Modernism: the Aesthetics of Abstract Expressionism
MODERNISM:
The Aesthetics of Abstract Expressionism
Project Prepared for
Donald McIntyre
Professor, DeVry University
Project Prepared by
Colleen Mitchell
Student, DeVry University
June 7, 2009 Modernism is one of the cultural movements which took place in the nineteenth to the twentieth century. This movement was sure to draw attention to the artists’ work of art mainly because of the complexity of the artist’s creativity and breaking away from the more traditional works. Abstract Expressionism was a modernist movement that took this contemporary art to the next level by a great teacher by the name of Hans Hofmann. Hofmann created very colorful abstract paintings that contained geometric shapes. While not necessarily a leader of this movement he was a wonderful teacher and was an artist that greatly benefited this era. As a modernist theorist, an ecstatic piece of art would be a painting called "The Gate". This is a perfect example of the expressionism shown through creativity and shapes with colorful expressionism. In the 1950’s Hofmann moved to the United States and taught art to students and help move these innovative creations international (Wikipedia® The Free Encyclopedia). Modernism was first called avant-garde. Two major impacts in this movement were impressionism and symbolism. Impressionism mainly focused on light as the emphasis because it was believed people did not see object but rather light itself. Symbolism was used ideally for capturing reality and complexity in paintings. Those movements lead artists into a new inspiration and thinking of another form of art. Outside the norm of painting of people and landscapes, the realization came that people actually saw more than light in art. World War I led to even a new thinking for artists and to what we call the modernism movement. This modern art was simply unified by geometric shapes and abstract expressions by artists becoming established in 1930 (Wikipedia® The Free
The Aesthetics of Abstract Expressionism
Project Prepared for
Donald McIntyre
Professor, DeVry University
Project Prepared by
Colleen Mitchell
Student, DeVry University
June 7, 2009 Modernism is one of the cultural movements which took place in the nineteenth to the twentieth century. This movement was sure to draw attention to the artists’ work of art mainly because of the complexity of the artist’s creativity and breaking away from the more traditional works. Abstract Expressionism was a modernist movement that took this contemporary art to the next level by a great teacher by the name of Hans Hofmann. Hofmann created very colorful abstract paintings that contained geometric shapes. While not necessarily a leader of this movement he was a wonderful teacher and was an artist that greatly benefited this era. As a modernist theorist, an ecstatic piece of art would be a painting called "The Gate". This is a perfect example of the expressionism shown through creativity and shapes with colorful expressionism. In the 1950’s Hofmann moved to the United States and taught art to students and help move these innovative creations international (Wikipedia® The Free Encyclopedia). Modernism was first called avant-garde. Two major impacts in this movement were impressionism and symbolism. Impressionism mainly focused on light as the emphasis because it was believed people did not see object but rather light itself. Symbolism was used ideally for capturing reality and complexity in paintings. Those movements lead artists into a new inspiration and thinking of another form of art. Outside the norm of painting of people and landscapes, the realization came that people actually saw more than light in art. World War I led to even a new thinking for artists and to what we call the modernism movement. This modern art was simply unified by geometric shapes and abstract expressions by artists becoming established in 1930 (Wikipedia® The Free
References: Carasso, R. (2006, January 8). HANS HOFMANN. Retrieved May 10, 2009, from http://artscenecal.com/ArticlesFile/Archive/Articles2005/Articles1205/HHofmanA. html Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia. (2009). United States Culture: Visual Arts: Abstract Expression. Retrieved May 11, 2009, from http://ca.encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_1741500820_4/United_States_Cultureh tml#p102 Moffat, C. (2008, January). Abstract Expressionism. Retrieved May 10, 2009, from http://www.arthistoryarchive.com/arthistory/abstractexpressionism/ Wikipedia® The Free Encyclopedia (2009, May 9). Modernism. Retrieved May 10, 2009, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modernism#In_the_1960s_after_abstract_expressioni sm