Abstract Expressionism

Abstract Expressionism

Isaacs

September 15, 2012

Abstract Expressionism

After World War II there have been many revolutions in many different forms such as culture, ideals and art. The emerging art style from this period became known as abstraction expressionism. During the war a lot of artists specifically in Germany could not express themselves and were limited on their ideals of what was considered art. After World War II however artist began expressing themselves in many different ways and many were unconventional for the time. They use emotion to express their art instead of just representational artwork. Their appearance was abstract, but perhaps could convey many emotions that a general representational piece could not do. Abstract Expressionism was a movement that influenced and effected many different mediums such as sculptures by David Smith to Ibram Lassaw. It had also influenced photographers such as Aaron Siskind. Abstract Expressionism was similar to Dadaism in where it took all the defined subjects of what art was and had done the opposite. Abstract Expressionism was one of the first American based visual arts to gain international appeal and influence. Three influential Abstract artist of the time period were Mark Rothko, Helen Frankenthaler and Paul Jackson Pollock. Each of these artist help contribute to abstract expressionism and help define what it is we have come to known the art form as it is today.

One of the influential abstract expressionistic artists was Mark Rothko. Mark Rothko was born in Russia and immigrated to the United States during the time in which a lot of other Jewish people were moving to America to escape the oppression that was emerging within Germany and parts of Russia. Mark Rothko attended school and eventually college in where he attended Yale, but soon after his scholarship funds had run out and he began to take medial jobs to pay for college. However soon after due to numerous reasons he decided to quit...