Similarities Between Jackson Pollock And Wassily Kandinsky

In Abstract Expressionism - a certain construction of the world we call “individuality” is revealed in its true, that is to say, contingent, vulgarity. And so is painting; or rather, so are paintings like Hofmann’s “The Garden” and Adolph Gottlieb’s “Black, Blue Red” - done as they were under the sign or spell of such a construction, by “individuals” believing utterly (innocently, idiotically) in its power.

In Wassily Kandinsky's excerpt from Concerning the Spiritual in Art, he argues that art is supposed to make one’s soul resonate through the discovery of the unknown and color. Kandinsky claims that at first art is only understood by one person, usually the original artist, and it then slowly expands to more and more people as they look at the art. This allows them to discover something the previously did not know or understand. He then claims that color affects the viewer in two distinct ways: physically and psychologically. Using these two claims, he supports his argument that art allows the soul to feel in ways that are not possible otherwise.

Jackson Pollock was a legendary, novel, abstract expressionist who has created numerous paintings through his drip-style, action painting technique (Goodnough, 2012). Theosophical influence arose from Phillip Guston and Thomas Hart Benton, while in the early stages of the artist’s life. Muralists, such as Jose Clemente Orozco and Diego Rivera were also admired and studied by Pollock. He was captivated by the unorthodox techniques of David Alfaro Siqueiros which contributed to the abstract style of Jackson Pollock (Solomon, 1987).

Abstract Expressionism began in the 1940s and the 1950s in New York after World War II from the ideas of Surrealism about art that looks to examining the unconscious mind, and the feelings people hold that makes us all humans. Through the discussion of Autumn Rhythm (Number 30) by Jackson Pollock, I will define Abstract Expression and why this work is part of this movement. Then, through the discussion of Canyon by Robert Rauschenberg, Target with Plaster Casts by Jasper Johns, and Marilyn Diptych by Andy Warhol, I will explain Assemblage and Pop Art and why each of these works belong to those movements.

In the words of Henry David Thoreau, “This world is but a canvas to our imagination”. This statement speaks to all of mankind, in that, art can be traced back to thousands of years ago. For centuries people have put their whole lives into creating art, hoping that they would pass on their views while still creating something different, interesting, and unique. Generating from these ideas was as artist named Ivan Albright. Though his pieces appeared to depict a world of decay and corruption, Albright showed his love for art through his morbid emotional intensity. In this paper I will discuss the history of the artist, compare and contrast the subject matter and technique of two of his paintings, as acknowledge his approach to color, texture, balance, and space.

Identified as one of the great American artists of the 20th century, Robert Rauschenberg was a profound individual with a curious mind for disruption. Known for his radical experiments, ranging materials and mediums, and efforts to explore the boundaries of what constitutes art, Rauschenberg was an artist interested in not just the outcome, but the process. His “Combines” in the early 1950s established his “Neo Dadaist” label as his works incorporated found objects and photographs, breaking down the barrier of sculpture and painting. His interest in avant-garde art and provoking methods caused a lot of stir during his lifetime. However, Rauschenberg diverged and literally erased critics precedent, and continued to pave the way for numerous movements and artist to come; changing the art market forever.

Wassily Kandinsky was a Russian-born artist, whose contributions to the world of modern art are innumerable. On an artistic level, Kandinsky's maturation process from representational art to abstract art is fascinating. From his earliest work, with an impressionistic flair, to his later work, which was pure abstraction, Kandinsky was an innovator and a genius. He bridged the gap between reality painting of earlier decades and the fantasy pastime of the twentieth century.

Taking following extreme cases of abstraction, when speaking of Pollock’s work such as his ”Autumn Rhythm” (1950), we realize how the visual formed is fully based on science and gravity that permits the dripping and pouring of the paint on the horizontal canvas. But, by walking around/on the canvas we can argue Greenberg’s analysis and suppose that the painter possibly connects with it, he gets drowned in the act and merges inside the painting while mechanically pouring paint on the canvas. This means that even though the painter tries to focus on the flatness of the painting rather than the content and is physically detached from the canvas, this focus cannot erase an emotional

In Excerpt from Concerning the Spiritual in Art, Kandinsky goes over what he believes are important qualities a work of art should have along with critiquing the art at the time. Kandinsky begins the manifesto by stating “Every work of art is the child of its time,often it is the mother of our emotions,” which is a rather powerful statement; to clarify Kandinsky believes that all art should be a product of its current time. It is important to keep in mind the very rigid restrictions placed on artwork during the early 20th century a vast majority of art schools would encourage alumni to aim to be replicate the Renaissance artists which proceeded them. In replicating renaissance artists lies the very problem as artists are not attempting to paint what they feel in that very moment in time but rather replicate without every feeling or knowing the emotions that led to creating these masterpieces as Kandinsky states “it is impossible for . . . our feelings, to be like those of the ancient . . . to apply Greek principles, e.g., to sculpture, can only produce forms similar to those employed by the Greeks, a work that remains soulless for all time”. In a way it is almost as if entire chunks of style and

Abstract Expressionism is making its comeback within the art world. Coined as an artist movement in the 1940’s and 1950’s, at the New York School, American Abstract Expressionist began to express many ideas relevant to humanity and the world around human civilization. However, the subject matters, contributing to artists, were not meant to represent the ever-changing world around them. Rather, how the world around them affected the artist themselves. The works swayed by such worldly influences, become an important article within the artists’ pieces. Subjectively, looking inward to express the artist psyche, artists within the Abstract Expressionism movement became a part of their paintings. Making the paintings more of a representation

I first encountered Rothko's work at the Tate Modern gallery in London in 2008. When first examining his works, including other famous paintings such as Mural for End Wall' it struck me as a simplistic style, yet with its luminous rectangles and saturated colour, a sense of mystery was conveyed in a modern era. Moreover, on cream idilic walls, 'Light red over black' automatically illuminated from the walls in deep dark red, blues and blacks which led me to interpret his work as profoundly imbued with an emotional content that he articulated through a range of styles that had evolved from figurative to abstract. Furthermore, when examining this painting up close, the application of what seemed to be very thing layers of paint over each other, allowed the colours to radiate through, creating a sense of drama and light, despite the colours

Russian Avant-Garde was born at the start of the 20th century out of intellectual and cultural turmoil. Through the analysis of artworks by Aleksandr Rodchenko and El Lissitzky this essay attempts to explore the freedom experienced by artists after the Russian Revolution in 1917. This avant-garde movement was among the boldest and most advanced in Europe. It signified for many artists an end to the past academic conventions as they began to experiment with the notions of space, following the basic elements of colour, shape and line. They strove for a utopian existence for all benefited by and inspired through the art they created. They worked with, for and alongside the politics of the time. The equality for all that they sought would

The “point and line to plane” (Kandinsky 1979:6) is the painting element, such as the letters that make up the word, different combinations will have different effects. As Kandinsky (1979:12) has demonstrated, that point, line and plane is the basic building material of the artwork itself, and that in every different art the elements of art are certainly different. However, it is necessary to first distinguish the basic elements from the other elements, no artwork does not have these artistic elements. Therefore, the common feature between Wassily Kandinsky’s paintings and Guan Zhong Wu’s paintings are point, line

Surrealism is not the only movement that influences expressive arts therapy. Other movements have made important contributions to both the philosophical foundations of art in psychology and the development of expressive arts therapy as a formal discipline. Wassaly Kadinsky, a German abstract expressionist, explored color, shape, and form as an expression of spirituality. He developed theories regarding the nature of art and the role of the artist as a “prophet”. His theories are based on inner experiences and art as the soul of nature and humanity. Joseph Beuys explored the role of artist as shaman. In his performance art, like How to Explain Pictures to a Dead Hare, he chose materials and actions for their symbolic value and manipulated them to affect the viewer. Spontaneous creativity is the focus of the beat generation. Writers, like Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac, worked

It is when the artist begins to add nuances and harmonies to the melody that the work becomes inaccessible to the unlearned ear, thus isolating a portion of the audience. When works of art are created to express the universality of humankind they are more beneficial to it. As an example, this view is dissimilar to the view if Dante, who believed that the language of a work should be elevated. Tolstoy argues the more details that are given in the work the more opportunities for disconnection from its message the audience has (391).