ABSTRACT EXPRESSIONISM:
Art and politics in the 1930s:
- In 1929 the Wall Street stock market crashed in America and was followed by The
Great Depression - a time of economic hardship worldwide
- In Europe several dictatorships emerged, such as the Third Reich (Nazis) under Adolf
Hitler in Germany and Benito Mussolini’s Fascism in Italy. The Spanish Civil War was
a major conflict in Spain which ended with General Franco’s victory and dictatorship
- These events, especially Hitler’s need for expansion would lead to the outbreak of
World War II in 1939
- This ended the reign of Paris as the centre for avante-garde art as it was replaced by
New York after the war
- Most Modernist art was seen by Hitler as undesirable. This led to an exhibition being
held, in 1937, of degenerate art which resulted in the destruction of many artworks.
Many artists were forced to go into exile as they were branded as enemies of the
state by Hitler
The effects of world war ii:
- World War I ended in 1918 with the loss of about 38 million lives. This was followed by
economic depression and many countries experienced political upheaval, which led to World
War II in 1939
- Under the leadership of Adolf Hitler, Germany began to extend its territory. The Pacific war
started with he bombing of Pearl Harbour (an American naval base) by the Japanese
- The 2nd World War ended in 1945 with the conquering of Berlin (German capital) and when
America dropped atonic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. These 2
attacks killed about 200 000 people instantly. AS a whole WWII claimed 60 million lives
- The end of WWII resulted in the end to European imperialism due to a loss of political and
economic power. This led to the end of European cultural dominance as well
- During the 1930s many intellectuals (and artists) fled from Europe to America because of the
political, racial and sexual persecution in Nazi Germany
Influences of European art on American art:
1. A rational formalistic, objective trend which originated in Cubism
2. The anti-rational, emotional, expressive trend promoted through the Surrealist artists
, Developments within the American art scene:
The Armory Show held in 1913 and organised by the Association of American Painters and
Sculptors introduced Modern Art in the form of Avante-garde European and American
artworks to the people of New York
The newly opened Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York staged more exhibitions
such as Cubism and Abstract Art, Dadaism., Surrealism and a major retrospective of Picasso’s
work
The American government created the Federal Arts Project during The Great Depression in
order to give economic relief to artists suffering due to the economic conditions. This
brought many disparate figures together. There was no formal distinction made between
the importance of representational or abstract art –both were equally accepted/valued. This
allowed abstract art to gain more respect than it perhaps had in Europe
This significantly influenced the work produced into the 1940s and 1950s – the Abstract
Expressionist movement
Background of abstract expressionism:
- The artists did not form a movement, but knew each other and were contemporaries
- There was no uniform stylistic traits
- The critics who gave this label to the group of artists however formulated their
characteristics
- Harold Rosenberg was an art critic at this time and became the unofficial spokesperson for
the group in the 1950s.
Action painters and colour field painters:
- Painting became more than the action of the wrist, but the action of the whole body
- The act of painting was seen as an existential exercise which revealed the personality
of the artist and was therefore an extreme form of honesty and self-expression
- The idea of ‘Colour field painting’ was a tendency to apply colour to extended areas
or fields.
- They strove to remove any motifs which could evoke associations. Abstract form and
expressive colour was used to communicate with the viewer in an immediate way.
Art and politics in the 1930s:
- In 1929 the Wall Street stock market crashed in America and was followed by The
Great Depression - a time of economic hardship worldwide
- In Europe several dictatorships emerged, such as the Third Reich (Nazis) under Adolf
Hitler in Germany and Benito Mussolini’s Fascism in Italy. The Spanish Civil War was
a major conflict in Spain which ended with General Franco’s victory and dictatorship
- These events, especially Hitler’s need for expansion would lead to the outbreak of
World War II in 1939
- This ended the reign of Paris as the centre for avante-garde art as it was replaced by
New York after the war
- Most Modernist art was seen by Hitler as undesirable. This led to an exhibition being
held, in 1937, of degenerate art which resulted in the destruction of many artworks.
Many artists were forced to go into exile as they were branded as enemies of the
state by Hitler
The effects of world war ii:
- World War I ended in 1918 with the loss of about 38 million lives. This was followed by
economic depression and many countries experienced political upheaval, which led to World
War II in 1939
- Under the leadership of Adolf Hitler, Germany began to extend its territory. The Pacific war
started with he bombing of Pearl Harbour (an American naval base) by the Japanese
- The 2nd World War ended in 1945 with the conquering of Berlin (German capital) and when
America dropped atonic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. These 2
attacks killed about 200 000 people instantly. AS a whole WWII claimed 60 million lives
- The end of WWII resulted in the end to European imperialism due to a loss of political and
economic power. This led to the end of European cultural dominance as well
- During the 1930s many intellectuals (and artists) fled from Europe to America because of the
political, racial and sexual persecution in Nazi Germany
Influences of European art on American art:
1. A rational formalistic, objective trend which originated in Cubism
2. The anti-rational, emotional, expressive trend promoted through the Surrealist artists
, Developments within the American art scene:
The Armory Show held in 1913 and organised by the Association of American Painters and
Sculptors introduced Modern Art in the form of Avante-garde European and American
artworks to the people of New York
The newly opened Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York staged more exhibitions
such as Cubism and Abstract Art, Dadaism., Surrealism and a major retrospective of Picasso’s
work
The American government created the Federal Arts Project during The Great Depression in
order to give economic relief to artists suffering due to the economic conditions. This
brought many disparate figures together. There was no formal distinction made between
the importance of representational or abstract art –both were equally accepted/valued. This
allowed abstract art to gain more respect than it perhaps had in Europe
This significantly influenced the work produced into the 1940s and 1950s – the Abstract
Expressionist movement
Background of abstract expressionism:
- The artists did not form a movement, but knew each other and were contemporaries
- There was no uniform stylistic traits
- The critics who gave this label to the group of artists however formulated their
characteristics
- Harold Rosenberg was an art critic at this time and became the unofficial spokesperson for
the group in the 1950s.
Action painters and colour field painters:
- Painting became more than the action of the wrist, but the action of the whole body
- The act of painting was seen as an existential exercise which revealed the personality
of the artist and was therefore an extreme form of honesty and self-expression
- The idea of ‘Colour field painting’ was a tendency to apply colour to extended areas
or fields.
- They strove to remove any motifs which could evoke associations. Abstract form and
expressive colour was used to communicate with the viewer in an immediate way.
