franz kline, lee krasner, arshile gorky

FRANZ KLINE, LEE KRASNER, ARSHILE GORKY

Minor Ab Ex artists or just over-shadowed/ over-looked?

ARSHILE GORKY Immediately prefigured the A.E movement. His work is seen as a bridge between European

abstraction and the Art of America. Surrealist painter with Expressionist tendencies? Leaders of the N.Y School have acknowledged his

considerable influence.

Night Time, Enigma, and Nostalgia (1923).

Garden in Sochi (1941)

Waterfall (1943)

What changes can you start to see in these two works stylistically? Consider the process and use of formal elements such as line, form, composition, etc.

Water of the Flowery Mill (1944)

Keep this painting in mind for the colourfield painters we’ll look at later. But, again, describe how can you see a sense of action/gesture in Gorky’s art work. What similarities can you see to the work of de Kooning?

FRANZ KLINE

• Met De Kooning in 1943 and the two became friends.

• Kline was of the second generation of A.E. artists, but was friends with them. Associated himself with the ‘Beat Generation’, friends with Jack Kerouac.

• Around 1948 Kline enlarged one of his drawings with a projector (lent to him by de Kooning), and, realising the potential of these black strokes of paint, changed his style of painting from figurative to abstract.

• In the 1950’s he began to paint solely in black and white and gained artistic recognition for these works which reveal the painter’s gestures as he created the artwork.

Chief (1950) Oil on canvas, 148 x 186 cm.

Look at this characteristically Kline work. Note down how Kline uses the following: • line, • colour, • space, • composition.

In what ways is this similar/different to de Kooning and Pollock?

New York (1953)Oil on canvas200.6 x 129.5 cm

Where do you think Kline is drawing inspiration for this work? Though it may seem obvious, in what ways does the work seem to have an organised sense of structure to it? Do you think that Kline has a freer sense of form that what you have seen before? Why/why not?

C and O (1958) 77 x

110 inches , Oil on canvas

In what ways does Kline’s work show sense on evolution? Is the use of colour important to this work? (Back up your ideas with what you have seen in either Pollock or de Kooning).

FRANZ KLINE

Like Pollock and De Kooning his work reflects a rapid and vigorous execution.

Practiced spontaneity

Associations with:

Japanese ArtOriental calligraphy

Bold directional marks have a strong architectural sense.

Inspiration:

Railroads and rocky landscape of his native Pennsylvania.

Urban landscape of New York

Makes adjustments and modifications in order to achieve the perfect balance.

Black vs. White Depth vs. flatness Vitality vs. restraint

Essential conflict of Kline’s work:

Lee Krasner (1908-1984)

In 1940 she began showing with the Ab Ex artists.

Worked on the WPA Federal Art Project from 1935 to 1943.

Took classes with Hans Hofmann (influential artist for A.E.), who taught the principles of cubism, and his influence helped to direct Krasner's work toward neo-cubist abstraction. When commenting on her work, Hofmann stated, "This is so good you would not know it was painted by a woman."

Jackson Pollock and Lee Krasner, ca. 1946.  Photograph by Ronald Stein.

Gothic Landscape  (1961)

“I go on the assumption that the serious artist is a highly sensitive, intellectual, and an aware human being, and when he or she ‘pours it on’ it isn’t just a lot of gushy, dirty emotion. It is a total of their experiences which have to do with being a painter and an aware human being.” – Lee Krasner

What does Krasner mean by this? How is this evident in the body of work that you have seen amongst the Ab Ex artists?

NOON (1947) 60X78CM

In what ways do these works have a similar quality to some of Pollock’s work? Which work in particular does it remind you of? What makes you think so? In what ways is it different?

Continuum. 1947- 49. 53 X 42 inches.

BLACK, WHITE AND PINK COLLAGE (1949)