22/3/2017 What Makes an Abstract Expressionist Painting Good?

Search

WhatMakesanAbstractExpressionist
PaintingGood?
ARTSY EDITORIAL
BY ISAAC KAPLAN
DEC 21ST, 2016 5:02 PM

OneofmyresponsibilitieshereatArtsyEditorialistoponderthearthistorical
questionsthatareperhapsbestansweredeitherwitharaisedeyebroworbysaying,
becauseduh,thatswhy.Todaysentryinthisseries:Whatmakesaworkof
AbstractExpressionistartgood?

https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-what-makes-abstract-expressionist-painting-good 1/5
22/3/2017 What Makes an Abstract Expressionist Painting Good?

Asinpreviousiterations(see:Whybuyapaintingwhenyoucanmakeyourown?),
Search
thesimplestofqueriessometimesraisesinterestingandcompellingideasifone
staresatithardenough.Inexploringsubjectivequestionsofqualityandtheir
relationshiptothearthistoricalcanon,onefindsthatagoodAbExworkisone
thatisdeterminedtobesobyboththeviewerandthecriticsandexperts,aswellas
beingtheresultofsocietalbiases(moreonthatlastpartlater).

AbstractExpressionismisperhapsoneofthemostrecognizedhistoricalgenres.
Blameitontheimpactofthesetypicallylargescale,vibrantworks,theirpermanent
presenceintheArtHistory101curriculum,ortheskepticalcriesofMykidcould
dothat!Thetermoriginallyrosetoprominenceinthemid20thcenturytodescribe
agroupofartistsworkinginNewYorkfollowingWorldWarII.Youknowtheir
names:JacksonPollock,MarkRothko,FranzKlinethelistgoeson.

Thepainterswerechampionedorchided(oftenboth)bycriticsofthedaysuchas
ClementGreenberg,whohadbothunparalleledinfluenceandarthistoricalclout,
unlikecriticsofourcurrentage.TheyhadtheirownstandardsofAbExquality
howflatapaintingwas,forexample.

Thoughbroadlyinterestedinusingabstractionasawaytoconveyindividual
emotions,thepainterswhoworkedinanAbExmodeactuallyspannedawiderange
oftechniques,styles,andintentions.Inshort,likeallarthistoricalgroupings,AbEx
isbothbroadandsomewhatlimitinginhowitbringstogetheradiverserangeof
artists.Eachartisthadasignaturestyle,fromPollocksspontaneous,chaoticdrip
techniquetoRothkosatmosphericsquares.

RELATED ARTICLE

20AbstractExpressionistsWhoDidntJustPaint

Anunderstandingofthishistoricalbackgroundandcriticismareimportant,but
reallyappreciatingAbstractExpressionismisnotaboutreadingatextbook,said
GwenChanzit,curatorofmodernartattheDenverArtMuseum,whocuratedthis
yearsWomenofAbstractExpressionismexhibition.Indeed,thequalityofan
AbstractExpressionistworkcanbegaugedmainlybyhowitmakesyoufeel.

https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-what-makes-abstract-expressionist-painting-good 2/5
22/3/2017 What Makes an Abstract Expressionist Painting Good?

Thisis,ofcourse,trueofmuchart.ButAbExworksinparticularwiththeir
Search
intensecolor,largescale,and,inPollockscaseatleast,frenziedapplicationofpaint
canelicitanemotionalresponsefromviewersthatrequiresaphysical,often
prolonged,encounterwiththem.Andthemoreyouencountertheseworks,themore
youreabletojudgethemthisistrueevenforthepros.Youcannotbeacuratorin
avacuum.Youhavetobeoutintotheworldtoseealotofthings.Thenhopefully
yourecognizequality,saidChanzit.

Itskeytorecognize,though,thatthecanonofAbExmasterswasalsotheproduct
ofsocietalbiases,andthatoursubjectiveopinionsarenotalwaysfreefromthe
influenceofbroaderculturalrealities.MostofthemajorAbExfiguresarewhite
men,despitetherehavingbeenbothartistsofcolorandwomenworkinginthegenre
(see:NormanLewisorLeeKrasner).

ThisissomethingChanzitquicklylearnedasshecuratedherexhibition.Thetruth
isIdidnotsetouttodoawomensshowIreallysetouttoseewhodbeenleftout
ofthecanonofAbstractExpressionism,shesaid.WhenIbegantoseewhich
peoplehadbeenleftout,Irealizedtherewasawholegendermissing.Shebrought
togetherover50worksby12womenpaintersassociatedwithAbEx,including
Krasner,JudithGodwin,GraceHartigan,andEthelSchwabacher.

Butwhenoneseestwoabstractworkssidebyside,regardlessoftheartistsidentity,
howtodeterminewhichisbetter?Howdoesonejudgethequalityoftwosimilar
worksbyRothko,forinstance?Partoftheansweristime.Ifyourelookingata
paintingbyRothko,youneedtogiveittime,sothatyoucanalmostloseyourself
withinthatcanvas,saidChanzit.YoucantwalkbyaRothkoandgetverymuch
outofit.Butifyouspendthetimetoimmerseyourselfwithinit,thatswhentheres
areward.

Thereis,ofcourse,alsothehistoricalsignificanceofRothkoswork.Whilehisstyle
mayseempredictablenow,atthetimenooneelsewaspaintingsuchrich,
immersivefieldsofpurecolorthatengulfoneseyes.

https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-what-makes-abstract-expressionist-painting-good 3/5
22/3/2017 What Makes an Abstract Expressionist Painting Good?

Lookingbeyondtheindividualexperience,Iwonderedhowthemarketdetermines
Search
thequalityofanAbExpaintingthatis,howdollarandcentvaluesareascribedto
paintings.MichaelMacaulay,SeniorVicePresidentandHeadofEveningSales
ContemporaryArtatSothebys,isquicktonotethatthewidebreadthofAbExart
meansthelabelcanlosesomeofitsusefulness.

Theresultisthatmarketevaluationisartistspecificandthenfocusedpaintingby
painting,hesaid.Weareofcoursebearinginminditshistoricalsignificance.We
areevaluatinganumberofmorequantifiablefactors,likescale,palette,modeof
execution,condition.Andthentherearealotofsofterfactorstoconsider,like
aestheticappeal,whichofcourseisverysubjective.Collectorshavedifferenttastes
independentofthearthistoricalcanon,too,perhapsvaluingaRothkoovera
Pollock,forwhateverreason.Andjustasthegeneralcanonvalueswomenand
AbExartistsofcolorlessthantheirmalecounterparts,sotoodoesthemarket.

RELATED ARTICLE

11FemaleAbstractExpressionistsWhoAreNotHelen
Frankenthaler

TakingthatearlierexampleofevaluatingtwoRothkoworks,Macaulayadvises
lookingatthedate,giventhatwhatyeartheartistcreatedtheworkisverycritical
andcanbeconnectedtomajormomentsintheartistscareerandarthistory
generally.FortheRothkomarket,agoldenyearis1954,theyearofhisfirstsolo
exhibitionatamajormuseumintheUnitedStates,heldattheArtInstituteof
Chicago,saidMacaulay,addingthat1950isanotherimportantyearintheartists
career,whenhefoundhisstrideworkingintheclassic,stackedrectangularcolor
formheisknownfor.

Nowonder,then,thatthetwomostexpensiveRothkossoldatSothebysareNo1
(RoyalRedandBlue)from1954andWhiteCenter(Yellow,PinkandLavenderon
Rose),paintedin1950.Ofcourse,boththeseworksarestunningandrare.Ithinkat
acertainleveltheseworksareallexceptional,saidMacaulay.Wecantbecome
toolazyindescribingthesemasterworksasbeingadimeadozen.Andsayingone
isbettersimplybecauseitfetchedmoreatauctionisalimitedmetric,tosaythe
least.

https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-what-makes-abstract-expressionist-painting-good 4/5
22/3/2017 What Makes an Abstract Expressionist Painting Good?

Macaulayalsoemphasizeshowcrucialitistoseethesepiecesinperson.Youcant
Search
replicatetheexperienceofstandinginfrontofaMarkRothko,youcantreplicate
theexperienceofstandinginfrontofaJacksonPollock,hesaid.Thequality,the
execution,thekindofintensityofthelayersofpaint,thequalityofthedripis
relativelydiscerniblewhenyouseethesethingsfirsthand.Anditsveryimportant
thatyoufocusmoreonqualitythananythingelse.

AndhecautionsagainstleaningontheAbExlabelasacrutch.Slappingitonan
artistsworkobscuresvariationswithintheirpracticeseeDeKooningsflirtations
withfiguresinworks,forexample(therearesomanychaptersinhislife,said
Macaulay).Andatworst,suchcategorizationasksustoevaluateanartistwithina
setofhistoricalcriteriaratherthansimplyexperiencingit.Sowhenaskingwhat
makesaworkofAbstractExpressionismgood,readthewalllabelandthedate,
knowathingortwoaboutthehistory,andcheckyourownbiases.Butdontforget
tolook.

IsaacKaplan

SHARE ARTICLE

Home Museums
Artists Fairs
Shows Auctions
Galleries Magazine

https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-what-makes-abstract-expressionist-painting-good 5/5