Art Appreciation: From New York with Love - American Abstract Painting

Why did Abstract Expressionist painting dominate modern art from the Second World War? How did New York steal the limelight from Paris, becoming the centre of modern art from the 1940s? What were the social, political and cultural influences on this new painting style?

From the early 1940s, dynamic new forms of abstract painting developed in America. On this course, we examine the contextual and historical conditions that evolved in and around New York that liberated artistic experimentation with colour, form and scale, resulting in some of the most famous artworks of the mid- century. Art works include Jackson Pollock's expansive 'drip' paintings; Lee Krasner’s gestural paintings; Cy Twombly's bold classical-inspired paintings; and the ‘colourfield’ paintings of Mark Rothko and Barnett Newman. We explore the work of many of the women artists who were integral to Abstract Expressionism and who historically, have been overlooked: including Joan Mitchell and Grace Hartigan. Through lively discussions and activities, we will question what drew artists to abandon figurative painting for abstraction? How did these radical new artistic forms express the sensibilities of a postwar generation and the rapidly germinating Cold War era?

Other artists featured include Willem de Kooning, Jasper Johns and Agnes Martin.