Research Point: Abstract Expressionists

Tachism/Action painting

Abstract Expressionists seem to be broadly divided into two groups; The Action Painters, including Jackson Pollock, William De Kooning and Franz Kline. Their painting are full of drama and colour, with the paint applied in an almost frenzied way on the canvas.

The other group, Mark Rothko, Barnett Newman and Clyfford Still are termed Colour Field Painters and are characterised by a more subtle approach and use of colour.

Pollock probably being the most famous of the action painters (and probably my least favourite of the group) His drip paintings earned him both criticism and fame and it is not hard to understand why. I appreciate that his technique was  bold and freeing for the time, and after experimenting with the drip technique during the course of this  module in my opinion it certainly has its merits – but for me, it is more about freeing the artist than having an emotional effect on the viewer. In fact I get more annoyed at looking at Pollocks work than anything else.  I find myself muttering ‘ This is art? I know there has to be some merit in there somewhere but it has completely escaped me.

BAL41916 Eyes in the Heat (Sounds in the Grass Series) 1946 (oil on canvas) by Pollock, Jackson (1912-56); 137.2×109.2 cm; Peggy Guggenheim Foundation, Venice, Italy; American, n copyright 

http://www.bridgemanimages.com/en-US/asset/41916/pollock-jackson-1912-56/eyes-in-the-heat-sounds-in-the-grass-series-1946-oil-on-canvas?

LEM1265847; © Leemage; FRENCH RIGHTS NOT AVAILABLE; out of copyright

 

http://www.bridgemanimages.com/en-US/asset/1265847/pollock-jackson-1912-56/composition-no-16-1948-oil-on-canvas?

Rothko, on the other hand, as I have mentioned in other areas of this blog, I feel conveys beautiful quiet emotion with his soft glazes of colour. Rothko said his paintings were about ” the basic human emotions, tradegy, ecstacy and doom”

JGG116321 Untitled, 1959 (oil on canvas) by Rothko, Mark (1903-70); 144.7×139.7 cm; Private Collection; James Goodman Gallery, New York, USA; American, in copyright
PLEASE NOTE: This image is protected by the artist’s copyright which needs to be cleared by you. If you require assistance in clearing permission we will be pleased to help you.

http://www.bridgemanimages.com/en-US/asset/116321/rothko-mark-1903-70/untitled-1959-oil-on-canvas?

Research Point: Range of painting styles

‘ Look at a range of painting and particular to the way the paint has been applied’

 

This exercise recommended looking at the paintings of impressionist and expressionist painters, and 20th century pastel painters to understand how differing techniques are used by the artists.

These painting techniques most prominent in these art movements are the direct thick application of paint, the use of bold colours and (in expressionism) the lack of necessity of the colours used to be an exact representation of the colour in nature.

Monet’s water lilies have been painted with thick layers of paint, and have a foot in representational and abstract rendering of the subject. It is typical of impressionists techniques; using thick paint and short, broken brush strokes to convey shimmering reflections in water.

Claude Monet, one of the most famous of all impressionistshttp://www.bridgemanimages.com/en-GB/asset/70302/monet-claude-1840-1926/waterlilies-green-reflections-1914-18-left-section-oil-on-canvas-see-also-56001-56004?

XIR70302 Waterlilies: Green Reflections, 1914-18 (left section) (oil on canvas) (see also 56001 & 56004) by Monet, Claude (1840-1926); 197×847 cm; Musee de l’Orangerie, Paris, France; Giraudon; French, out of copyright

Van Gogh uses thick paint and areas of flat colour and bold outlines. One of his most famous paintings, The Starry Night is a good example of how Van Gogh’s painting style – the way he physically puts paint on the canvas- adds to the mood and atmosphere of the painting, with out needing to be a realistic representation.

 

TOP285769 The Starry Night, June 1889 (oil on canvas) (detail of 216295) by Gogh, Vincent van (1853-90); 73.7×92.1 cm; Museum of Modern Art, New York, USA; Dutch, out of copyright

http://www.bridgemanimages.com/en-US/asset/285769/gogh-vincent-van-1853-90/the-starry-night-june-1889-oil-on-canvas-detail-of-216295?

 

 

Figures in interiors from different periods

Choose two or three that appeal to you – one should be from the 20th or 21st century and consider what the artists intentions are and the technical and creative solutions they’ve brought to the subject

 

Arrangement in grey and black number 1 1871

 

“Art should be independent of all clap-trap—should…appeal to the artistic sense of eye or ear, without confounding this with emotions entirely foreign to it…Take the picture of my mother…as an Arrangement in Grey and Black. Now that is what it is…what can or ought the public care about the identity of the portrait?”
—J. M. Whistler, from The Gentle Art of Making Enemies, 1890

 

Probably the most famous of Whistler’s paintings I think the painting of Whistler’s Mother is interesting because of the symbolic nature of lack of any interior distractions. It is almost an exercise in anti portraiture.The starkness of the room and the muted greys are supposed to almost merely be an exercise in arrangement in colour – but depicting his mother in this way seems to bring out opposite effect and accentuate the piousness of the sitter’s nature. Indeed- Whistler’s mother became a symbol of Victorian motherhood according to the Victorian standards of her day: she was pious, submissive, and her life centered on domestic issues. If he had painted her surrounded by flowers and opulent surroundings I think the interpretation of the sitter would have been entirely different.

“Whistlers Mother high res” by James Abbott McNeill Whistler – Musée d’Orsay. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons – http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Whistlers_Mother_high_res.jpg#mediaviewer/File:Whistlers_Mother_high_res.jpg

 

 

Adele Bloch-Bauer’s Portrait painted in 1907 has an almost unrecognisable interior with Adele sitting on an ornate chair, covered in precious metals, is Klimt’s expression of decadence, entwined with symbolic meaning -particularly meaningful as Klimt was (supposedly) having an affair with Adele at the time. It is in stark contrast with the previous example and the style and background of the painting creating completely different connotations of the sitter.

 

“Gustav Klimt 046” by Gustav Klimt – 1. The Yorck Project: 10.000 Meisterwerke der Malerei. DVD-ROM, 2002. ISBN 3936122202. Distributed by DIRECTMEDIA Publishing GmbH.2. Neue Galerie New York. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons – http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gustav_Klimt_046.jpg#mediaviewer/File:Gustav_Klimt_046.jpg

Portraits with distinctive mood or atmosphere

 

      

 

 

http://art1eproject.wikifoundry.com/page/Jenny+SavilleJenny Saville (born 7 May 1970)

I have chosen Jenny Saville as I have always loved her work from the early days of the YBAs and particuarily for her style of traditional figurative oil painting

 

Jenny Saville’s portraits of herself in an exaggerated grotesque manner seek to magnify the unease and almost disgust of her own figure.The awkward poses and composition aren’t just unflattering, they aim to confront the viewer with their own prejudices of how the female body should look. Saville work I think, is most interesting because she could have just painted a larger model, but choosing ‘larger than life’ interpretations of her own body makes the viewer question why Saville has depicted herself in that way, and in turn societies view of the female form as a whole.

Aside from the meaning, I love the way Saville paints the fleshy tones and uses highlights to accentuate the skin tones.

        

 

Bacon started painting interpretations of Velazquez’s portrait of Pope Innocent X in 1951, and returned to the same subject again and again, creating 5o paintings of the same subject over 14 years. (Apparently never once seeing the original painting, despite living in Rome for 3 months.) Quite markedly different in tone form the original  painting, where Velazquez  Pope excludes self righteousness  and power, a man renowned for his iron grip – Bacon’s interpretation is almost the exact opposite – Bacon delves into the Pope’s private thoughts and rage and somewhat terrifying psychosis. I particularly like this painting and the way the transparency of paint and dry brushstrokes seem to echo the rage of the sitter. I can’t think of a more powerful painting that instantly conveys the angst and terror of the subject.

“Retrato del Papa Inocencio X. Roma, by Diego Velázquez” by Diego Velázquez – http://picasaweb.google.com/EnrikeCdC/VelazquezObraCompleta#5297131513290212530. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons – http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Retrato_del_Papa_Inocencio_X._Roma,_by_Diego_Vel%C3%A1zquez.jpg#mediaviewer/File:Retrato_del_Papa_Inocencio_X._Roma,_by_Diego_Vel%C3%A1zquez.jpg

“Study after Velazquez’s Portrait of Pope Innocent X”. Licensed under Fair use via Wikipedia – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Study_after_Velazquez%27s_Portrait_of_Pope_Innocent_X.jpg#mediaviewer/File:Study_after_Velazquez%27s_Portrait_of_Pope_Innocent_X.jpg

 

Artist’s Self Portraits

‘Do some research into artist’s self portraits. Choose five or six that appeal to you’

The first artist that always comes to mind regarding figurative work is Lucien Freud.

http://www.wikiart.org/en/lucian-freud/self-portrait-1940#supersized-artistPaintings-232050

http://www.wikiart.org/en/gustave-courbet

http://www.wikiart.org/en/edvard-munch

http://www.wikiart.org/en/kuzma-petrov-vodkin/self-portrait-1921

The Golden Ratio

Research the golden mean (the golden ratio) and its application to artistic composition. Also look at the rule of thirds.

The golden ratio is a formula used by artists to produce a painting that is aesthetically pleasing due to a mathematical formula, or grid to dictate structure of the painting. The ratio is also found in nature ( as in the nautilus shell) and architecture, design and even music. The Greeks first studied the golden ratio because  it frequently occures in geometry, using it as early as 490AD in the Parthenon statues.

Th mathematical formula is 1 to 1.618 or more precisely  1:1.6180339887,   the Greek letter φ (phi). (which is fairly meaningless to me) – however, shown in graph form is regarded to give pleasing and harmonious proportions, and is surprisingly slightly asymmetrical. It is essentially a large rectangle with a smaller square and another rectangle – but the sequence is repeated infinitely and perfectly within each section. The most interesting points in a painting are often shown within the smaller sections and follow the lines of the grid, dividing up the painting to distinct areas.

Mondrian used the golden mean extensively in his grid like paintings.

 

 

 

 

Piet Mondrian Composition II in Red Blue and Yellow

 

Dali – The Sacrament of the Last Supper – lowres

 

References

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_ratio#mediaviewer/File:Whirling_squares.svg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_ratio#mediaviewer/File:FakeRealLogSpiral.svg

http://www.dali-gallery.com/images/works/1955_01.jpg

Expressive Landscape

For Project Expressive Landscape

Research the eerie, dream like landscapes painted by the surrealists; Dali, Ernst, Chirco, war artists such as Paul nash and Graham Sutherland, and landscapes by the German Expressionists like Nolde and the Symbolist movement, Klimt, Moreau, Bakst and Kahlo.

I think an over exposure to the work of Dali has not helped me in the appreciation of the surrealist movement. Most famous for his soft clocks painting,’ The Persistence of Memory’ and  his DADA school of thought, Dali’s landscapes and painting style do leave me cold. The surrealist movement’s aims were ”a meditation on the collapse of our notions of a fixed cosmic order”[1] In other words, completely removed from a realist point of view, or indeed one that may make normal sense to the viewer. The landscapes themselves were inspired by his local Spanish Catalonian views, in a much more simplified view.

Dali The_Persistence_of_Memory 1931

 

A fellow surrealist painting by Max Ernst, takes the notion of a foxed cosmic order to the extreme, his cityscape ‘The entire city’ a dark painting symbolizing ( rather then representational) the political mood of the time, and the rise of the Nazi movement.

 

The Entire City 1934 Max Ernst 1891-1976

Paul Nash (11 May 1889 – 11 July 1946) An English Surrealist and war painter has as style that I feel more empathy with, I think the painting that comes to most people mind when thinking of Nash his stark, brutal depiction of the battlefield in ‘The Menin Road’ 1919, and later during the second world war the battle of Britain. Nash’s landscapes convey the horror and futility of conflict.

Paul Nash The_Menin_Road_(1919)

 

Paul Nash Battle_of_Britain_(1941)

 

German Expressionists

Emil Nolde ( German, 1867–1956) on the other hand vivid use of colour was banned by the Nazi party,  having his work removed from public museums during their reign in Germany. Again, I find his work quite beautiful, and I love his expressive use of colour.

Emil Nolde colored-sky-above-the-marais 1940

 

Quite far removed from the previous expressive landscapes, Symbolism in art is more concerned with the gothic romanticism, dreams, and idealism, Klimt  was concerned with the cycle of life, visited many times in his beautiful and intricate landscapes.

Klimt – Bauerngarten mit Sonnenblumen – ca1907

 

 

“The Persistence of Memory”. Via Wikipedia – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:The_Persistence_of_Memory.jpg#mediaviewer/File:The_Persistence_of_Memory.jpg

1. Ades, Dawn. Dalí. Thames and Hudson, 1982.

http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/ernst-the-entire-city-n05289

“The Menin Road (1919) (Art. IWM ART 2242)” by Paul Nash – http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/20087. Licensed under Public domain via Wikimedia Commons – http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Menin_Road_(1919)_(Art._IWM_ART_2242).jpg#mediaviewer/File:The_Menin_Road_(1919)_(Art._IWM_ART_2242).jpg

“Battle of Britain (1941) (Art.IWM ART LD 1550)” by Paul Nash – http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/20102. Licensed under Public domain via Wikimedia Commons – http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Battle_of_Britain_(1941)_(Art.IWM_ART_LD_1550).jpg#mediaviewer/File:Battle_of_Britain_(1941)_(Art.IWM_ART_LD_1550).jpg

http://www.wikiart.org/en/emil-nolde/colored-sky-above-the-marais

“Klimt – Bauerngarten mit Sonnenblumen – ca1907” by Gustav Klimt – repro from artbook. Licensed under Public domain via Wikimedia Commons – http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Klimt_-_Bauerngarten_mit_Sonnenblumen_-_ca1907.jpeg#mediaviewer/File:Klimt_-_Bauerngarten_mit_Sonnenblumen_-_ca1907.jpeg

Linear and Aerial perspective

‘Make sure you are clear about the distinction between linear and aerials perspective’

 

The simplest way of differentiating between the two perspectives can be summed up by:

Linear perspective using lines and organisation of shapes – Canaletto’s paintings of Venice and London using lines of perspective to show distance, and Hopper’s leading lines into the painting to show how the viewpoint recedes.

Canaletto_-_The_Grand_Canal_and_the_Church_of_the_Salute

 

Northumberland_House_by_Canaletto_(1752)

Hopper first row orchestra

 

 

Aerial perspective uses tones and colours to give a sense of depth, a prime example being the majority of Turner’s paintings – using tones and layers to create a sense of depth, and the same with the Impressionist movement, an example being Monet’s haystacks at Giverny

 

-Joseph_Mallord_William_Turner_-_Raby_Castle,_the_Seat_of_the_Earl_of_Darlington_-_Walters

Monet haystacks at Giverny

 

“Northumberland House by Canaletto (1752)” by Original uploader was Oliver Chettle at en.wikipedia – Transferred from en.wikipedia; transferred to Commons by User:Oxyman using CommonsHelper.. Licensed under Public domain via Wikimedia Commons – http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Northumberland_House_by_Canaletto_(1752).JPG#mediaviewer/File:Northumberland_House_by_Canaletto_(1752).JPG

“Canaletto – The Grand Canal and the Church of the Salute” by Canaletto – [1]. Licensed under Public domain via Wikimedia Commons – http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Canaletto_-_The_Grand_Canal_and_the_Church_of_the_Salute.jpg#mediaviewer/File:Canaletto_-_The_Grand_Canal_and_the_Church_of_the_Salute.jpg

 

http://www.wikiart.org/en/edward-hopper/first-row-orchestra

“Joseph Mallord William Turner – Raby Castle, the Seat of the Earl of Darlington – Walters 3741” by J. M. W. Turner – Walters Art Museum: Home page  Info about artwork. Licensed under Public domain via Wikimedia Commons – http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Joseph_Mallord_William_Turner_-_Raby_Castle,_the_Seat_of_the_Earl_of_Darlington_-_Walters_3741.jpg#mediaviewer/File:Joseph_Mallord_William_Turner_-_Raby_Castle,_the_Seat_of_the_Earl_of_Darlington_-_Walters_3741.jpg

http://www.wikiart.org/en/claude-monet/haystacks-at-giverny

Evolution of landscape painting

Evolution of landscape painting from the eighteenth century to the present day.

This seems quite a vast subject to research. I have picked notable art movements and painters, and worked on a timeline until the present day, noting how the genre has changed and evolved through English water-colourists, Neo Impressionists,  Impressionists, Post Impressionists, Scandinavian art, German Expressionism, Edward Hooper, Hyper-realists such as John Salt,  then David Hockney, and finally contemporary landscape artists I admire.

British Water-colourists 1850-1900

The British watercolourist are accredited with bringing landscape painting to the forefront of painting society from 1850-1900. Before this time, landscape painting was seen as a background to the main focus of the painting, namely portrait, animal or religious scenes.

The English watercolourists were originally in two camps; artists such as Paul Sandsby who had previously worked as a military draftsman and had the view that landscape art should be portrayed realistically -accurate and topographical, like recording the details on a map. In the other school of thought were artists such as Alexander cozens and John Sell Cotman who preferred more romantic poetic and imaginative approaches, and this was reflected in their work.

Paul Sandsby 1731 – 1809

Hailed as the Father of English watercolour painting, Paul Sandsby enjoyed success during his lifetime, and through his involvement with the Royal academy of which he was one of the founding members), raised the status of landscape (and watercolour) painting. He capitalised on the fashion for rich landowners showing scenery of plentiful landscapes. Estate portraiture provided Sandsby with his main source of income, as landowners were keen to show themselves as productive and plentiful as an indicator of their success on the social ladder.

 

 

Harlech Castle by Paul Sandby 1776″

Thomas Girtin 1775-1805

Considered an equal of Constable and Turner in his own field, Tomas Girtin was known for his innovative watercolour landscapes,and he played a central role in establishing the medium as a major art from. Girtin’s early works were in the 18th-century topographical style, but he later developed a bolder technique, which was more reflective of mood and space. Girtin was a friend of JMW Turner.

Girtin died at just 27 from TB. It is interesting of his influence and style at the time, that Turner is said to have remarked ‘ if Tom Girtin had lived, I should have starved.’

Thomas Girtin The York Project

Picturesque/Romantic Landscape style

Alexander Cozens 1717-1786

A leading water colourist of the 18th century, and one of the first important British painters to focus exclusively on landscapes. He had a more subjective, romantic and imaginary viewpoint.

Cozens devised a technique called blot painting that he developed from one of Leonardo Do Vinci’s ideas. He used randomly placed blots on the drawing paper to fire his imagination, then developed them into imaginary landscapes. He worked almost exclusively in monochrome washes. He used contrasting areas of light and dark to suggest drama and perspective.

 

Vale near Matlock

 

Impressionist Movement approx 1863-1866

Impressionists set out to paint the effects of light, by using visible brushstrokes of pure colour. At some stage, all of the impressionist painters experimented with the practice of plein- air (outdoor) painting, completing usually quite small paintings on the spot.This enabled them to capture the more realistic and fleeting sensations of light and weather conditions.

Monet is probably most famous for his landscapes of his garden at Giverney and his waterlilies paintings, which he painted over and over again over several years, showing the time of days and how different seasons affected the light.

Claude Monet – Les arceaux de roses, Giverny (Les arceaux fleuris)

Neo /Post Impressionism

Neo/PostIimpressionism were both directly influenced by impressionism and a rejection of its conformed painting style. Neo-Impressionism is characterised by the paintings of George Seurat and his use of dots and pure colour, while the central figures of Post-Impressionism were Van Gogh, Gaughan, and Cezanne.
Neo -impressionism was a term coined by an art critic referring to a group of paintings based on Seurats’s scientific principles of colour and form.As he saw it, pointillism was a technique that pushed impressionism a stage further in its direction of art and colour. Seurat’s Sunday afternoon on the Island of La grande Jette was the painting that launched Neo-Impressionism, but his work Alfalfa, St. Denis 1885 perfectly demonstrates his pointillism technique in a landscape painting.

Alfalfa, St. Denis 1885

 

The Nabis art movement

Nabis, a late 19th century group of artists painted in ways to reflect their own personal metaphors and symbols. They maintained that a work of art reflects an artist’s synthesis of nature into personal aesthetic metaphors and symbols.

Talisman, 1888 Oil on wood

Scandinavian Art

In the latter part of the 19th century, Scandinavian artists had shifted to a French inspired model of art , establishing a Nordic style of plein air art, in which nature was linked with states of mind and imagination.
Regarded as Finlands mist celebrated painter, and a driving force behind the creation of a Finnish style, Gallen-Kallela was an important figure in the Art Nouveau and symbolist movements. He studied in Paris and travelled widely, but was increasingly inspired by the haunting Finnish landscape, which he used as a vehicle to explore issues of Finnish Nationality.

akseli_gallen-kallela_-_lake_keitele_1905

German Expressionism

Erich Heckel 1883-1970

Heckel’s main themes were landscapes and men and women bathing. He painted in thick primary colours squeezed straight from the tube. Heckel did not employ conventional perspective, and this shows most clearly in his landscapes. He brought a drama to his work by using colour and representation in an extreme way.

‘Weisses_Haus_in_Dangast’,_oil_painting_by_Erich_Heckel,_1908

Erich Heckel – Lake near Moritzburg (1909)

Realism

Edward Hopper 1882-1967

Edward Hopper’s atmospheric portrayals of East Coast scenes made him one of the best known American realist painters of the 20th century. Hopper painted in an introspective melancholic style; that evolved from his earlier almost Impressionistic work. During the 19030s, Hopper depicted urban scenes with bright lights and intense shadows peopled with solitary figures, the most famous of all being Nighthawks.

Nighthawks_by_Edward_Hopper_1942

Hyper Realism

John Salt  -1937
Is an English artist from the Midlands, whose incredibly detailed urban paintings from the late 1960s onwards made him one of the pioneers of the photorealist art movement.
Salt mainly concentrates on suburban or the semi-rural American landscape of lone roads, abandoned cars and buildings.
Birmingham’s art gallery recently exhibited the biggest collection of hyper-realistic artworks in the past 30 years. Seeing the paintings up close, I felt mixed emotions on the merit of copying photographs with seemingly no artistic interpretation of the view in question. Does this make the painting any better than the original photograph?

Catskill Cadillac (1999)

 

David Hockney 1937

David Hockney said about his recent series of large landscape paintings: “I want to show people the world. I think we see things from pictures…otherwise people don’t see things much. They don’t look hard at the world. Well, I do.”

I missed Hockney’s exhibition at the RA, but I was fortunate enough to see his painting of  A Closer Winter Tunnel in the flesh at Sydney’s art gallery in 2010. Rather incongruously hung above an escalator between floors.

Hockney has been lauded greatly for his most recent large scale paintings of the English landscape that he has recorded in great detail, noting every plant and tree that he paints in his finished pieces. I can’t say I am a fan of his landscape work – but he has made a point of painting very accurate scenes using a characteristically  interesting colour palette.

 

A Closer Winter Tunnel, February – March, 2006

 

 

Contemporary artists

Robert Perry Artist

 

Synthetic Chemicals Factory
by Robert Perry 1989

 

Gregory Thielker

Route 7 Gregory Thielker

 

“Harlech Castle by Paul Sandby 1776” by Stephencdickson – Own work. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons – http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Harlech_Castle_by_Paul_Sandby_1776.JPG#mediaviewer/File:Harlech_Castle_by_Paul_Sandby_1776.JPG

“Thomas Girtin 003” by Thomas Girtin – The Yorck Project: 10.000 Meisterwerke der Malerei. DVD-ROM, 2002. ISBN 3936122202. Distributed by DIRECTMEDIA Publishing GmbH.. Licensed under Public domain via Wikimedia Commons – http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Thomas_Girtin_003.jpg#mediaviewer/File:Thomas_Girtin_003.jpg

“Vale Near Matlock Alexander Cozens” by Alexander Cozens – http://www.paperblog.fr/2629642/les-aquarellistes-anglais-du-siecle-d-or-1750-1850-deuxieme-partie-john-cotman-alexander-cozens-john-robert-cozens-john/. Licensed under Public domain via Wikimedia Commons – http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Vale_Near_Matlock_Alexander_Cozens.jpg#mediaviewer/File:Vale_Near_Matlock_Alexander_Cozens.jpg

“Claude Monet – Les arceaux de roses, Giverny (Les arceaux fleuris)” by Claude Monet – http://www.invertirenarte.es/: Gallery, Pic. Licensed under Public domain via Wikimedia Commons – http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Claude_Monet_-_Les_arceaux_de_roses,_Giverny_(Les_arceaux_fleuris).jpg#mediaviewer/File:Claude_Monet_-_Les_arceaux_de_roses,_Giverny_(Les_arceaux_fleuris).jpg

http://www.wikiart.org/en/georges-seurat/alfalfa-st-denis-1886

“Serusier – the talisman” by Paul Sérusier – Musée d’Orsay, Paris, France.. Licensed under Public domain via Wikimedia Commons – http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Serusier_-_the_talisman.JPG#mediaviewer/File:Serusier_-_the_talisman.JPG

http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/akseli-gallen-kallela-lake-keitele

“‘Weisses Haus in Dangast’, oil painting by Erich Heckel, 1908”. Via Wikipedia – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:%27Weisses_Haus_in_Dangast%27,_oil_painting_by_Erich_Heckel,_1908.jpg#mediaviewer/File:%27Weisses_Haus_in_Dangast%27,_oil_painting_by_Erich_Heckel,_1908.jpg

https://www.museumwales.ac.uk/art/online/?action=show_item&item=734(Hekel lake near Wales)

“Nighthawks by Edward Hopper 1942” by Edward Hopper – email. Licensed under Public domain via Wikimedia Commons – http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nighthawks_by_Edward_Hopper_1942.jpg#mediaviewer/File:Nighthawks_by_Edward_Hopper_1942.jpg

“JohnSalt CatskillCadillac” by http://www.artnet.com/magazine/FEATURES/laplaca/laplaca3-11-9.asp. Licensed under Fair use of copyrighted material in the context of John Salt via Wikipedia – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:JohnSalt_CatskillCadillac.jpg#mediaviewer/File:JohnSalt_CatskillCadillac.jpg

http://hockney.guggenheim-bilbao.es/en/works/a-closer-winter-tunnel-february-march/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/yourpaintings/paintings/synthetic-chemicals-factory-19474

http://www.amusingplanet.com/2010/10/amazing-rainy-day-paintings-by-gregory.html

The Op Artists

OP art is a genre that I had not researched much in the past, or indeed enjoyed looking at that much. I remember during my A level in art researching  juxtaposing pointillism and doing exercises in painting in the style of Georges Seurat,

Probably one of the most known examples being “A Sunday on La Grande Jatte” by Georges Seurat in 1884.Seurat used optical mixin, whereby small specks of pure colour laid side by side merge together when viewed from a distance. By combining colours the trick of the eye is to create a third colour that does not exist on the canvas.

A Sunday on La Grande Jatte” by Georges Seurat 1884

Op art interacts with the viewer in a similar way by creating optical illusions. OP art artists have different approaches to their illusions, but all aim to create a new dimension to their work that does not, in fact exist.

Victor Vasarely

Victor Vasarely Hungary pecs – vasarely0

 

Victor Vasarely was one of the ‘fathers’ of Op art. He used a variety of materials with limited forms and colors, throughout  his career. . Vasarely went on to develop his’ kinetic’ images, which were superimposed on panes of glass creating different viewpoints and moving impressions.

Bridget Riley

Riley,_Movement_in_Squares

 

 

INSERT MY PHOTO HERE

Living in Birmingham, I am fortunate to be able to see a Bridget Riley in Birmingham’s art gallery  – ‘Cherry Autumn’ 1983 A very large painting inspired by  autumn leaves of a cherry tree against the backdrop of a blue sky.

 

Known as the mother of Pop art, Bridget Riley further developed Victor Vasarely’s style, known for her black and white pieces, which  play on geometric forms. These works produce the sensation of movement and color.

Richard Anuszkiewicz

Richard Anuszkiewicz was one of the founders of the Op art movement. Anuszkiewicz’s style  was to use of complementary colours, which pronounced the geometry of his pieces. Anuszkiewicz’ played with the effects of opposing colors on one geometric form. An example is “Deep Magenta Square,” which contrasts a bold magenta square against a background of  radiating lines.

Richard Anuszkiewicz Deep-Magenta-Square,-1978″

 

References

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Op_art

“Hungary pecs – vasarely0”. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons – http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hungary_pecs_-_vasarely0.jpg#mediaviewer/File:Hungary_pecs_-_vasarely0.jpg

.”A Sunday on La Grande Jatte, Georges Seurat, 1884″ by Georges Seurat – Art Institute of Chicago. Licensed under Public domain via Wikimedia Commons – http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:A_Sunday_on_La_Grande_Jatte,_Georges_Seurat,_1884.jpg#mediaviewer/File:A_Sunday_on_La_Grande_Jatte,_Georges_Seurat,_1884.jpg

“Riley, Movement in Squares”. Via Wikipedia – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Riley,_Movement_in_Squares.jpg#mediaviewer/File:Riley,_Movement_in_Squares.jpg

“Deep-Magenta-Square,-1978”. Via Wikipedia – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Deep-Magenta-Square,-1978.jpg#mediaviewer/File:Deep-Magenta-Square,-1978.jpg

“Hungary pecs – vasarely0”. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons – http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hungary_pecs_-_vasarely0.jpg#mediaviewer/File:Hungary_pecs_-_vasarely0.jpg