States of Art: Modern and Contemporary Works on Paper
Abstract Expressionism altered the cultural landscape of the post-World War II period and ushered in an era of high modernism, characterized by an unyielding devotion to formalism and abstraction. This new artistic attitude arose during the 1940s in New York City, aided by the arrival of newly-emigrated European artists and the Federal Arts Project, which subsidized artistic production and supported a new generation of American artists. Influenced by existentialist philosophy and Jungian notions of a collective unconscious, Abstract Expressionism sought a new mode of expressing the universal psyche of mankind. Artists in this section of the exhibition include: Hans Hoffman, David Smith, Mark Tobey, Sam Francis and Willem de Kooning.
Although united by a common interest in materials and process, painters of the New York School of Abstract Expressionism can be separated into two distinct categories. Action painting, popularized by Jackson Pollock, is characterized by a physical process, often involving unconventional means of applying paint to the canvas surface, while color field painting, exemplified by the work of Mark Rothko, explores tranquil resonances between broad areas of color.
Centered in Seattle, WA, Mark Tobey (1890-1976) conjoined stylistic concepts of the New York School and Native American art of the Pacific Northwest with spiritual teachings gleaned from his time spent in Buddhist monasteries. While the all-over calligraphic flourishes apparent in Tobey's White Writing (1957) resemble the gestural compositions of Jackson Pollock, they are perhaps more akin to the automatic scrawls of Chinese calligraphy, which are charged with a resonating spiritual energy.
The work of Sam Francis (1923-1994), an American artist working in Paris, addresses themes of spontaneity and process. Francis often poured and dripped paint onto his canvases. In so doing, the work is only partly a result of his actions; gravity and chance complete his pieces. Working at the height of Abstract Expressionism, Francis's work is a synthesis of action and color field painting.
The generations to follow would respond to Abstract Expressionism through a variety of styles, from Pop Art to Postminimalism, which assailed its utopian ideals of universality, individualism and spirituality. Nevertheless, challenging previous ideas about what art was and what art could be, the movement opened new modes of expression, expanding the scope of visual language.
Emily Bierman
Madeline Courtney
German (1880-1966)
Untitled, early 1930s
India ink
Private Collection
Hans Hofmann played a decisive role in the development of Abstract Expressionism, both as an artist and as a teacher. He worked in many styles, both traditional and modern, and emphasized in his teaching that art making is driven by an emotional connection to one's materials. Though still aligned with traditional subject matter, this drawing suggests a movement toward more expressive modes of abstraction. A dynamic use of line is emphasized over the depiction of the landscape; a foreground tree bursts with the fluidity of ink while the architecture is portrayed with geometric regularity. Gestural expression becomes the subject of the piece, indicating the shift toward complete abstraction that would emerge in his work in the following two decades.
Emily Bierman
American (1906-1965)
Untitled, 1952
Black Egg Ink, Blue Ink and Tempera on paper
Private Collection
Illustrative of the sculptor's close relationship to Abstract Expressionism, and the holistic fashion in which he approached his work, this piece presents an intriguing dialogue between drawing, painting and sculpture. The composition borrows from the sensibilities of synthetic cubism. Precariously placed shapes conjure a feeling of potential energy, a sense of movement, heightened by the artist's unconventional use of egg ink, favored for its thick, flowing consistency. This combination of geometry and gestural brush work foreshadows the burnished steel construction characteristic of his later sculptural work. In this way, the piece can be read both as a painterly statement and as an exploration of sculptural form.
Madeline Courtney