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Abstract Expressionism and Frank O'Hara's Writing

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Abstract Expressionism and Frank O’Hara’s Writing

While researching everything about American cotemporary poet Frank O’Hara, it became very apparent that art was a driving force in both his personal life and his professional writing career. This can be proved by merely trying to find information about him in the literature section in a library. Only his collected poems can be found, but much more information about Frank O’Hara can be found in the art section. Many art books dedicate entire sections to celebrating O’Hara’s poetry as complementary to the art of the abstract expressionist movement that was occurring in New York at the same time that O’Hara was writing his poetry. Even general art books that merely explain the …show more content…

Defining their artistic vision is difficult because they were acting out at the very idea of defining artistic ideas. David Anfam, author of Abstract Expressionism, explains that the movement was groundbreaking and resulted in a drastic change in the attitude toward both the past and future of art. The movement ensued with astonishing speed and meticulousness, and Anfam further describes the movement as “at once striking yet inwardly complex” (7-8). The movement found its way into the New York art scene after World War II, and it continued for approximately fifteen years. The painters of the movement were survivors of the Great Depression, World War II, Holocaust, and age of nuclear weapons. This sparked a sense of anxiety and urgency in their painting, a feeling Americans identified with.
There was also a sense of renewal and rebirth at the end of the war era. The artists were searching for a way to step away from the conventional subjects and styles, neither of which they felt were able to convey their new vision. They drew inspiration from all directions and valued individuality. Abstract expressionists sought to express their subconscious through their art. The process of expressing their vision was also very important to the painters. How they painted the piece of art was just as important as the work itself. All were influenced by Existentialist ideas, which emphasized

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