Kandinsky: A Spiritual Experience…

Wassily Kandinsky - Flood Improvisation - 1913, oil on canvas, Lenbachhaus, Munich (click photo for larger image)Russian born painter Wassily Kandinsky (1866-1944) “sought to convey profound spirituality and the depth of human emotion through a universal visual language of abstract forms and colors that transcended cultural and physical boundaries.”

One of the pioneers of abstraction—Kandinsky wanted to translate music—which he believed to be the purest form of art—into a visual language. He is most closely associated with German Expressionism. The second phase of that movement—Der Blau Reiter (the Blue Rider) was, in fact, named after a painting of the same name by Kandinsky. Other artists associated with the group included Auguste Macke, Gabriele Münter, and Alexei Jawlensky.

Kandinsky most certainly had very high self-esteem. Indeed, he truly saw himself as a “prophet” whose mission was to share the ideal of abstraction with the world, for the betterment of society. He dubbed himself the first abstract artist. However, we now know that his earliest abstract work—after being tested through various methods—was actually created several years later than Kandinsky claimed it had been. In fact, there were a number of other artists creating abstract works at the same time the Kandinsky was working. Nevertheless, he was a brilliant artist and his work did lay the foundation for many of the modern and postmodern movements that would follow—among them Abstract Expressionism.

"Of all the arts, abstract painting is the most difficult. It demands that you know how to draw well, that you have a heightened sensitivity for composition and for colors, and that you be a true poet. This last is essential.” - Wassily Kandinsky

“The Late” Claude Monet

Claude Monet - Water Lilies - c. 1920 - Oil on canvas - 200 x 425 cm - Museum of Modern Art, New York (click photo for larger image)When one looks at the late work of Claude Monet (1840-1926), it’s impossible not to see the “modernism” of Impressionism. In the past, the highly abstract nature of the work was “blamed” on Monet’s failing eyesight. However, we now recognize that the artist’s vision was never more clear.

Monet didn’t engage in all of the debates going on among artists during that time, about theory, the directions art was taking, and so forth. He remained at Giverny, tending those gardens that were his studio—and painting. He lived and worked in his own world, of his own creation. He undoubtedly heard of the “abstraction” that was emerging in art, but was likely not affected by it. Instead—as he had always done—he followed the directions of his own imagination, his own view of his reality. By so doing, he created some of the most “modern” — most “abstract” images of the twentieth century. The history of art continues to owe Monet a great debt. It is worth noting that the interest of such postmodernists as Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko in the work of the Impressionist master contributed, in part, to the resurrection of Impressionism by art historians. It wasn’t until the late 1940s and early 1950s that a revisitation at last appropriately gave that movement its proper stature in the history of art.

The work featured here is one of the three large water lily paintings by Monet housed in the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York. It shows a pond covered with water lilies, with reflections of clouds overhead.

Gertrude Greene: A Sense of Architectural Structure

Gertrude Greene - Construction - 1935 - Painted wood, board, and metal - 16 x 24" (40.6 x 61 cm) - Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York (click photo for larger image)Gertrude Greene (1904-1956) was an abstract artist from New York, NY. Gertrude and her husband, artist Balcomb Greene, were heavily involved in political activism to promote mainstream acceptance of abstract art. They were founding members of the American Abstract Artists organization.

Greene was one of the earliest American artists, possibly the first, to produce non-objective relief sculptures in the early 1930s. She synthesized Cubist and Russian Constructivists themes into her work. By the 1940s, her work showed an interest in Mondrian and Neo-Plasticism. She produced her last sculpture in 1946. Although for the rest of her life Greene concentrated on abstract painting, her paintings embodied a "sense of architectural structure"

What is Abstract Art…Really?

Arthur Dove - Golden Storm - 1925 - Oil and metallic paint on plywood panel - 18 9/16 x 20 1/2 in. - The Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C. (click photo for larger image)Many people don’t understand the difference between Abstract Art and Non-Representational Art—and the terms are often used interchangeably (sometimes erroneously) even by arts professionals.

To “abstract” means to remove from—or highlight—the essentials of something. When applied to the visual arts, this means that the original idea is grounded in something from the “real” word, but presented in a non-realistic way. For example, artist Arthur Dove (1880-1946)—considered the first American abstract painter—provided his own personal interpretation of nature in Golden Storm, an early work of his mature style. Working on his boat, in Huntington Harbor, Long Island, Dove “captured the movement of water, freezing it into abstract, timeless patterns of choppy waves heaving under ominous billowing clouds.” He “abstracted” what he felt was significant in what he actually saw.

Piet Mondrian - Composition II in Red, Blue, and Yellow - 1930 - oil on canvas, 46 x 46 cm - Kunsthaus Zürich (click photo for larger image)Strictly speaking, Non-Representational art refers to works created wholly from the artist’s imagination—and having no foundation is a tangible reality. Dutch painter Piet Mondrian (1872-1944), for example, used the simplest combinations of straight lines, right angles, primary colors, and black, white, and gray in a number of his works—developing “an extreme formal purity that embodies the artist’s spiritual belief in a harmonious cosmos.” Although such works are often described as “abstract”— they are more aptly defined as “non-representational”. They are based on an idea—not a tangible reality.

The lines between abstraction and non-representation often do get blurred. It’s not always easy to tell the difference and it can get very confusing. I’ll be delivering a presentation designed to help sort out the distinctions on October 19, 2016, from 7-9 PM, for the Continuing Education program offered by the Chappaqua Central School District. It will be a fun program! You’ll see a number of fascinating works and learn more about abstraction and non-representation.

“Stuart Davis: In Full Swing”

Stuart Davis - Egg Beater No. 4 - 1928 - Oil on canvas - 27 1/8 x 38 1/4 in. - The Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C. (click photo for larger image)Stuart Davis (1894-1964) was an American abstract artist—heavily influenced by Cubism. His unique paintings presaged the use of commercial art and advertising by Pop artists of the 1960s. By 1913, a very young Davis was competent enough to show five watercolors in the Armory Show. This was the first large exhibit in the United States of avant-garde European art, and the event marked a turning point in his career. Davis developed a new style based on the rhythmic contrast between geometric areas of flat color and objects clearly defined in linear perspective. His meticulously planned and executed paintings possess wit and gaiety. Davis was inspired by taxis, storefronts, and neon signs. The dissonant colors and lively, repetitive rhythms in his work can be seen as visual analogs to jazz music, which he loved. The Whitney Museum in New York is currently presenting “Stuart Davis: In Full Swing” and it will be up until September 25, 2016. Don’t miss this fantastic exhibit!