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Molly EdwardsMolly Edwards

*Started in 1940’s**Started in 1940’s*

TimelinTimelinee

Early 1940’s >> Abstract art emerged in New York City

1947 >> Jackson Pollock started the “drip” technique

1950s >> Abstraction was introduced to Paris by Canadian artist Jean-Paul Riopelle

2006 >> Most expensive painting in the world (Jackson Pollock’s 1948 “No. 5”) sold for

$140,000,000

Causes/History/Causes/History/OriginOriginWhen and how did it When and how did it start?start?

• Started in the years right after World War II

• A small group of painters from New York City founded the art movement

• Mainly influenced by the previous surrealism art movement with more spontaneous creations

Causes/History/Causes/History/OriginOrigin

What caused it to What caused it to happen?happen?

•There are different opinions on how it all started

•Some say the movement was influenced by Russian artist Wassily Kandinsky

•Others say it was because people stopped tolerating the social realism artists after the war and instead switched to abstraction

Causes/History/Causes/History/OriginOriginWhat are the roots?

•The roots of the movement are considered to be in New York City, mainly, but other American cities such as San Francisco, California are recognized as well because of the branches of the New York art schools being placed there

•Roots of the actual concept of abstract art are usually said to have come from the work of Kandinsky in Russia

DetailDetailssWhat is What is it?it?

• Abstract art is all about what the artist feels and what mood they might want to portray

• Most people say that no matter what mood you’re in, you can look at a piece of abstract art and still be able to relate to it in some way

• Abstract art is all shapes, no real-life images, scenery, or objects

Significant Significant PeoplePeopleJackson Pollock (1912-Jackson Pollock (1912-1956)1956)

• Moved to New York to study at the Art Students League

• Worked for the Federal Art Project from 1938-1942

• Invented the “drip” technique

• Artist of the most expensive painting in the world in 2006, “No. 5” (1948), that sold for $140,000,000

Jackson Pollock’s “Blue Poles” (1952)

Willem de Kooning (1904-Willem de Kooning (1904-1997)1997)

Significant People Significant People (cont’d.)(cont’d.)

• Born in the Netherlands and later moved to Manhattan in 1927

• Became friends with art critic John D. Graham and painter Arshile Gorky who got him started with painting abstraction

• Became famous for his impact on the abstract expressionism movement in the 1940’s and was recognized as a leader of it in the 1950’s Willem de Kooning

(1975)

Significant People Significant People (cont’d.)(cont’d.)

Franz Kline (1910-Franz Kline (1910-1962)1962)

• Recognized as a very “spontaneous” painter, focusing not on figures or images, but rather on brush strokes and use of the canvas

• Most famous for his black and white paintings, which some say reference to Japanese calligraphy

• Most modern architecture is said to be modeled after Kline’s works

Franz Kline’s “Painting Number 2” (1954)

Significant People Significant People (cont’d.)(cont’d.)

Fuller Potter (1910-Fuller Potter (1910-1990)1990)

• Painted landscapes and portraits until he met Jackson Pollock in 1950 and permanently changed his style of painting to abstract

• Never used the “drip” method like Pollock did, but instead put a lot of paint on the brush at once and applied it liberally and aggressively to the canvas

Fuller Potter (1969)

Result/Result/ConclusionConclusion

• There really is no specific starting date of abstract art, much less an ending date

• The movement, in all, has been over, but abstraction is now looked upon as just another equally beautiful form of art

• There are many artists that still create abstract art today, and now they have taken the ideas of it and applied it to other things, such as architecture

What happened in the What happened in the end?end?

Result/ConclusionResult/Conclusion (cont’d.)(cont’d.)

• Abstract paintings and art have influenced many people to not feel like they just have to paint portraits and landscapes, but that they can just paint what they feel and make their work actually mean something to them

• There are now tons of buildings, bridges, stairs, monuments, etc. that have been created with an abstract theme. Architecture as a whole has changed incredibly since abstract art was introduced.

What were the lasting What were the lasting effects?effects?

Result/Conclusion Result/Conclusion (cont’d.)(cont’d.)

Abstract Abstract ArchitectureArchitecture

Where did it Where did it happen?happen?

“New York City”

Bibliographyhttp://www.artcyclopedia.com/history/abstract-expressionism.htmlhttp://www.artchive.com/artchive/abex.html

http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/tl/20th/abs-expr.html

http://www.biddingtons.com/content/pedigreeabstract.htmlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abstract_expressionism

http://www.artlex.com/ArtLex/a/abstractexpr.html

Auping, Michael. Abstract Expressionism – The Critical Developments. Harry N. Abrams, Inc.

“Abstract expressionists value expression over

perfection, vitality over finish, fluctuation over repose, the unknown over the known, the

veiled over the clear, the individual over society, and the inner over the

outer.” - William C. SeitzThe End