Artist all over the world have found new ways to challenge formal and traditional ways to give voice to their own opinion. Abstract expressionism followed the futurist movement, and was an art for a new industrial way of life. It showed a radical change is traditional arts. (Vytautas 316) Jackson Pollock (1912- 1956) is one of the key figures of abstract expressionism, using only colour and movement to create non-representative works of his unconscious. (“Action Painting: Jackson Pollock.” 78) She-Wolf (1943) ( Ill. 1) by Jackson Pollock predates his paint dripping technique, and is known to be the turning point in his career as an abstract expressionist. Its subject matter is similar to other projects done by Pollock at the same time. One …show more content…
Using quick and gestural movements to convey his emotion. The lines of his piece take on a more aggressive form, similar to other pieces that predate. This whole piece focuses heavy on line to move the viewer through the picture. Guiding the eye constantly, give the canvas no focal point. Most of lines are all curvy, giving the perception of swirling. There is one very prominent straight violent red arrow in the upper middle of the composition, which draws the eye right. Jackson Pollock’s career began to change around the creation of She-Wolf, both stylistically and his own recognition as an artist. It is clear that from the 1930 to the late 1940’s Pollock is trying to find a clear pictorial language to be recognized by. Later on finding his niche in drip painting. (Herman 151) Pollock’s paintings deal with the subconscious, nothing is by accident. He explores his own conscious by painting without restrictions. Painting mainly what his movements, and expressions do. He is heavily influenced by Carl Jung, and professes himself a Jungian. (Rampley 84) Pollock and Jung have a strong similarity in the attempts to portray the universal inner life. Many scholars have argued that the image of the She-wolf is a thought from Pollock’s childhood. When Pollock was growing up he went of field studies with his father. In these field studies, he was most likely exposed to the wolf and the bison. (Herman …show more content…
She-Wolf being a Roman and Native American story, it parallels Pollock’s fascination for that pre-capitalist society. (Varnedoe, Carmel 36) Though the image of the She-wolf is mangled the piece as a whole still has a sense of unity. Even through the rough application, and seemingly un-thoughtful application of paint. Symbolism of the She-Wolf holds true to his own ideology of rebellion. At this point in his life the industrial world is encroaching fast. The amount of wealth in the United States is flourishing. (Rampley 88) Though this could not be the artist intent for this image, it holds true to the time period of this piece. Even though Jackson Pollock is a revolutionary painter, his rough upbringing influences every color he places vigorously upon the canvas. He used colour, line, composition, and layering to create a mythological piece of art. She-Wolf marks a turning point in Pollock’s career. She-Wolf paints a picture of the mindset of Jackson Pollock. When the painting of She-Wolf took place, his views of the world played a huge role within the painting. Every piece stemming from his personal unconscious, and freeing movements. He plowed the way for abstract expressionism fearlessly, and is one of the most notable figures of this art movement. Today, Pollock’s legend lives on, with paintings in museums all around the
The art work of Howling Wolf, Treaty signing at Medicine Creek Lodge and John Taylor, Treaty Signing at Medicine Creek Lodge as you can tell from the titles are both from the identical occasion. Both art works are from the same event but is portrayed by two cultures and their point of views (Sayre, Pg. 40). The drawer John Taylor was a journalist, and Howling Wolf was a Native American artist (Sayre, Pg. 40). These art works are concerning what occurred on
Gardner, Helen, and Fred S. Kleiner. Gardner's Art Through the Ages: The Western Perspective. N.p., 2014. Print.
Jackson Pollock." Encyclopedia of World Biography. 2nd ed. Vol. 12. Detroit: Gale, 2004. 379-380. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 2 Apr. 2014.
Coming from a family greatly involved in art dealing, Vincent van Gogh was destined to have a place in the world of art. Van Gogh’s unique techniques and use of color, which clashed and differed greatly from the masters of the art world of his time, would eventually gain him the recognition as one of the founders of modern art. Van Gogh’s early life was heavily influenced by the role of his father who was a pastor and chose to follow in his footsteps. Although he abandoned the desire to become a pastor, van Gogh remained a spiritual being and was strong in faith. Plagued with a troubled mind and poor health, van Gogh’s life became filled with torment and isolation that would influence his career in later life as an artist. In his late twenties, van Gogh had decided that it was God’s divine plan for him to become a painter. His works would express through thoughtful composition and vibrant color, the emotions that he was unable to manifest in the real world. Van Gogh’s perception of reality and his technique would face harsh criticism and never receive full acceptance from his peers as a serious artist during his brief career. In a collection of correspondence entitled The Letters of a Post-Impressionist, Vincent confirmed these thoughts while writing to his brother Theo, “It irritates me to hear people say that I have no "technique." It is just possible that there is no trace of it, because I hold myself aloof from all painters” (27). His technique would later be marveled and revered by the art world. Vincent van Gogh’s legacy would thrive as it challenged the way the world envisioned modern art through his unique brush strokes and profound use of color as seen in his works The Sower and The Night Café. A brief look into...
Though the start of artistic expression cannot be pinpointed to a specific date, the growth of art and its complexity cannot be denied. Two complex pieces of art which will be compared and contrasted within this essay are Mary Cassatt’s Portrait of the Artist and Frida Kahlo’s Self Portrait with Monkey. Though Cassatt belonged the Impressionist movement (Streissguth 48) and Kahlo who was labeled as a member of the Surrealist movement, which she later denied (Stremmel, Kerstin, & Grosenick 1940), both paintings have an equal number of similarities as contrasting elements.
Jackson Pollock was an American abstract artist born in Cody, Wyoming in 1912. He was the youngest of his five brothers. Even though he was born on a farm, he never milked a cow and he was terrified of horses because he grew up in California. He dropped out of high school at the age of seventeen and proceeded to move to New York City with his older brother, Charles, and studied with Thomas Hart Benton at the Art Students League. Thomas Benton was already a great artist at the time in which Pollock studied with him. Benton acted like the father figure in Pollock’s life to replace the original that wasn’t there. Benton was known for his large murals that appear on ceilings or walls. “Jack was a rebellious sort at all times,” recalls his classmate and friend, artist Harold Lehman. He grew his hair long and helped pen a manifesto denouncing athletics, even though “he had a muscular build and the school wanted to put him on the football team,” says former teacher Doug Lemon. Pollock always was upset with himself in his studies because he had troubles drawing things like they were supposed to look. From 1938 to 1942, Jackson joined a Mexican workshop of people with a painter named David Siqueiros. This workshop painted the murals for the WPA Federal Art Projects. This new group of people started experimenting with new types of paint and new ways of applying it to large canvas. People say that this time period was when Jackson was stimulated with ideas from looking at the Mexican or WPA murals. Looking at paintings from Picasso and the surrealists also inspired Jackson at this time. The type of paint they used was mixing oil colors with paint used for painting cars. Jackson noticed that the shapes and colors they created were just as beautiful as anything else was. Jackson realized that you didn’t have to be able to draw perfect to make beautiful paintings. Jackson started developing a whole new way of painting that he had never tried before and his paintings were starting to look totally different from before.
Art is a very important part of humanity’s history, and it can be found anywhere from the walls of caves to the halls of museums. The artists that created these works of art were influenced by a multitude of factors including personal issues, politics, and other art movements. Frida Kahlo and Vincent van Gogh, two wildly popular artists, have left behind artwork, that to this day, influences and fascinates people around the world. Their painting styles and personal lives are vastly different, but both artists managed to capture the emotions that they were feeling and used them to create artwork.
Imagine you can own one of the famous painting in the world. Which one would it be? What will you do with it? If I got to own a famous painting, I would hang it in my bedroom and I’ll show it to my family. In this situation, If needed to narrow it down it will be The Persistence of Memory by Salvador Dali or Nighthawks by Edward Hopper. These paintings are extremely different, and their artistic movement is opposite from one another. By the end of this essay, you’re going to know the differences and similarities of these paintings.
Pollock uses different aspects of writing to back up her thesis and to emphasis that there is more to the subject the artist use in their creation. By using a variety of resources and counter-arguing them, she is backing up her own thesis and proving that there is a stereotype in art history where art historians do not explain past the artistic influence thus does not fully explain an artist or their artworks. She makes a point that because of this, there has to be changes to art practices today in order to fully understand the meaning behind artworks.
Mark Rothko is recognized as one of the greatest artists of the twentieth century and during his lifetime was touted as a leading figure in postwar American painting. He is one of the outstanding figures of Abstract Expressionism and one of the creators of Color Field Painting. As a result of his contribution of great talent and the ability to deliver exceptional works on canvas one of his final projects, the Rothko Chapel offered to him by Houston philanthropists John and Dominique de Menil, would ultimately anchor his name in the art world and in history. Without any one of the three, the man, the work on canvas, or the dream, the Rothko Chapel would never have been able to exist for the conceptualization of the artist, the creations on canvas and the architectural dynamics are what make the Rothko Chapel a product of brilliance.
Pioch, N. (2002, Jul 16). WebMuseum: Pollock, Jackson. Retrieved 3 30, 2014, from Pollock, Jackson: http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/pollock/
Abstract art in comparison to realism, can be described as two art forms on opposite ends of the art style spectrum. Picasso and Pollock both had a massive impact on the outcome of modern art through their ability to challenge viewers as they interpret art, not for what the painting shows, but instead what the idea of it came from. Picasso’s painting is now an iconic symbol for an anti-war message, and Pollock’s painting now represent a form of freedom of speech and expression throughout America. Ultimately the reason artists moved from realism to abstract came from the invention of the camera, giving artist a reason to branch to new and edgy art forms, which will later create the modern art
I have chosen to critique the art masterpiece, Autumn Rhythm. Autumn Rhythm is oil on canvas, 8' 9" x 17' 3." It is my opinion, before you can critique Autumn Rhythm; you must try to understand the artist and his/her background. Artist Jackson Pollock was from a working class family who lived and worked in Wyoming, Arizona, and southern California. He studied at two different art schools; Manual Arts High School in Los Angeles and the Art Student's League in New York, he also studied with several other great artists during his time. However the artist experienced some dark days in his life. The artist fought the demon of alcoholism, and came face to face with his addiction. Stepping forward into the unknown, Pollock allowed his parents to place him in Jungian therapy. "Jungian therapy is centered on its helpful, hopeful and unique ways of experiencing the human mind. With due consideration of religion and the spirit of individuals, it also embraces the collective history of humanity. With its emphasis on individuation, wholeness and centering, there is a focus on the healthy elements of the human mind and soul and a search for balance. Pollock did not want to converse with his therapist about his problems and addictions, so his therapist suggested that he paint a piece of art that expressed his unspoken thoughts and feelings, (psychology of Carl G. Jung)." When the therapist would ask questions, Jackson would not reply, so the therapist devised a plan to help Jackson to get his feeling out in the open. He would have Jackson to create with paints on canvas how he was feeling on the inside then the Jungian therapist would analyze the artwork that Pollock brought to h...
One of the visual elements of this painting is the color he really uses the color to get people's attention because he uses watercolors to blend them together to make such a wonderful painting. He blends many different colors together to make new ones there is not a spot in this painting that there isn’t color. The second visual element is the people in the painting they are naked and dancing around like nobody's looking. The people in the painting are relaxing and enjoying one another and various ways. Some are even having sexual contact in the painting it’s expressing themselves from one to
Norris, George. “Expressionism: Its Spiritual and Social Voice.” VCCA Journal Electronic Edition. 1996. 16 November 2002