Studio Brief 2 / Theory Into Practice / Looking at Other Abstract Expressionists

A selection of abstract expressionist artists and their most appropriate and re-createable works for this project.

Pollock, J, Number 1, 1950 (Lavender Mist)

Pollock has the big name which would help push the project to the public consciousness but his work - consisting of paint splatters - will be incredibly difficult to recreate.

Hans Hoffman, Cathedral Gimp, 1959

"the ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak".

Like Rothko's, Hoffman's work lends itself perfectly to this project. The largely geometric blocks of colour would be easy to recreate in illustrator and the work is full of self proclaimed concept which is precisely what i am trying to target.

Barnett Newman, Voice of Fire, 1967

"What is the explanation of the seemingly insane drive of man to be painter and poet if it is not an act of defiance against man's fall and an assertion that he return to the Garden of Eden? For the artists are the first men."

'The purchase of Voice of Fire by the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa for its permanent collection in 1989 at a cost of $1.8 million caused a storm of controversy. Some residents mocked the purchase with striped T-shirts and ties that mimicked the painting.'

This is perfect for the project, simple, effective, and it has already raised questions about value and stirred the public into outcry.

Ad Reinhart - Various

'Abstract Painting contains three distinct shades of black, which become visible only after prolonged looking. Reinhardt was intensely sensitive to such subtle variations. He explained, “There is a black which is old and a black which is fresh. Lustrous black and dull black, black in sunlight and black in shadow.” When Reinhardt’s black paintings were first exhibited at MoMA, in 1963, their reductive imagery and stark palette shocked visitors, prompting at least one Museum membership cancellation in protest.' MOMA

Brice Marden

'In 1964, Brice Marden developed a technique of mixing melted beeswax with oil paint in order to reduce the shine of the paint and to increase the tactility of the painted surface. Marden brushed on the mixture and then smoothed it with a spatula and a knife, building up layers to create a dense surface that both absorbs and reflects light. First drawing on a subtle palette of gray and muted tones, and later on stronger richer colors and multi-panel combinations, he established his artistic reputation with this technique. He likened his triptych beeswax paintings, includingRed, Yellow, Blue Painting, to musical chords.' MOCA

Yves Klein IKB 79

'International Klein Blue (or IKB as it is known in art circles) was developed by Yves Klein as part of his search for colors which best represented the concepts he wished to convey as an artist. IKB was developed by Klein and chemists at the French pharmaceutical company Rhône Poulenc to have the same color brightness and intensity as dry pigments, which it achieves by suspending dry pigment inpolyvinyl acetate, a synthetic resin otherwise marketed in France at the time by Rhône Poulenc as Rhodopas M or M60A.

In May 1960, Klein deposited a Soleau envelope, registering his paint formulation under the name International Klein Blue (IKB) at the Institut national de la propriété industrielle. The patent was published in April 1961.

In March 1960, Klein patented a method by which he was able to distance himself from the physical creation of his paintings by remotely directing models covered in the color.'