Jackson Pollock—Redefining Composition

Jackson Pollock - Eyes in the Heat - 1946 - Oil on canvas, 54 x 43 in; Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice (click photo for larger image)

“On the floor I am more at ease, I feel nearer, more a part of the painting, since this way I can walk around in it, work from the four sides and be literally 'in' the painting.”

These words were spoken by American painter Jackson Pollock in 1947. Pollock (1912-1956) is associated with the introduction of the “All-over” style of painting that avoids any points of emphasis or identifiable parts within the whole canvas. Pollock abandoned the traditional idea of composition as a relationship among parts. The design of his paintings had no relation to the shape or size of the canvas, finished works were sometimes docked or trimmed to suit the image. All these characteristics were important for the new American painting that matured in the late 1940s and early 1950s.

Paul Klee: A Personal Type of Art

Paul Klee - Demon above the Ships (Dämon über den Schiffen) - 1916 - Watercolor and ink on paper with ink border on board - 9 3/8 x 8 1/8" (23.7 x 20.7 cm) - Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) New YorkSwiss painter Paul Klee  (1879-1940) is often labeled as an Expressionist or a Surrealist—he chose not to be associated with any one art movement. However, he assimilated, and even anticipated, most of the major artistic tendencies of his time in his work. Using both representational and abstract approaches, he produced an immense oeuvre of some 9,000 paintings, drawings, and watercolors that embody an amazing variety of styles. His works tend to be small in scale and are remarkable for their delicate nuances of line, color, and tonality. Music figures prominently in his work, and even more so—literature. His art has had a wide and profound influence.

Feelings and Emotion

Hans Hofmann, “Simplex Munditiis” - 1962, oil on canvas, 84 x 72 inches, Santa Barbara Museum of Art, CAAbstract Expressionist typically applied paint rapidly and forcefully to huge surfaces, to show feelings and emotions. They painted gesturally and non-geometrically, using large brushes, dripping paint, and even throwing paint and other objects onto the surface. Abstract Expressionism appears to be accidental and based on chance, but it is actually highly planned. Hans Hofmann (1880-1966) was “…celebrated for his exuberant, color-filled canvases, and renowned as an influential teacher for generations of artists….”

Alma Thomas: A Pioneer

Alma Thomas - Breeze Rustling Through Fall Flowers - 1968 - Acrylic on canvas - 58 7/8 x 50 in. - Gift of Franz Bader - The Phillips Collection - Washington, D.C. (click photo for larger image)African-American Abstract Expressionist Alma Woodsey Thomas (c.1891-1978) lived and worked in Washington, D.C. She was a major force as both and artist and an educator, and a pioneering figure in African American art history. Her experimentations with color field painting were and remain remarkable.

Egon Schiele - Austrian Expressionism

Egon Schiele - Self Portrait - 1912 - Sammlung Leopold (click photo for larger image)Austrian painter Egon Schiele (1890-1918) created work that was “...noted for the intensity and the large number of self-portraits he produced. The twisted body shapes that characterize Schiele's paintings and drawings make the artist a notable exponent of Expressionism.” Although his career was short (he died at the age of 28), Schiele made a major contribution to modernism.