ARTS 10 1ST QUARTER

Module 1: MODERN ART

Fourth Week: Abstract Expressionism, Pop Art, Op Art

World events in the mid-20th century immensely influenced the course of human life and, with
it, the course of art history. World War I (1913-1914) and World War II (1941-1945), in particular,
shifted the political, economic, and cultural world stage away from Europe and on to the “New World”
continent, America.
New York School
In the 1920s and 1930s, aspiring young Americans painters, sculptures, and writers sailed to
Europe to expand their horizons. But during the dark days of World War II, a reverse migration
brought European scientists, architects, and artists to American shores. New York, in particular,
became a haven for the newly-arrived artists and their American counterparts.
The result was the establishment of what came to be known as “The New York School”—as
opposed to “The School of Paris” that had been very influential in Europe. The daring young artists in
this movement succeeded in creating their own synthesis of Europe’s cubist and surrealist styles.
Their style came to be known as abstract expressionism.
Action Painting
One form of abstract expressionism was seen in the works of Jackson Pollock. These were
created through what came to be known as “action painting.”

Pollock worked on huge canvases spread on the floor, splattering, squirting, and dribbling
paint with (seemingly) no pre-planned pattern or design in mind. The total effect is one of vitality,
creativity, “energy made visible.” Pollock’s first one-man show in New York in 1943 focused
worldwide attention on abstract expressionism for the first time.

Blue Poles by Pollock

Color Field Painting

In contrast to the vigorous gestures of the action painters, another group of artists who came to
be known as “color field painters” used different color saturations (purity, vividness, intensity) to
create their desired effects. Some of their works were huge fields of vibrant color—as in the paintings
of Mark Rothko and Barnett Newman.

Magenta, Black, Green on Orange

Mark Rothko, 1949 Oil on canvas

Vir Heroicus Sublimis

Barnett Newman, 1950-1951
Oil on canvas

Others took the more intimate “pictograph” approach, filling the canvas with repeating picture
fragments or symbols—as in the works of Adolph Gottlieb and Lee Krasner.

Forgotten Dream
Adolph Gottlieb, 1946
Oil on canvas

Abstract No. 2
Lee Krasner, 1948

After “The New York School”

By the early 1960s, the momentum of The New York School slowed down. In its place, a new
crop of artists came on the scene using lighter treatment and flashes of humor, even irreverence, in
their artworks.

The movements they brought about have come to be called:

 neodadaism and pop art
 conceptual art
 op art
 the new realism

Neodadaism, Pop Art, Op Art

Like the dadaist movement that arose after World War I, the neodadaism of the1960s wanted
to make reforms in traditional values. It also made use of commonplace, trivial, even nonsensical
objects. But unlike the angry, serious tone of the original dadaists, the neodadaists seemed to enjoy
nonsense for its own sake and simply wanted to laugh at the world.
 Their works ranged from paintings, to posters, to collages, to three-dimensional “assemblages”
and installations. These made use of easily recognizable objects and images from the emerging
consumer society—as in the prints of Andy Warhol. Their inspirations were the celebrities,
advertisements, billboards, and comic strips that were becoming commonplace at that time. Hence
the term pop (from popular) art emerged.

Roy Lichtenstein (1923-1997) was an American pop artist. During the 1960s, along with Andy
Warhol, Jasper Johns, and James Rosenquist among others, he became a leading figure in this new
art movement.
Twelve Cars
Andy Warhol,1962

Marilyn Monroe
Andy Warhol,1967
Silkscreen Print

Whaam!
Roy Lichtenstein, 1963
Acrylic and oil on canvas

Conceptual Art

As the term implies, conceptual art was that which arose in the mind of the artist, took concrete
form for a time, and then disappeared (unless it was captured in photo or film documentation).
Conceptualists questioned the idea of art as objects to be bought and sold. Instead, they brought their
artistic ideas to life temporarily, using such unusual materials as grease, blocks of ice, food, even just
plain dirt.

A key difference between a conceptual artwork and a traditional painting or sculpture is that the
conceptualist’s work often requires little or no physical craftsmanship. Much of the artist’s time and
effort goes into the concept or idea behind the work, with the actual execution then being relatively
quick and simple. An example is this conceptual art piece by Kosuth.

One and Three Chairs

Joseph Kosuth, 1965
An actual chair (center), with a
photograph of the same chair and an
enlarged copy of a dictionary definition
of a chair.
Op Art

Another movement that emerged in the 1960s was optical art or “op art.” This was yet another
experiment in visual experience—a form of “action painting,” with the action taking place in the
viewer’s eye. In op art, lines, spaces, and colors were precisely planned and positioned to give the
illusion of movement.

Current
Bridget Riley, 1964
Synthetic polymer paint on composition
board

As the eye moved over different segments of the image, perfectly stable components appeared
to shift back and forth, sometimes faster, sometimes slower as the brain responded to the optical
data. Viewers experienced sensations varying from discomfort to disorientation to giddiness.

Activity 1
Answer the questions. Write your answer on 1 whole sheet of paper.

A. Abstract Expressionism: Action Painting, Color Field Painting

1. What were two of the art movements that emerged from The NewYork School?
2. Why were action painting and color field painting given these names?
3. Who was the artist who became famous for his action painting style?

B. Neodadaism, Pop Art, Op Art

1. What is conceptual art? How is it unlike any other art movement beforeit?
2. How was neodadaism different from the earlier dadaism movement?
3. From where did pop art draw its subjects?
4. Name the foremost artists of the pop art movement.

Activity 2

Procedure for Color Field Painting: Pictograph Approach

1. Prepare your materials – 1 bond paper,any available paints/color in primary colors, black, and
White
2. Plan the overall composition and technique that you will use. Select colors of paint similar to those
used by color field artists, and plan how these will be arranged in your artwork.
3. For pictograph approach paint small picture fragments or symbols in a repeating pattern on the
entire bond paper.