Neo-Expressionism: An Affirmation of the Redemptive Power of Art

Georg Baselitz - Man of Faith - 1983 - Oil on canvas - 97 1/2 x 78 in. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYMany artists have practiced and revived aspects of the original Expressionist movement, as it existed at its peak at the beginning of the twentieth century. 

The most famous return to Expressionism was inaugurated by Georg Baselitz (born 1938) who led a revival that dominated German art in the 1970s. By the 1980s, this resurgence had become part of an international return to the sensuousness of painting - and away from the stylistically cool, distant sparseness of Minimalism and Conceptualism. Baselitz was enormously influential in showing a generation of German artists how they might come to terms with issues of art and national identity in the wake of the Second World War.. Briefly trained in the officially sanctioned social realism of Communist East Berlin, he soon moved to West Berlin, and encountered abstract art. Ultimately, however, he was to reject both options. While others turned to Conceptual Art, Pop Art, and Arte Povera, Baselitz revived the German Expressionism that had been denounced by the Nazis, and returned the human figure to a central position in painting. The figures in his art often appear upside-down.

Baselitz has always been influential and controversial. "I begin with an idea, but as I work, the picture takes over. Then there is the struggle between the idea I preconceived... and the picture that fights for its own life.”

I’ll be teaching a single-session class on Neo-Expressionism THIS Thursday (11/9), at the Larchmont Temple. Click HERE to register.

Audrey Flack: Contributions to Photorealism and Feminism

Audrey Flack - Macarena of Miracles - 1971 - Oil on canvas - 66 x 46 in. Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYAudrey Flack (born 1931) is an American painter, printmaker, and sculptor, who is widely regarded for her innovative contributions to the Photorealist and feminist movements of the late twentieth century. While her early work included abstract motifs, Flack achieved international recognition for her incredibly detailed paintings of still-life compositions and her monumental sculptures of mythical and divine female figures. She holds the distinction of being the first Photorealist painter to have a piece bought by The Museum of Modern Art in New York.

During the late 1950s, Flack retreated from the Abstract Expressionism, which she felt did not communicate effectively or clearly with viewers. That realization marked an important turning point in her artistic career. Because she thought her ability to paint in a realistic manner was inadequate, Flack enrolled at the Art Students League to study anatomy with Robert Beverly Hale. She looked to artists such as Spanish Baroque artist Luisa Roldán (1652–1706) and Italian Renaissance painter Carlo Crivelli (c. 1430–c. 1495) as models. Her painting of a crying Virgin Mary, Macarena of Miracles (1971), makes direct reference to Roldán’s sculpture Virgen de la Macarena, La Esperanza.

Photorealism: A Challenge to Idealism and Abstraction

Duane Hanson - Woman Eating - 1971 - Polyester resin and fiberglass with oil and acrylic paints and found accessories - 50 x 30 x 55 in. - Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, DC (click photo for larger image)The name Photorealism (also known as Hyperrealism or Superrealism) was coined in reference to those artists whose work depended heavily on photographs, which they often projected onto canvas allowing images to be replicated with precision and accuracy. The exactness was often aided further by the use of an airbrush, which was originally designed to retouch photographs. The movement came about within the same period and context as Conceptual art, Pop Art, and Minimalism and expressed a strong interest in realism in art, over that of idealism and abstraction.

The work of Duane Hanson (1925-1996) explores social issues and the complexities of American identity. Hanson is considered one of the central members of the international Photorealist movement of the late twentieth century, a loose congregation of artists who favored naturalistic depiction over the abstract motifs of their contemporaries.

I’ll be teaching a single-session class on Photorealism THIS Thursday (11/2) at the Larchmont Temple. Register HERE if you’d like to attend.

Francesco Clemente: Idiosyncratic and Arresting Images

Francesco Clemente - Moon - 1980 - Gouache on twelve sheets of paper with fabric - 96 1/4 x 91 in. - Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York, NY (click photo for larger image)Acting as a dark shaman of the post-modern era while reacting against the dominance of increasing abstraction in preceding generations, Italian artist Francesco Clemente (born 1952) helped reinvigorate painting by using recognizable human figures as his primary subject. In idiosyncratic and arresting images, he uses Neo-Expressionist techniques to represent late twentieth century people and their psychological conditions - fundamentally questioning what is real and what is of value to the human spirit.

By the 1980s, this resurgence had become part of an international return to the sensuousness of painting - and away from the stylistically cool, distant sparseness of Minimalism and Conceptualism.

"Collaboration is part of my work because the assumption of my work is that our identities are fragmented identities, that we're [each] not just one person but many persons.” - Francesco Clemente

Audrey Flack: Feminist Photorealist

Audrey Flack - Macarena of Miracles - 1971 - Oil on canvas - 66 x 46 in. - Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NYThe name Photorealism (also known as Hyperrealism or Super-realism) was coined in reference to those artists whose work depended heavily on photographs, which they often projected onto canvas allowing images to be replicated with precision and accuracy. The exactness was often aided further by the use of an airbrush, which was originally designed to retouch photographs. The movement came about within the same period and context as Conceptual art, Pop Art, and Minimalism and expressed a strong interest in realism in art, over that of idealism and abstraction. Among several male practitioners of Photorealism there is an interest in themes of machinery and objects of industry such as trucks, motorcycles, cars, and even gum ball machines, whereas Audrey Flack, the sole female practitioner, infuses her works with greater emotionality and the transience of life. Ultimately, the Photorealists were successful in attracting a wide audience, but they are often overlooked by art historians as an important avant garde style.

Audrey Flack (born 1931) is an American painter, printmaker, and sculptor, who is widely regarded for her innovative contributions to the Photorealist and feminist movements of the late twentieth century. While her early work included abstract motifs, Flack achieved international recognition for her incredibly detailed paintings of still-life compositions and her monumental sculptures of mythical and divine female figures.