| American Figurative Expressionism - The History | | | | Figurative Expressionism. |
| Expressionism is a subjective art form, where the | | | | Based on areas and styles, this movement can be |
| artists distort the reality to bring out their | | | | graded into the following:o Early American |
| emotional angst. This was not a movement in | | | | Figurative (1930s-40s) - Artists, such as Max |
| history with a distinctive start and end, but a | | | | Weber (Polish-American 1881-1961), Milton Avery |
| mannerism, where sporadic creativity results, | | | | (American 1885-1965), and Edwin Dickinson |
| often without a pre-conceived subject or imagery. | | | | (American 1891-1978), purged various themes |
| During 1950s, when Abstract Expressionism was | | | | related to spirituality, myth, and literature into |
| prevalent in America, few artists returned to | | | | Early American Figurative Expressionism.o New |
| figurative imagery. This was the beginning of | | | | York Figurative Expressionism (1950s-65) - It was |
| Figurative Expressionism, when artists used their | | | | marked by the famous Post World War II |
| existing Abstract ways to add figures to their | | | | American Figurative, such as Robert Beauchamp |
| paintings. This movement took centre stage in the | | | | (1923-95), Elaine de Kooning (1918-89), Willem de |
| art history post World War II. | | | | Kooning (1904-97), Robert Goodnough (born |
| The Details | | | | 1917), Grace Hartigan (1922-2008), Lester Johnson |
| Owing to its opposition to Impressionism, | | | | (born 1919), Alex Katz (born 1927), George McNeil |
| Expressionists worked with jarring colors to | | | | (1909-95), Jan Muller (1922-58), Jackson Pollock |
| create a sheer visual representation of objects. | | | | (1912-56), Fairfield Porter (1907-75), Larry Rivers |
| The art style varied from using thick lines to | | | | (1923-2002), and Bob Thompson (1937-66). |
| bringing out the shape of the object, to merging | | | | Although there were vast distinctions in their |
| figures into the background and leaving it to the | | | | subject and styles of expression, the general |
| observer to visualize the same. No attempt was | | | | trend was towards defying rules of Abstract |
| ever made to create an atheistically pleasing | | | | Expressionism through a representational use of |
| impression. The idea was to let the painting unfold | | | | figures.o Boston Figurative Expressionism - Due to |
| itself into their heartfelt vivid emotions. Painting | | | | extensive migration in Boston from Central |
| was considered an active physical activity, which | | | | Europe post World War II, its Figurative |
| would result in pleasant surprises, not a meditative | | | | Expressionist style was closer to German |
| process with intellectual undertaking. A typical | | | | Expressionism. Major Boston Figurative |
| figurative work used bold colors to create a | | | | Expressionists included Karl Zerbe (1903-72), |
| 2-dimensional perspective of dissolute distorted | | | | Hyman Bloom (born 1913), Jack Levine (born |
| forms. | | | | 1915), David Aronson (born 1923), and Philip |
| The Correlations | | | | Guston (1913-80), some of whom were of Jewish |
| Pure Abstract Expressionists did not accept | | | | background. Paintings of this region carried the |
| Figurative, as it had the elements of | | | | post war anxiety.o West Coast Figurative |
| representational art. Similarly, Contemporary Art | | | | Expressionism (1950-65) - It was prominent in San |
| considered it too Abstract for Realism. Despite all | | | | Francisco and Bay Area. Elmer Bischoff (1916-91), |
| conflicts, American Figurative Expressionism is a | | | | David Park (1911-60), Paul Wonner (1920-2008), |
| distinct head in art history. | | | | and Joan Brown (1938-92) were the key players.o |
| The Artists and the Artworks | | | | Contemporary American Figurative Expressionism |
| The earliest presence of Figurative Expressionism | | | | - Miriam Beerman, Sherman Drexler, Sideo |
| was found in the paintings of Edward Munch | | | | Fromboluti, Grace Hartigan, Robert Henry, Oliver |
| (Norwegian - 1863-1944) and Vincent van Gogh | | | | Jackson, Lester Johnson, Vera Klement, Irving |
| (Dutch - 1853-90). Van Gogh's 'The Starry Night' | | | | Kriesberg, Jay Milder, Nathan Oliviera, Nora |
| (1889), which showed his emotional angst in his | | | | Speyer, Selina Trieff, and Paul Wonner are still |
| days of confinement in a mental institution, is one | | | | contributing to it with undiminished spirit. |
| of the finest examples of the then simmering | | | | |