I entered the Abstract Expressionism exhibit rolling my eyes. Over the years my appreciation for and patience with the kind of art that was now before me – paint splatters, abstract aggression smeared on pretentious half-formed shapes – had slowly dwindled. I recognize that art has taken a turn from a focus on technique and precision towards the beauty of the concept and message. But Pollock simply frustrated me. His artwork is original and recognizable, but I could not understand the appeal of his work. It was all the same to me. After I went on a guided tour of the exhibit with Ms. Agnes Berecz, however, my attitude towards this kind of art had very much changed.
Ms. Berecz began the tour with a discussion of the significance of the Abstract Expressionist movement in American history, since it was the first home-grown American art movement. She took us on a crash course through the exhibit and the history of Abstract Expressionism. Our first stop was Hans Hoffman. We discussed Hoffman’s manipulation of space in his paintings, and how the cool colors recede while the red jumps out at the viewer. After briefly discussing Robert Motherwell, we came to a very large piece by Arshile Gorky called Summation. Color’s role was pointed out; subtle dabs of color on an otherwise beige-and-black background directed our vision to different parts of the drawing, avoiding a single focal point. This was a recurring theme in the exhibit, and what fascinated me most about the art displayed. The same was seen in Jackson Pollock’s paintings, and Joan Mitchell’s Ladybug. These are works of art that are meant to pull you into a surreal world of beauty and color, stimulating our thoughts with colors and forms. At the same time, these works challenged conventional methods in art, some through magnitude, others by manipulating direction and orientation.
After hearing about the philosophy behind some of these pieces, I was filled with a newly found respect for the artists. I still question their effectiveness as works of art. Art, in my mind, should stand on its own. These works need explanation, a background story, history to be fully understood. But the philosophy in these works is definitely intriguing, and I look forward to further exploring this colorful corner of the art world.
