in the early 1940s. Arshile Gorky, Franz Kline, Jackson Pollock, and Mark Rothko are associated with the movement.

- Abstract Expressionism may have been inspired by Hans Hofmann and Arshile Gorky, who were both working in the USA in the 1940s. Hofmann, who emigrated from Germany in the 1930s, had started to use dribbles and blobs of paint to create expressive abstract patterns, while Gorky, a Turkish Armenian refugee, was developing his highly coloured abstracts using wild organic forms. Abstract Expressionism was not a distinct school but rather a convergence of artistic personalities, each in revolt against the prevailing conventions in US art. The styles of the movement's exponents varied widely: Pollock's huge dripped and splashed work, Willem de Kooning's grotesque figures, Kline's strong calligraphic style, and Robert Motherwell's and Rothko's large, calm canvases. The movement made a strong impression on European painting in the late 1950s.

text is taken from:
The Hutchinson; Dictionary Of The Arts;
Movements, Terms, People: from Ancient Art to World Music.
© Helicon Publishing Ltd 1994. ISBN 1-85986-047-8 (paper).

- Abstract Expressionism was an art movement that took place in the United States. The movement included the talented participation of Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning. The movement devoted itself to the principles that art is most expressive when a relationship is established between the artist and the spectator. Their most famous method being "action art". For the most part, Abstract Expressionism attracted the public with its simple methods and spontaneous appearance. Today, people continue to appreciate their art for its different appearance. Abstract Expressionism had a huge impact on the art community, and their influence is seen in the movements that followed.

text taken from MICROSOFT ENCARTA ®
© 2000 Microsoft Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

Abstract Expressionism

•History

In the 1940’s, with most of Europe at war, Americans were left with the responsibility of developing art. Abstract Expressionism was the first movement to originate in the United States. During these times of apparent chaos, America met this challenge by developing their own movement - Abstract Expressionism.

Like other art movements, Abstract Expressionism consisted of many artists. Most artists during these times lived on the East Coast, mainly in and around New York.

During the 1930’s, New York had been a camping ground for the Surrealist movement. By the time Jackson Pollock and the other Abstract Expressionists arrived, the New York area had become a haven for aspiring artists. They learned from each other’s experience in the same way that the Parisian artists had learned from one another. One of the more noticeable figures of this movement was Jackson Pollock. He penetrated the group as one of the most talented painters, and he soon became a role model for others who were interested in abstract art.

•More about Abstract Expressionism

As mentioned earlier, the work of Jackson Pollack runs predominately throughout Abstract Expressionism. Although many artists contributed to this vast movement, Pollock practiced most of the methods that the artists used. As part of their style in painting, the artists focused mainly on keeping spacing and representation. Although many of their paintings may appear chaotic, their paintings do in fact remain well defined and controlled around the edges of their paintings (As seen in Jackson Pollock’s' One' below)

The representation of a painting existed as a continuous organism, not merely an object left to hang on a wall, but as a living entity that continues in motion. This representation of a living painting represented the relationship between the artist and the living painting.


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