I spent the majority of the week getting a lot done with this project and I really enjoyed the movement effect going on in the piece
The reading about the Abstract Expressionist Movement we did was one that brought to light some very intriguing, even if it wasn’t particularly well executed. The reading focused on the idea of government controlling art and what artist express. The article focuses on the Cold War era, and how the US government used abstract expressionism to push the idea that America is a free state, rather than the enemy the Soviet Union portrayed it as. There was an interesting focus on the idea that America was manipulating the public and the international community, but also the toll that the movement and the events during WWII and the Cold War had on the artists. I think I found the article did well in that it had a lot of information about the abstract expressionist movement that I wasn’t aware, especially the final fate of the artists, but it did poorly to support the information that it argued, which made the article very difficult to believe or appreciate very much.
The obvious connection to past readings is to Ai Weiwei, and the movements he is causing with his art in China. The major difference is that Weiwei is acting against the government’s will, while the abstract expressionist movement was generally supported by the US government. I think this speaks not only to the nature of the relationship between the US government and its people, but also the difference between the way Chinese and American artists express themselves without government influence. The Abstract Expressionist movement was something that the US government didn’t artificially create, they supported something that was already happening to some degree. The Chinese government, on the other hand, needs to suppress its natural art movements to try and foster some that actually support the current system. The historical implications of the events in the story are somewhat similar, but can also be connected to a different artist we have read about. Gilbert Stuart was also influenced by the US government to use his artistic skills to improve the public and international image of George Washington. His work became the most recognizable image of Washington, and helped secure his respect, which was a seriously important task for the then very young America. This is not particularly different from the way the US government supported the abstract expressionist, nor was it unique for the time period. The relationship between art and political influence have always intertwined, and its unlikely that will change anytime. soon These are the next 2 process shots for my abstract painting. Here I went over my fist layer to help improve the sense of movement and fill in the upper corner. I then went ahead and started making some streaks of darker blue near the area I planned on placing my emphasis. I wasn't entirely sure what I wanted to put there at first, but I later started adding on more layers of darker blues and purples, and I decided that I wanted a large sweep of brighter purple that should be done either this week or next.
This is the first layer done for the in class abstract expressionism project. My goal for the composition is to create a calming effect for the viewer. My idea was to sort of imitate water or flowing energy. Hopefully that comes through as I finish
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June 2016
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