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.
 The New York School
• In the 1920s and 1930s, aspiring young American
painters, sculptors, 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”.
Jackson Pollock
• 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.
Action Painting
 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
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 the 1960s
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
Marilyn
Monroe
by Andy
Warhol
 In the Car
by Roy
Lichtenstein
 Whaam!
By Roy Lichtenstein
 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, theybrought their
artistic ideas to life temporarily, using such
unusual materials as grease, blocks of ice,
food, even just plain dirt.
 One and Three Chairs
By Joseph Kosuth, 1965
 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 positionedto
givethe illusionof movemen
 Current
By Bridget Riley, 1964
 Performance
Art
• Performance art is a form of
modern art in which the actions of
an individual or a group at a
particular place and in a particular
time constitute the work. It can
happen anywhere, at any time, or
for any length of time.
It can be any situation that involves
four basic elements:
 time
 space
 the performer’s body
 a relationship between
performer and audience.
 Performance
Art
Performance art does include such
activities as theater, dance, music,
mime, juggling, and gymnastics.
The performance venue may range
from an art gallery or museum to a
theater, café, bar, or street corner.