Kevin Wang
Response to Abstract Expressionism
In my trip to the Moma and their abstract expressionism exhibition on Saturday, November 13, 2010, I’ve learned a lot about the histories of abstract art from our art curator, Debra Goldberg. She told us about why abstract expressionism began in the 1940’s, because of artists who were angry at how society has destroyed itself in numerous occasions through the atomic bombing of Japan, the holocaust in Europe, and World War II. The painters sought to express the changes of society in their art. The artists believed they could change the world with their art by reasserting all that is good in mankind. This led to abstract expressionism art. In this gallery, my favorite artist was Jackson Pollock. One of his pieces, The Flame, really caught my attention. The Flame was a mass of red, white, black, and yellow colors. The vividness of the colors and the odd shapes created from these colors drew my attention to the image. I realized also after looking at it, that there were parts of the paint that protruded out at you, making the picture seem more alive and real and not just a two dimensional image on the wall. As I looked at the painting, I realized that there appeared to be two people to the very left of the image. I think Pollock is trying to say that everyone has a capacity for lighting up a flame of passion and that we just have to find the spark. This painting inspired me to work hard and find my own passions so I can light up the same beautiful fire that is portrayed in this painting.
