Abstract Expressionism

I have never considered myself an artist. Ever since my basic art classes in elementary school to high school, stick figures and basic 2D landscapes were the most artistic pieces of art I could produce. I had fully accepted that I would never be the artistic type and that my talents existed elsewhere, until I stumbled upon abstract expressionism. Abstract expressionism relies on one thing: to be different. Its scenes in paintings and figures in sculptures are virtually unrecognizable in the world we live in. It embraces the idea that anything is art, as long as it gives the viewer something to feel. The classic splatter paintings of Jackson Pollock have become famous for the age-old question; what is constitutes as art? The abstract expressionism movement played a major role in the expansion of what falls into the spectrum of art.

Like many artistic revolutions before it, abstract expressionism was met with a lot of controversy. Most of the debate came over whether or not these works should even be considered art or more like a madman with a paintbrush (Harrison 4). The abstract expressionism movement is recognized as starting after the end of World War II. From the 1940s to the 1960s, it was born in an era where communism and all over conformity were taboo and abstract expressionism became incredibly popular. With works that gave off rebellious and anarchic undertones, abstract expressionism faced a large amount of criticism that was completely polarized (Wikipedia “Abstract Expressionism”). For some, the splatter paintings and disfigured sculptures came off as hideous or shallow. But other critics claimed the works for the raw human emotion the showed and how it was so different than anything before it.

Jackson Pollock's No. 5

What classifies as abstract expressionism is hard to say. Unlike some artistic movements that lived solely on canvas, many of the pioneering artists of the abstract expressionism era branched out into sculptures as well (Wikipedia “Abstract Expressionism”). Mainly, it can be described as a style that lives in the subconscious mind. It is much easier to think of abstract expressionism as something completely spontaneous. This is not to say these artists did not put a lot of thought into their works, rather, they would think about how they would want their painting to feel rather than what it would specifically look like. This was achieved by choice of color, technique (splatter, lines, etc.), or the complexity of the work (Harrison 4). This approach was much different than artistic styles of the passed that relied solely on the subject of the painting and not the impression it gave the viewer.

Most likely the most famous abstract impressionist, Jackson Pollock, quickly rose to prominence for his popular splatter paintings. These paintings featured a wide range of colors all dripped, thrown, or flicked paint strokes that all invoke scenes of chaos and confusion.  Other famous artists such as Mark Rothko branched off of Pollock’s abstract approach and created works that were simple in colors and shapes showed how abstract expressionism can be interpreted in many different ways. To paint like an abstract expressionist, all you need to do is pick up a paintbrush and paint whatever you’re feeling in the moment.

Mark Rothko's Rust on Blue

Works Cited:

 Harrison, Helen A. "Jackson Pollock." Pollock House & Study Center. National Gallery of Art,

n.d. Web. 07 Apr. 2014. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abstract_expressionism#World_War_II_and_the_Post-War_period

Image URLs:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:No._5,_1948.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:No_61_Mark_Rothko.jpg