ABSTRACTIONISM

PRE-WWI • THROUGH THE 1920s • POST-WWI

The Origins of Abstractionism

Influenced by: Impressionism: Making the present

permanent/ insignificant events or subjects are made important

Post-Impressionism: use of planes overlapping/shifting color to indicate form and shape

Fauvism: use of color from exactly what the eye sees and abstract shapes and subjects

Cubism: explorations of geometric simplifications and reduced series of overlapped planes

POST-IMPRESSIONIST INFLUENCES

Orchard at Pontoise- Cezanne 1877

The Orchard-Cezanne 1882

Vision After the Sermon- Gauguin 1888

MOVING TOWARD ABSTRACTIONISM

The Café Terrace on the Place du Forum Arles, at Night- Van Gogh

1888

Winter Landscape- Kandinsky 1909

CUBISM INFLUENCES

Two Figures- Popova 1913Composition VII- Kandinsky 1913

OTHER INFLUENCES

Influenced by discoveries in other areas: Chemistry and physics Philosophy Psychology Poetry Music

What is abstractionism?

Abstractionism is “a kind of representational art in which the representational meanings of the work are

minimized by the artist.” –Brettell

“The abstract artist receives his inspiration not from any piece of nature you please, but from the nature as

a whole, from its most multifarious manifestations; which accumulated in him and used to the work of art.”

–Kandinsky

GEOMETRIC ABSTRACTION

composition No. 11- Mondrian 1913

COMPOSITION NO. 10- MONDRIAN 1915

Oval Composition- Mondrian 1914

FORMATION OF “ABSTRACT”

Widened stream of cubism/ non-figurative geometric abstraction. Intellectual Structural Architectonic Geometrical Dependent upon logic and calculation

GEOMETRIC ABSTRACTION

NON-GEOMETRIC ABSTRACTION

In the grey- Kandinsky 1919

Gauguin and Fauvism flowing into non-geometric abstraction. Institutional Emotional Organic/biomorphic Curvilinear Decorative Romantic (as opposed to classical) Focuses on mystical

FORMATION OF “ABSTRACT”

Non-Geometric PAINTINGS

Composition VIII-Kandinsky 1923

KANDINSKY

His focus in abstract paintings: Spiritual desire Devotion to inner beauty Color and form Expressive methods for his emotional perceptions

Non-representational

The Sluice- Kandinsky 1901

Untitled (first abstract watercolor)- Kandinsky 1910

Improvisation 30 (CANNON)- Kandinsky 1913

Composition IX- Kandinsky 1936

Composition X -Kandinsky 1939

COMPARISON PRE/POST WAR

Soft pressure- Kandinsky 1931

Romantic landscape- Kandinsky 1911

Black Square on a White Ground- Malevich 1915

Composition in black, white, and red painting NO. 9 – Mondrian 1939-42

MONDRIAN

His focus in abstract paintings: Irregular movement of verticals and

horizontals Discover an underlying structure of the

world Mathematically elemental Removing clutter/revealing clearest form Natural forces defining shape and

purpose

TREES BY THE GEIN AT MOONRISE - MONDRIAN 1908

Sea at sunset- Mondrian 1909

Apple tree in flower- Mondrian 1912

Composition with red, yellow, blue and black –Mondrian 1921

Lozenge – Mondrian 1921

Self Portrait – Mondrian 1900/1918

Oriental Poppies- O’Keeffe 1928

O’ KEEFFE

Her focus in abstract paintings: Abstract, 2D style removed from

imitation of nature Use of simple, clear forms- bring out

the essential meaning/context Emphasized balance and harmony Applied paint in dense, invisible

strokes Descriptive of single colors

The Specials – O’Keeffe

Red Mesa – O’Keeffe 1917

Music, Pink and Blue No. 2 –O’Keeffe 1918

Plums- O'Keeffe 1920

Shelton With Sunspots- O’Keeffe 1926

Two Calla Lilies on Pink – O’Keeffe 1928

White Iris – O’Keeffe 1930

From the Far Away Nearby- O’Keeffe 1938

Rams skull, white hollyhock and little hills- O'Keeffe 1935

MOVING TOWARD SURREALISM

ABSTRACT INTO THE MODERN WORLD

FURNITURE

fashion

architecture