Abstract Art: a Breakthrough in Artistic Expression
December 15, 2009 by Portrait Painter
Filed under Abstract & Cubism
The origins of abstract art can rightly be attributed to the imagination of man. Abstract art is distinguishable from fantasy art, which makes imaginative characters and myths its subject. It is closer to reality as it reflects the real in figurative terms. In other words, abstract art depicts real forms in a simplified or rather reduced way, keeping the original subject the same.
Abstract art did not originate all of a sudden nor is it the outcome of the 20th century thinkers. In the Jewish and Islamic religion, depiction of human beings was banned. As such, they took recourse to all forms of decorative and non-figurative arts or calligraphy.
Wassily Kandinsky is regarded as the inventor of non-figurative art in the 20th century. Gradually, his paintings moved out of figurative subjects. In 1910, he created the first figurative work of art- a watercolor sans any reference to reality. Kandinsky not only became the first abstract artist, he also took pains to promote it as a theorist. After Kandinsky, it was the Russian painter, Kasimir Malewich, who took abstract art to the next level. Melewich’s paintings mostly focused on simple geometrical forms.
The landmark events in the mid-twentieth century changed the course of abstract art. The World War II, persecution of Jewish people by Hitler, and denunciation of modern art by the Nazis led to the immigration of hundreds of avant-garde European artists into the United States of America, especially New York. This created a new wave in the American art scenario prompting the birth of Abstract Expressionism.
Abstract expressionism is more a concept of performing art than a style. This movement stresses the trend of pushing the conventional boundaries beyond all limits. Some of the famous artists of this movement are Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning and Mark Rothko.
Currently, there are two primary segments of abstract art. One segment, known as Color Field Abstract Art, features unified blocks of color. Mark Rothko is one of the pioneers of this genre. The second segment includes multiple genres- Surrealism, Expressionism, Cubism, and Action painting. Regardless of all these influences, the core of abstract art paintings remains the capturing of the essence of the artist’s subconscious on canvas.
A brief history of pop art
October 12, 2009 by Portrait Painter
Filed under Abstract & Cubism
Pop art was started in the United States around the early 1960s, but everyone knew it was coming since that latter fifties. It was an art movement which aimed to replace the abstract mode of expression with ideas that were simpler to understand and thus shows in the artwork.
Robert Rauschenberg and Jasper Johns started this movement and it mainly caught on quickly in New York City. The initiators believed that abstract art was on it way out and was losing people because it was so hard to understand and not cool enough, so they then started the pop art movement to give people a new taste at what was out there. Pop art was simple and therefore used simple items, such as a vase with flowers or a flag to portray what the artist was trying to get across. They were easy to recognize items that many knew. Irony, sarcasm, and mockery were favorites to this movement. Pop art was a form of rebellion to show that even the simplest items could be the most beautiful. We need to be vibrant and not just stick with the old ways and views of older art, we need to break out of our shells and try something new.
Claes Oldenburg, James Rosenquist Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein were some of the best pop artists. They were courageous in trying new things and showing the world how far they can go with art. Pop art was a completely different way of doing art and it went to the extremes and far away from what was considered the norm. It showed the abstract artist how you can take real objects and throw them so far and do so many crazy things with them. Pop art gained the appreciation and support of many art critic groups because so many people could understand it and relate. As pop art maintained its mocking, it did not reduce the popularity of abstract expressionism.
As abstract expressionism reigned supreme still, but pop art also continued to make its presence felt. Minimalist and color-fielding came from these two movements. Minimalist art uses the simplest items and ideas. It attains immediacy through abstract form, absence of decorative detail, and emphasis on geometry. Color-field artists moved toward a more impersonal and austerely intellectual way of creating beauty. They use pure elements and areas of color. Everything is done on a monumental diagram.
Pop art and abstract expressionism had a great rivalry in the sixties. They both wanted to gain the support of the publics eye. Abstract expressionism tried to stick with the old rules while pop art wanted out with the old and in with the new. Both are fantastic kinds of art and should be appreciated in their own retrospective.
Basic Knowledge on Pop Art Paintings
August 28, 2009 by Portrait Painter
Filed under Abstract & Cubism
Pop art was an art movement that initially occurred in the United States of America in the early sixties. The epicenter of this art phenomenon was New York, the city confirming its trend setting leader position. Although this movement strongly erupted in the early sixties, the attempts of change started during the late fifties in the work of Robert Rauschenberg and Jasper Johns. These painters wanted to replace the abstract mode of artistic expression, aiming at making the art’s message easier to be understood by the public. The first pop art paintings contained easy to recognize images of common items. The purpose of incorporating these objects was to mock the gravity, the metaphysical dullness of abstract expressionism that had started to become out of fashion. Jasper Johns and Robert Rauschenberg introduced amusing objects into the first pop art paintings: flags, maps and targets or stuffed animals and rubber tyres for the latter artist. The pop art movement become famously known for their main feature: mockery and irony.
Claes Oldenburg, James Rosenquist Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein were the most representative artists for this new art stream. Their pop art paintings were characterized by their original display of popular culture’s symbols: advertisements, media images or even comic strips. These new, colorful, lively pop art paintings were strikingly opposing the gravity, the spirituality of abstract expressionism. Consequently, these kinds of pop art paintings become very popular among the art loving public and among the art critics community. But the abstract expressionism continued to be highly appreciated, despite the pop art paintings’ mockery.
Although the pop art movement was popular and influential it proved to lack the strength of completely supplant the abstract expressionism, but it determined the birth of two new schools of abstraction: color-field painting and minimalist art. The color-field painting movement (mainly represented by painter Helen Frankenthaler) minimized the influence of abstract expressionism’s old features into a style completely committed to the use of pure color.
The American art of the sixties remained in the art history books as a period of constant rivalries between different competing styles and ideas. Yet, the pop art paintings represented best the ideas and the symbols of the American lifestyle in the sixties.
Modern Art Vs. Contemporary Art
August 6, 2009 by Portrait Painter
Filed under Abstract & Cubism
The success of a piece of art depends on how deftly it connects with the audience. If an artwork successfully communicates its message, it is considered to be a masterpiece. Some of the most artistic works of art began flowering in the 19th century till 1970. The flowering of modern art thus began in this era consequently leading the artists to move away from the traditional practices and emphasize more on portrayal of emotion on canvas. Post 1970, modern art preferred being called contemporary art. This includes any art that has been created after 1970 till the present age.
Modern art is not synonymous to contemporary art. The former encompasses only those works that have been created in the first half of the 20th century. Cubism, Futurism, Constructivism- they all form a part of modern art. Contemporary art, on the other hand, signifies those works done at the present time or in the very recent past. The best thing about today’s art is that it is bound by no rigid tradition and has the liberty to experiment with various styles.
Ever since the two world wars took place, there has been a surge of art movements- Abstract Expressionism, Pop Art, Post-modernism, Minimalism, and Feminist Art. The number of art movements has grown in numbers in recent times. It’s now common to come across avant-garde movements surfacing with new names every year. The one movement that created quite an uproar in recent times was that of Abstract Expressionism. The followers of this movement believed that art was created just to convey their own feelings and had no relation with the external world.
However, there is a section of people who does not consider modern art as art in the true sense of the term. Many people consider landscape and nature portrayals as the true art form. When modern and contemporary artists create something that challenges their imagination, they question the idea of their being an art.
As a matter of fact, abstract art needs proper understanding and intellect to decode its hidden meaning. Understanding the concept of the artist and appreciating the work on that basis lays the foundation for a successful modern art representation.
Abstract Canvas Art – Thoughts to Ponder
July 10, 2009 by Portrait Painter
Filed under Abstract & Cubism
By Bryon zirker
Abstract canvas art Paintings were becoming increasingly abstract during the centuries when abstraction made its final break through into the 20th century. Today in the contemporary art circles, artists are free to choose between a wealth of interesting new media, the feeling that abstract canvas art still harbours tremendous potential to translate the contemporary experience of life into a visual language that is universal.
Abstract canvas art is art that is not found to be an accurate representation of a form or object. This type of expression can be rendered in many different ways which can include the shape, color, and form. The artist will take the object and then either simplify it or exaggerate it based on his skills and experience. There are many different abstract styles. But in all there are three forms of these styles that really stand out. They are, Cubism, Neoclassicism, and Abstract Expressionism.
It is a curiously fascinating aspect of contemporary abstract art today that it can be a powerful means to reach all the hidden layers of non-objective experience shaping ones inner life. Many artists are finding that non-representational abstract art on canvas is very well suited to exploring and expressing emotions and the inner life.
Abstract art or abstraction. The creative Imagery that departs from representational accuracy to a variable range of many possible degrees Suprematism is as a Russian abstract art movement that is characterized by the use of just a small number of colors and a few fundamental geometric shapes used by abstract artists. Suprematism focuses on pure form and possible spiritual qualities it contains.
Irrespective of the chosen themes that are carefully painted in mixed media for the desired effects of simplicity and clarity of abstraction, the impact and directness of a physical and emotional events, are what we aspire toward. This is abstract canvas art.
Tate Modern: An Emblem of Modern & Contemporary Art
April 18, 2009 by Portrait Painter
Filed under Abstract & Cubism
The Tate Modern of the Tate Collection is the national gallery of international modern art. One of the Tate Galleries that is situated all over the country, the Tate Modern is located in the heart of London in what used to be the Bankside Power Station. Other Tate Collections include Tate Britain, Tate Liverpool, Tate St. Ives and Tate Online.
Established in the year 2000, Tate Modern offers wondrous views of the River Thames. Furthermore, it has also been the focal point of Londoners and tourists who wish to partake in the art and culture of Great Britain. The Tate Modern focuses it attention to the nuances of modern art, which include the likes of international and contemporary pieces of work that are dated back to early 19th century.
The galleries of Tate Modern are divided into temporary exhibitions and collections, which are also known as the Tate Collections. The temporary exhibitions that are housed on levels 1, 2, and 4 offers insight into many of Britain’s artistes. The Turbine Hall exhibitions on the first level are sponsored by Unilever and include specially commissioned works of art, by the likes of Anish Kapoor, Louise Bourgeois and Doris Salcedo. The 2nd Level Gallery houses many works of cutting-edge contemporary art whereas Level 4 houses major temporary exhibitions.
The Tate Collections, which are housed on level 3 and 5 includes the works of art pertaining to different groups, namely; Material Gestures, Signs and Textures, Poetry and Dream, Idea and Object, and States of Flux. The Material Gestures Collection holds works of art with traits of abstraction, expressionism, and abstract expressionism by artists such as Claude Monet, Anish Kapoor, and Barnett Newman, where as the States of Flux Collection focuses on Cubism, Futurism, Vorticism and Pop Art and showcases artwork by the likes of the great Pablo Picasso, Roy Lichtenstein and Andy Warhol.
With much to capture and discover, the Tate Modern offers visitors to tap into their imagination and indulge in art that is vibrant diverse and powerful. Make sure to visit this wonders of modern art while staying at one of the London hotels. Being one of the London luxury hotels, the Langham Hotel London offers guests impeccable services that dabble into lavish accommodation and warm hospitality.