Robert Motherwell | Abstract Expressionism | New York School | Documentary

An historical documentary, dated 1991: "Robert Motherwell and New York School". Directly from the artist voice, but not only, an interesting conversation about a new way to think Art. Here by art critic and curator Alain Chivilò a tribute through this video document.

Abstract Expressionism is a term applied to a movement in American painting that flourished in New York City after World War II, sometimes referred to as the New York School or, more narrowly, as action painting. The varied work produced by the Abstract Expressionists resists definition as a cohesive style; instead, these artists shared an interest in using abstraction to convey strong emotional or expressive content. Abstract Expressionism is best known for large-scale paintings that break away from traditional processes, often taking the canvas off of the easel and using unconventional materials such as house paint. While Abstract Expressionism is often considered for its advancements in painting, its ideas had deep resonance in many mediums, including drawing and sculpture.

Robert Motherwell (Aberdeen, Washington, Usa 24/1/1915 - Provincetown, Massachusetts, Usa16/7/1991). American painter, one of the founders and principal exponents of Abstract Expressionism, who was among the first American artists to cultivate accidental elements in his work.
A precocious youth, Motherwell received a scholarship to study art when he was 11 years old. He preferred academic studies, however, and eventually took degrees in aesthetics from Stanford and Harvard universities.
Motherwell decided to become a serious artist only in 1941. Although he was especially influenced by the Surrealist artists Max Ernst, Yves Tanguy, and André Masson, he remained largely self-taught. His early work followed no single style but already contained motifs from which much of his later art grew. He received his first one-man show in 1944 at Peggy Guggenheim’s Art of this Century Gallery in New York City.
During the 1960s he painted in several different styles, so that such paintings as “Africa” (1964–65; Baltimore Museum of Art) look like enlarged details of elegant calligraphy, while “Indian Summer, #2” (1962–64) combines the bravura brushwork typical of Abstract Expressionism with the broad areas of evenly applied colour characteristic of the then-emerging Colour Field Painting style. By the end of the decade, paintings in his “Open” series (1967–69) had abandoned Abstract Expressionism in favour of the new style. From 1958 to 1971 Motherwell was married to the American painter Helen Frankenthaler. He taught art at Hunter College (1951–58, 1971–72), directed the publication of the series “The Documents of Modern Art” (1944–52), and wrote numerous essays on art and aesthetics. He was generally regarded as the most articulate spokesman for Abstract Expressionism.
(by Britannica).

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Видео Robert Motherwell | Abstract Expressionism | New York School | Documentary канала Alain Chivilò