Impressionism and Caillebotte

            An artistic period that interested me in particular throughout this course was that of Impressionism. Other than realism, it was one of the first avant-garde movements in history to stray from and challenge the traditional aspects of art by the Academy’s standards. I also like how the invention of the camera invited Impressionist artists to challenge the notion of photography as well, with their “extreme realism” that captures a moment in time. The visual aesthetics of Impressionist paintings appeal to me as well. I am very much a fan of the thick application of paint and the loose brushstrokes that give it a quickened look. The sketchy style used makes the pieces somewhat ambiguous, leaving room for viewers to interpret the paintings as they please. Also, since most scenes in Impressionist paintings are painted outdoors, allowing artists to experiment with light and color, these paintings invoke feelings of peacefulness and warmth when I observe them. This is especially true with depictions like Claude Monet’s Impression: Sunrise that he painted in 1872.
            This painting embodies everything that I enjoy about Impressionism: It is very colorful, yet the colors all blend well together; it has a sort of spontaneity to it, leaving it slightly vague and hazy, as well as giving it the look that it was painted in a speedy fashion; and it is a depiction of a beautiful outdoor setting. The quick manner in which it was painted adds an energy and movement to the piece that I don’t even see in most traditional academy paintings. For these reasons it gives me the reaction that I feel. There is something freeing about the Impressionist style of painting. It might have to do with the “plen air,” rebellion against academic traditions, or the undefined compositions, but whatever it is, it captured my attention and took my interest.

            Another point of interest to me was the works of Gustave Caillebotte. Although his paintings are more akin to Realism than Impressionism, they convey emotion exhibit tension stronger than most paintings I’ve seen. Much of the influence of isolation and depression in his works is most likely from the loss of his father, brother, and mother within four years. I like his creative use of barriers and windows acting as a sort of cage or confinement, reinforcing his themes of despair. Another way he achieves this is by experimenting with scenes of men in domestic areas. He also suggests the effects of modernity in his paintings.

            Caillebotte’s first version of his painting, Floorscrapers, finished in 1875, takes an interesting perspective. It is a scene of three men at work scraping the floor of what is said to be a room of Caillebotte’s home. They face toward the viewer, yet none of their faces can be seen as their scraping recedes upward and into the painting. This tilted perspective and receding motion separates the viewer from the painting in a way, tying in once again with his theme of isolation. There also seems to be an interest in anatomy, and in return, modernity. I enjoy his paintings for the strong emotional reactions and the weight they seem to carry.

Jack the Dripper

 

Jackson Pollock was a primary in Abstract Expressionism who revolutionized all contemporary art that followed him with his radical approach to painting. Pollock redefined what it is to produce art. He realized that the process of creating a work of art was just as important as the work of art itself. With the crisis and aftermath of war, artists were troubled with the dark side of man. Anxiously aware of human irrationality and vulnerability, they sought to express their concerns by means of a new art with significance and substance. The Surrealists brought about unlimited possibilities with an emphasis on tapping the unconscious. This birthed the method of psychic automatism, where involuntary gesture and improvisation take over, freeing the artist of their conscious mind. This is exactly what Pollock did. He would employ a canvas in an untraditional way by laying it on the floor rather than an easel, leaving it raw instead of primed and stretched, and rarely attacking it with a brush. The paintings with which he utilized this method are mostly what Pollock is known for—his distinct drip paintings. From 1947 to 1950 is the period his most famous drip paintings came into existence, gaining him much recognition. Laying his canvas on the floor allowed Pollock to view and strike from all angles. He took an interest in using industrial materials, such as synthetic resin-based paints called Alkyd enamels and house paints, applying it with hardened brushes, sticks, and sometimes even basting syringes. Another detail to mention is the fact that he used extremely large canvases. This gave them an enormity and powerful presence, making it impossible to ignore his works on display. In the process of creating this style, he moved away from figurative representation and challenged traditional Western techniques, even moving away from the use of just hand and wrist in exchange for occupying his entire body with motion in what some might describe as dance-like gestures. In an edition of Time Magazine from 1956, Pollock was mockingly labeled “Jack the Dripper” for his unique style. With his perfected dripping technique that he would be permanently identified with, he was able to reach a more instantaneous means of creating art, the liquid paint literally dripping off his chosen tool directly onto the canvas.

            One of the earliest and most important pieces of modern American painting, let alone Pollock’s collection, is his painting Mural. This canvas is bursting with physical energy that was unlike anything else seen in 1943. For this painting, Pollock summoned the multitudinous stylistic practices and theoretical methodologies to which he had been exposed. Although it was not performed in the drip-painting manner, it was revered for the immediacy in which he brought together and synthesized these elements, containing references to personal, cultural, social, political, and art world happenings. With all of these available influences at his disposal, Pollock was able to take what he wanted from them and combine and transform them into his own unique contemporary method. Whereas he was thought to have no structure for his process, in 2009 it was discovered that his name is discernible in black lettering under the other layers of paint in this work. It is still being studied, with the letters being unorthodox, ambiguous, and largely hidden, but it could hardly be an arbitrary coincidence to find only those letters in that specific sequence. There have been no assertions of this before and his name is not traceable in any other works of his, but there is no evidence supporting the notion either. Although, Pollock often loathed talking about his art and rarely kept written records, is it possible that he arranged the entire painting around his name as a framework? Renowned art critic Clement Greenberg, who was a principal follower of Pollock, took one look at the painting and realized "Jackson was the greatest painter this country has produced" (Adams).

References:
 

Adams, Henry. “Decoding Jackson Pollock.” Smithsonian. http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/Decoding-Jackson-Pollock.html#.

“Collections: Jackson Pollock.” University of Iowa Museum of Art. http://uima.uiowa.edu/jackson-pollock.

“Contemporary Art and Design.” Resources/Teaching Materials. http://66.195.106.23/teacherpackets/teachingpackets/tp/contemp/Artwork/ConCath.htm.

Paul, Stella. “Abstract Expressionism.” The Metropolitan Museum of Art. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/abex/hd_abex.htm.

“The Religious Affiliation of Celebrated American Painter: Jackson Pollock.” Adherents. http://www.adherents.com/people/pp/Jackson_Pollock.html.