1. Abstract Expressionism DeKooning and Pollock

2. William DeKooning Painted woman series after making a painting based on a cigarette ad.  The Woman series is based on the pin-up girl from advertising of the 50’s.  The Women also draws from ancient art like the cave paintings of Lascaux and the Venus of Villendorf sculpture.

3. "Venus of Villendorf" 10.000-15.000 b.c.

4. Woman I, 1952 Her threatening stare and ferocious grin are heightened by aggressive brushwork and frantic paint application. Combining voluptuousness and menace, Woman, I reflects the age–old cultural ambivalence between reverence for and fear of the power of the feminine.

6. Detail Woman I  The works are painted with large, slashing brushstrokes which are deliberately crude, frantic, and violent.

7. Woman II 1952  As with Woman I the figure comes in and out of focus.  The emphasis is on the act of painting; it becomes part of the subject.

9. Marilyn Monroe 1954 He later added sex symbol Marilyn Monroe to his woman series. This is an early example of the use of popular imagery as a subject in painting. Subjects like this would later be used by Pop artists like Andy Warhol.

12. Jackson Pollock

13. She-Wolf1943 Early images surrealistic – automatic painting where intentions and images are linked to subconscious mind Based on Greco-Roman mythology – Romulus & Remus founders of Rome nursed by she wolf Influenced by sand painting of mid-west native Americans

15. Action Painting – The painting is a record of the process of the pictures creation, reflecting the whole of the artist’s physical and mental being.

16. Full Fathom Five 1947 The work is loosely based on a Shakespeare line from the Tempest. Oil Paint, nails, combs, cigarette butts, buttons, keys, matches, etc. Fathom - Find the cause or measure of depth 6’ Paintings unpremeditated Van Gogh without imagery, Picasso without space

18. Pollock The paintings act as a visual metaphor – matter (the paint mark) is energy. The paint surface contains a sense of constant struggle. Paintings often appear unfinished due the loose technique. The works are equally spontaneous and deliberate. The process (method used to create the work) is as important as the finished product. The viewer is meant to be aware of the process; it is important to imagine the artist in the act of creation. Paintings are done on a heroic scale.

19.  Pollock’s paintings are experimental. He was interested in developing new techniques (dripping, splattering, etc.) as well as forms.

20.  In Pollock’s most famous works the process involved laying the canvas on the floor and walking on and/or in the work while painting it.

21. Autumn Rhythm1950 Chance and spontaneity are a part of the process. 5’tall x 15’long He called this type of painting overall painting. The marks are evidence of the thoughts and feelings of maker. He does to traditional painting what jazz did to 4/4 rhythm. While painting he performed pictorial dance. He himself in the space of the painting - artist is subject matter.

24. Mark Rothko

25. Colour Field Painting Rothko’s style contains soft edges and blended colours. Hazy edges on the colour areas create the effect of foreground shapes floating on a background. The expressive qualities are subtle and serene, not violent like De Kooning and Pollock. This is art stripped to its purest form with maximized visual impact & minimized imagery. The subject of the painting changes according to the viewer’s experience. In other words, the meaning is subjective.

26. Colour Field Painting– The paintings contained two elements 1) Colour – Meant to have emotional impact on the viewer. 2) Field – Large surface area meant to envelop the viewer.

27. Magenta, Black, and Green on Orange1949

28. Earth and Green1955