Abstract Expressionism - Control VS Chance - Research Paper Example

Expressionism: Control VS Chance Art refers to a cultural component man d with the portrayal and representation of the society through music, painting, drawing and films among other artistic features. The definition of arts reveals a restrictive nature of art claiming that art must only encompasses features of a a society. This therefore raises fundamental artistic questions that different scholars have sought to answer through the development of different artistic movements. Artists’ work is constantly critiqued on whether it clearly illustrates a specific idea and communicates a thought or action. Artists use the elements of art and principles of design in the foundation of executing their creations. However, does the subject matter have to be something we can recognize right away as something we have seen in life before? Can it be abstract and something that may not be confined to the familiar? Can we take a chance in art and not be confined to control during the creative process? Absolutely. Abstract Expressionism demonstrates freedom of expression through action, energy, and gestures, most executed through painting. Abstract Expressionism, a movement that began in post-World War II, was considered by critics as “hardly worthy of art”, but had a unique way of expressing social conflict. The form of art that encourages chance and defies control. It is a free, real, sincere, and authentic form of art. It challenges the controlled aspects in art and gives us the freedom to express our own idea of what art is through expression. If you take your time to look at a work of art, it should take you through a process, emotions, and should tell a story, which is what Abstract Expressionism does. From brush strokes, to color schemes, to texture, to geometric and organic shape and line, Abstract Expressionism provides an experience that is reserved for those who are willing to experience a journey of something different and not immediate familiar. Artists such as Hans Hofmann, Jackson Polluck, Franz Kline, Gerhard Richter, and Norman Lewis have been leaders in abstract expressionism through painting and I personally have been inspired through their works. My paintings, mixed media art, and photography are all influenced by Abstract Expressionism. While analyzing the works of these artists, we will discuss the comparison of control versus chance in art and the need for Abstract Expressionism in the contemporary world of art. Contents Abstract 2 Contents 4 Statement of purpose 6 Sources of Data and Procedure 7 Definitions and Explanation of Terms 8 Describing of the solution 11 Bibliography 14 Appendices 16 Introduction Abstract expressionism emerged soon after the Second World War thereby developing a new trend in painting among other types of arts. Different artists that shared the school of thought appreciated different features of art as they sought the freedom to express their creativity and artistic instinct in the development of art1. Abstract expressionism therefore relies on the creativity, energy, action and dramatic brush strokes among other creative feature in arts as it sought to influence art thereby developing a new concept in painting thus arts. the school of thought does not restrict artists to the familiar features of the society, instead it gives artists the freedom to express their innate energy creatively thereby developing creative and unique works that do not only seek authenticity from the audience but further seeks to exhibit the artists’ creativity. This gives artists the freedom to create and enjoy the originality as they employ different artistic elements thus developing unique artifacts. Numerous artists who adopted the thought developed various artifacts thereby further influencing the development of painting as an element of art. Among such iconic artists are Franz Kline, Hans Hoffman, Norman Lewis and Gerhard Richter among many other each of whom had fundamental contributions to the development of both the school of thought but also the development of arts in general. Each of the above artists developed new artifacts by employing specific features of painting differently thereby succeeding in developing original artifacts that did not seek the recognition from the society but sought to foster the creativity and originality exhibited by the artists and demanded by arts2. While their works instigated an artistic conflict as different critics sought to influence the further of arts, their victory resulted in the development of the abstract expressionism as an art movement and more importantly the victory increased the scope of arts thereby further influencing future generations and the development of arts. The influence of the above artists among many others who championed the development of the movement have continued to influence the development of arts in the contemporary society by providing realistic solutions to some of the problems that artists face including competition and the need to confine artistic operations to the normative styles and design principles. The artists employed different production techniques thereby developing unique artifacts that did not only exhibit creativity but also portrayed the future of arts. This way, the discipline is currently wide enough to accommodate upcoming artists3. Artists in the contemporary society must not comply with the design principles but can use whichever technique applicable to them in developing unique and original artifacts. Statement of purpose As discussed above, art places artists in a precarious situation where they have to develop realistic artifacts that will earn contentious recognition from their target audience. However, this precondition restricts creativity thereby inhibiting the development of talents since artists have the urge to develop unique artifacts some of which may not necessarily portray familiar features of the society but portrays the creativity possessed by the artists. Artists thus found themselves in a dilemma in which they had to choose to develop familiar artifacts by envisioning familiar features of the society thus earn some relevance from their target audience. On the other hand, artists may choose to develop unique features that do not portray any feature of the society but risk losing their audience. The development of abstract expressionism thus sought to solve the problem. The problem of major concern in this investigation is to explore and analyze control versus chance in art and how Abstraction Expressionism is indeed, a necessary and relevant form of art. I will compare works of Hans Hofmann, Franz Kline, Gerhard Richter, Norman Lewis, Jackson Pollock, and explain how they have influenced my work and helped me develop my own style as an artist. Sources of Data and Procedure Among the sources of data that the researcher uses in the study, include existing literature, which act as secondary data sources. The books and journals help provide more information on the concept of abstract expressionism and describe the manifestation of the movement in the early American society, the spread of the movement to other parts of the world and the influence of the movement in contemporary arts. The primary sources of data in the study include a statistical analysis of the manifestation of the artistic principle in the contemporary society and a self-analysis of the artists with the view of determining the influence of the movement in the creativity exhibited by artists in the modern society. Besides self-evaluation and content analysis, the researcher employs other data collection strategies including interview and questionnaires in determining the influence of abstract expressionism in the contemporary arts4. The researcher collects data from modern day painters on the influence of the movement on their works. The researcher thus develops structured questionnaires, which he uses in collecting information that he encodes strategically with the view of carrying out a numeric analysis. Definitions and Explanation of Terms Abstract- visual language Era- a period Surrealism- a combination of unexpected juxtapositions, surprise, and non-sequitur in arts Action painting- spontaneous dribbling, splashing or smearing of pain on canvas Review of Related Literature Craven, (1990) asserts that Jackson Pollocks draping paint onto a canvas was among the preliminary works in abstract expressionism that led to the development of a new aspect of painting. Apparently, Pollock who was known for shunning the use of conventional media of painting simply dripped paint on canvas to develop a unique and creative artifact. Through his experimental works, Pollock portrayed that artists could employ other strategies without necessarily using the empirical artistic features in development artifact and perpetuating the growth of arts in the society5. Using such equipment as utensils and even stepping on canvas in certain times, Pollock for example portrayed his ability to balance the other design principles. This way, he developed unique artifacts that did not only foster the growth of arts but portrayed his artistic abilities in the creative placement of such elements as depth and intensity of color to strategically to complement each other6. His works provided contemporary artists with the enlightenment and the motivation to experiment with other methods of creating their works besides the conventional paint, brush and canvas as had been the norm. Currently artists can paint on any surface and in whichever way. Such were the ideals that informed the earlier artists who championed for the artistic revolution with the view of diversifying the creativity7. While art is a representation of the cultural development of a society, it encompasses other intricate features of the culture including the manner of doing things. This explanation thus validates the inclusion of unique ways of creating artifacts without necessarily creating familiar artifacts. The likes of Pollock developed other realistic ways of painting without necessarily painting familiar objects in the society. The Gate, one of Hoffman’s most famous works produced in 1959 is among the preliminary works that pioneered the development of the arts movement. In the work among many other of his works, Hoffman portrays creativity in mixing and balancing analogous colors thereby using such to develop unique artifacts that might not have represented any familiar feature of the society including a gate but portrays his ability to balance and mix colors thereby communicating effectively. The abstract expressionism art movement sought to permit artists to enjoy fundamental artistic liberties thus expanding the scope of arts. Jackson Pollock was yet another of such artists who perfected the use of numerous features in painting8. He did not limit his work to canvas and paintbrush but would use utensils and even step on some of the works as part of sustaining the development of his artifacts. The results of his unique ways of developing artifacts were creative and unpredictable finishes that influenced the development of arts since it extended the boundaries of arts. Through his endeavors, it became evident that artists could express themselves in myriad ways with the basic objective of communicating. He succeeded in developing unique artifacts through some of the most unorthodox ways thereby influencing the level of creativity in the development of arts in the contemporary society. Franz Kline on the other hand perfected in the use of line and aggressive brush strokes in developing unique artifacts. Through his works, the artists exhibited that artifacts could communicate depending on the strokes of brushes that an artist selected. This way, he developed unique works that fostered thee development of the abstract expressionism as an art movement. Each of the pioneering artists had lasting influence on the development of arts through the abstract expressionism movement. The artists perfected in a unique aspect of arts thereby portraying such as a vital aspect of painting thereby extending the bounds of a previously restrictive concept. Paint is a vital element in painting, as primary resources painters developed various principles to regulate the use of paint in thee development of artifacts some of which the artists sought to change. Franz Kline for example introduced an artistic use of lie, one of the primary elements of art in influencing the discipline. Franz perfected in varying the strokes of brushes thereby creating unique artifacts. Such stylistic features sought to extend the bounds of the arts by invoking the creativity of artists. This helped influence the future of the profession as contemporary painters employ strategic features such as those employed by Frank and his likes to foster the development of both the movement and arts. Describing of the solution The solution begins with the redefinition of arts. As discussed earlier, an art is a cultural aspect that seeks to represent the features of a society. Such a definition limits arts to the features of a society. The development and manifestation of such concepts as globalization and modernization have introduced fundamental changes in the structures of the society since integration has intensified in the contemporary societies. This implies that limiting arts to features of a particular society is not realistic since arts must diversify and include features emanating from the diversifying society. This way, art does not limit creativity to specific features as is envisioned by the abstract expressionist movement. The movement sought to diversify arts by introducing new concepts and ways of doing things in order to extend the bounds of arts and eradicate other previously limiting factors of arts. Various painters in the contemporary society have exhibited the principles and dictates of abstract expressionism key among which include a Canadian painter Holler Kerr whose key works include the setting sun. The artist strives to capture the ambience of a setting sun in his oil on paper painting. In doing this, the painter employs strategic painting features and artistic elements in the work, thereby capturing every feature to enable him portray the feel of a setting sun. The painter does not include the image of a sun itself, but he manages to capture every glimpse of the sunset through the portrayal of the mountain among other environmental features. Holey Kerr selects his colors and techniques carefully and uses them strategically with the view of appealing to the emotions of his audience. The dominant orange color ensures the atmosphere of a setting sun, a feature that influences the painters choice. Hue is a fundamental aspect of color that every painter considers in order to improve the effectiveness of the communication process. The concept influences the background and the audience’s perception of the painting. The temperature of the painting, in its turn, helps to affect the interpretation. Holey selects the orange color strategically in order to achieve the cool temperature associated with evenings and the setting sun9. The painting of a mountain evokes the emotions of life. It, thus, becomes prudent of the author to use the green color expected of such sceneries. Despite such a concise expectation of any audience group, Holey Kerr deliberately uses orange owing to his primary motive. The painter, therefore, manages to portray the essence of life on the mountain despite the contradictory colors. He infuses orange with green, thereby achieving the cool hues associated with both the wild landscape and evenings. In his infusion of the two colors, the painter manages to balance them, thereby preventing the two colors from running onto each other. While the orange remains conspicuous, the audience cannot miss the shadow of the light green strewn all over the painting. The resultant color is, therefore, the one that captures the effect that the weak orange sunrays in the evening have on vegetation. The portrayal of nature requires adequate consideration of different features in order to avoid contradictions. Any audience expects the green vegetation, blue water and an orange evening sun. The painter strives to achieve this in order to create a realistic representation of nature. The resultant work of art is, therefore, the combination of different natural colors in its portrayal10. Clarity is an equally important aspect of paintings among other works of art. A painting must provide an actual representation of natural elements all of which must remain conspicuous. Holey Kerr achieves this by giving prominence to different features of the painting. Among the most visible objects of the painting are the trees, the mountain, the river and the sky among many others. The sun is not visible, but the audience can feel its presence owing to its influence on the colors of the painting. Holey Kerr uses blue color to portray both the sky and the vast water body. He uses green for the trees, grey for the rocks and orange for the effect of the sunrays on the leaves among other elements of the painting. The features above are conspicuous and exist naturally; hence, an audience would not strain to single them out. Conclusion Just as my 28 pieces, portray. Arts have diversified and continue to diversify owing to the works of the artists who championed the development of the abstract expressionisms. The movement revitalized arts thereby increasing the scope for creativity enabling artists to try out new methods of creating their works. Contemporary arts must therefore perpetuate the liberal principles introduced by the movement in order to foster growth. Bibliography Anfam, D. (1990). Abstract Expressionism. New York & London: Thames & Hudson. Anfam, D. (2008). Abstract Expressionism—A World Elsewhere. New York: Haunch of Venison. Craven, D. (1999). Abstract expressionism as cultural critique: dissent during the McCarthy period. New York: Cambridge University Press. Greenberg, C. (1961). “American-Type Painting". In Art and Culture: Critical Essays. Boston: Beacon Press. Jachec, N. (2000). The Philosophy and Politics of Abstract Expressionism 1940–1960. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge. Marika, H. (2003). American Abstract Expressionism of the 1950s An Illustrated Survey. New York: School Press. Marika, H. (2009). American Abstract and Figurative Expressionism: Style Is Timely Art Is Timeless. New York: School Press. Saunders, F. S. (2000). The cultural cold war: the CIA and the world of arts and letters (New York: New Press. Serge, G. (1983). How New York Stole the Idea of Modern Art, Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Wechsler, J. (2007). Pathways and Parallels: Roads to Abstract Expressionism. New York: Hollis Taggart Galleries. Appendices Jackson Pollock’s oil on fiberboard Hans Hofmann’s The Gate Franz Kline, Painting Number 2 Read More