Abstract Art Movements research

Expanding my field of research into abstract art movements I think will really benefit my understanding of my essay topic, as well as provide different opinions and points of view to debate. I read a book spanning the history of abstract art from impressionism to abstract expressionism - here are some key quotes and images. 

‘Abstraction exists along a continuum’

Impressionism 

‘different way of seeing’ - characterised by 'visible brush strokes' 'emphasis on the accurate depiction of light' 'ordinary subject matter' 'painting en plein air' 

'Impressionism became a precursor seminal to various movements in painting which would follow, including Neo-Impressionism, Post-Impressionism, Fauvism and Cubism’ 

‘The rise of the impressionist movement can be seen in part as a reaction by artists to the newly established medium of photography’, ‘the taking of fixed or still images challenged painters by providing a new medium with which to capture reality’ 

Post-Impressionism 

'Mont Sainte-Victoire', Cézanne 1902

‘post impressionists extended impressionism while rejecting its limitations', they were 'more inclined to emphasize geometic forms, to distort form for expressive effect and to use unnatural or arbitrary colour’

Seurat, Cézanne & Van Gogh

Cézanne's work can be seen as the roots of the cubist movement - 'his interest in the simplification of natural forms into cylinders, spheres and cones’, 'reduction of painted objects into component planes and geometric solids’

Fauvism

'Les troits de Collioure', Matisse 1905

‘raw language of color’ 

Cubism 

'Les Demoiselles d'avignon', Picasso 1907

‘objects are broked up, analysed, and re-assembled in an abstracted form – instead of depicting objects from one viewpoint, the artist depicts the subject from a multitude of viewpoints to represent the subject in a greater context’

It was inspired by ‘primitivism, Iberian sculpture, African art and African tribal masks’.

Abstract Expressionism 

'Convergence', Jackson Pollock 1952

‘portrayal of psychological states of being’

‘can transcend ‘every-day’ experience, reaching a spiritual plane’ 

‘working towards as ‘objectless state’'

'pollock realised that the journey toward making a work of art was as important as the work of art itself’

Gagnon, L (2012). An introduction to abstract art and history. Delhi: The English Press.