âLet Us Attempt To Seeâ Essay
âLet Us Attempt To Seeâ -Wassily Kandinsky
Throughout this essay the motives and concepts behind Abstract Art and Abstract Expressionist Art will be explored, as well as the theories and movements behind the aesthetics of the works of collectives. I will compare their significant changes to show exactly how and why they differ. I will explore controversial perspectives about abstract expressionism and critically explain how the contextual and personal issues shaped artists into personas. The primary sources I am going to use will come from books, websites and documentaries.
The first thread of information I looked at was the movement itself, which then lead me to look at Jackson Pollock and fellow founders of Abstract Expressionism. This highlighted the relevance of contextual issues at the time of the movement, interesting me to search for new perspectives of outsiders. One of the consistent topics from the outsiders was Romanticism and the idea of masquerades, this then provoked me to find even more information about Pollockâs background, and where his behaviour in art came from. I found a correlation of inspiration and reasons why pollock became an abstract expressionist, such as: Influences of abstract artists, influences of their theories and methods. Pollockâs home; the West - where came his ideas of rituals and ceremonious disposable art.
The image that was the initial starting point of this essay is a photograph by Hans Namuth of Pollock in action at his studio, 1950. This image is a definitive landmark of Pollockâs career as this was the period that Pollock was in the attention of the media, he had developed a persona and romanticism from the publicâs perspective. The following year Hans Namuth released a film of Pollock in âactionâ. This was the start of fame, a boundary had been removed from between the public and pollock, and they could see a personal documentation of him, and so a mask began to form and Pollock the western, dominant, creative, controversial male, action painter was fabricated.
Personalisation dictated this late part of Pollockâs career. His work was one of the first to involve an unavoidable sense of self, fully recognisable to the viewer. The marks evident on the canvas let the viewer conjure up a sequence of Pollockâs movements and actions in their head. In Matthew Collings âThe Rules Of Abstractionâ, Collings interviews and visits a selection of abstract artists and analyses past work of the movements. He interviews Albert Irvin and he quotes âbrush marks are verbsâ. He is referring to the evidence of how an artist works to create more of an identity. The film, photographs, and the exposure that hans namuth created of pollock even more so encouraged the outsiders to view pollock as a character, or a persona. Pollockâs image was the start of the commercial, celebrity obsession in the 1960âs between outsiders and intangible exteriors of such like Andy warhol, Marilyn Monroe, and James dean.
This performance that Abstract Expressionists had acquired; in particular Jackson Pollock, originated from the west. Aboriginal art of the South West worked in the same way Pollock had. They worked on the floor, in the sand and directly created the piece, they would put themselves into the artwork - in the same way that Pollock did, a sacrilegious and ritualistic manner. In Pollockâs own words âTechnique is just a means of arriving at a statement.â detail and permanence of techniques was not important, to Pollock or to the western art.
The ritual involved interpreting the elders of the cults dreams, that had been passed down generations from man to boy. Ceremonies took place to present the piece that depicted the dream to the rest of the cult, before this sacred ceremony. The piece wouldnât be allowed to be seen by the women of the cult, as the males dominated. In this same way, through his method of working, Pollock received the same status.
In âThe Meeting Of Eastern And Western Artâ by Michael Sullivan it is expressed that Practising a western style of art was becoming increasingly popular in the 1950âs. After Pollock opened the door to exciting cultured art, other Western artwork was being exhibited in MOMA. Franz Kline an abstract expressionist was admired by japanese artist Morita, and was placed under the category of âabstract calligraphyâ. A critic regarded some of his work as âhappy accidentsâ referring to the similar spontaneous nature of work that Jackson Pollock possessed. He was viewed as a male who dominated the horizontal canvas in a sacred, spiritual approach.
The unconscious mind explored by the western cults, was also a fascination of Jackson Pollockâs. He was constantly attempting to illustrate his emotions and his mind. He works in this simple, activistic way, of large swoops, and drips on the canvas, to make movements as pure as possible so that they would summon his unconscious. He worked fast, and vigorously, as opposed to thinking about a finished piece, he didn't think - Â that way he could access his mind more easily. In âFreudâ by anthony storr, it is mentioned about freudâs technique of âfree associationâ which was a process of his client being able to make spontaneous associations, may it be thoughts or fantasies and to voice them as soon as they appear in their mind. Â This would be an easy and effective way to gain access to his clientâs unconscious. Noticeably this is extremely similar to Pollockâs way of working, he definitely took inspiration from Sigmund Freudâs techniques. Freud quotes that dreams are âprimitive and irrational, ignored logic syntax, and the criteria defining time and space.â (Stor p34) This definition could well be mistaken for describing one of Pollockâs paintings, Pollock knew not of time and space as his work was ever living, always unfinished, and only temporary. The realness in Pollockâs work (especially in his point of view) was in the process of creating it, as so it was to the western sand painters.
No Logic Creativity is the epitome of Pollockâs nature of work. The word âZeumbâ deriving from the indian language, means no logic creativity. This word was Offered to Kazimir Malevich in 1915 by his poet acquaintances, this was around the movement of Abstract Art, before Abstract Expressionism had emerged. Malevich was a prominent part within this movement as he was the founder of Supremacy, which is the theory of the âpure artistic feeling of work rather than the depiction of objectsâ. In supremity and spirituality within Abstract art, the main subject was to translate the intangible sources of spirituality that all of the Abstract artists of the time were experiencing.âKazimir Malevich: The Climax Of Disclosureâ by Rainer Crone, and David Moos quotes, âThe rift between transmission and reception occupies Malevichâs thought, and throughout he formulates a dialectic which revolves around the art object, as the mediating component in the relationship between the artist, and the audienceâ. Here the writer is explaining the methodological approach of malevichâs work and how he tries to communicate with the audience through minimalistic lines, shapes, and colours. The Supremacist's believed that this was their âlanguageâ to translate their spiritual experiences or feelings. In a similar light, Jackson Pollock also was using a âlanguageâ of movements and spontaneity to capture and translate his unconscious. Â
The theory of theosophy definitely took a great place in Pollockâs life whether he knew it or not. Theosophy is the theoretical perspective to âsee beyond the natural worldâ this was also a spiritually lead movement similar to Supremetism. Many artists including Lee krasner - Pollockâs wife, were trying to achieve a reflection of their own âindividual psychesâ. The theory had many significant followers, many of which had made definitive impressions on pollock. Kandinsky, Kupka, Malevich, and Mondrian all varied in abstraction and theosophy. In âTheosophy and the Emergence Of Modern Abstract Artâ by Kathleen Hall, she explains how artists who followed this theory believed they were "able to see beyond and into the natural world, as well as gaining an understanding of ancient wisdom and cosmic principles of our existenceâ spirituality in abstract art was growing, along with a parallel interest in mysticism early 1900âs. This spiritual persona is one which Jackson Pollock was also famous for possessing. He was quoted as saying things like âi am natureâ in response to challenging questions of past, un-approving professors. The quality of being spiritual was a romanticized one which was clasped onto by the outsiders, this was one of Pollockâs great trademarks. He was a renegade in the eyes of the audience.
Significantly, on the surface, through the media; Jackson Pollock was, and is still depicted as a Western - American, dominant, masculine, Primal artist, of similar regard is his work too. In the 1950âs, the high of Pollockâs career, males were as prominent as brandings, and coca cola, any social status for women was subdued. The way of Pollockâs working reflects this in itself - The new buildings of modern skyscrapers, and tall stacked shelves of brand after brand, New york was being subjugated, and revived in its old fashioned society of the male âbread winnerâ. The city was overshadowing the country, fast paced, vigorous, bold movements and lifestyles were important. It looked as though history was repeating itself, tossing aside its women, taking advantage of them laying down, pressing clothes, scanning shopping isles, horizontally bound, it was unheard of for a woman to express, or to project.
Some may say, Pollockâs work, especially the process of making was a great depiction of the issues between gender roles in the 1950âs in New York. Vertically controlling the piece, like a towering building inhabiting the sidewalks. As the newly fashioned shopping isles bombarded peopleâs way of living. And as the typical important male artist, stands vertical, opposing his female model, laying horizontal - about to become shaped into whatever he wishes, just as the piece lying on the floor, like a woman, their master was Pollock.
The rules of Abstraction, 2014. Directed by Graham strong, United Kingdom, Blakeway Productions. (Documentary)
Anfam , D A, 1990. Abstract Expressionism. 1st ed. United kingdom: Thames&Hudson Ltd.
Leja, L, 1996. Reframing abstract expressionism. 1st ed. America: Yale University Press.
ullivan, M S , 1981. The meeting of eastern and western art. 1st ed. berkeley: University of California Press.
Storr, A S, 2001. Frued. 1st ed. London: Oxford University Press.
Kazimir Malevich: The Climax of Disclosure - Rainer Crone, David Moos - Google Books. 2015. Kazimir Malevich: The Climax of Disclosure - Rainer Crone, David Moos - Google Books. [ONLINE] Available at: https://books.google.co.uk/books?hl=en&lr=&id=WYaeyK-cTPIC&oi=fnd&pg=PR7&dq=Kazimir+Malevich:+The+Climax+Of+Disclosureâ+by+Rainer+Crone,&ots=naAG0UdAQv&sig=n-VB39j2M47VrQQPz-V0e7Bo9RY#v=onepage&q=Kazimir%20Malevich%3A%20The%20Climax%20Of%20Disclosureâ%20by%20Rainer%20Crone%2C&f=false. [
Art, Theosophy, and Kandinsky. 2015. Art, Theosophy, and Kandinsky. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.theosophyforward.com/theosophy-and-the-society-in-the-public-eye/381-art-theosophy-and-kandinsky.
Theosophy and the Emergence of Modern Abstract Art - Theosophical Society in America. 2015. Theosophy and the Emergence of Modern Abstract Art - Theosophical Society in America. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.theosophical.org/publications/quest-magazine/42-publications/quest-magazine/1446-theosophy-and-the-emergence-of-modern-abstract-art.
