Modern Art, Day 30
12 April 2013
Abstract Expressionism Part II: Color Field, David Smith
Still, “Painting, 1951-T,” 1951
 large fields of color on a large scale
 with Rothko there’s a sense of mists of color; for Still there’s more opacity in the color as if
it has washed over the surface like lava and then dried
 the texture of the painting isn’t smooth or luscious, instead it’s scraggy and rough
Newman, “Vir Heroicus Sublimis,” 1950-1
 characterized the human condition as tragic and by its limits in the face of the void
o the human impulse was to define their identity (using art) in the face of that void
 called the lines in his painting zips
Newman, “Stations of the Cross: Lema Sabachthani 1,” 1958
 asking God where He is and receiving no answer
 dealing with his Jewish identity
Newman, “Broken Obelisk,” 1963-7
 puts a broken obelisk upside down touching an Egyptian pyramid
David Smith:
 inspired by Surrealist painting
 Giacometti’s sculpture is typical of what art was being made in Europe in the mid-20th
century
 embraces a sense of American identity that uses different materials and processes with a
macho demeanor
 died in 1965 in a car accident where he was racing someone—similar lifestyle to Pollock
 did a series of metals called “Metals for dishonor” for those who went in shabby capitalist
pursuit of war—made after he travelled to Europe and observed
 engaged with the notion of process and his own industrial prowess
 had an exemption from fighting in WWII because of his skill in metalworking and the
need for that type of work during the war
 work has a planar look
Smith, “Cathedral,” 1950
 insists on the ways that industrial processes can defy logic through the miracles of their
abilities to do so
 way of overcoming the despair of the limits of the human condition
Smith, “Cubi 12,” 1963
 made of brush steel
 pieces are “hanging” there, they only work because they’re welded together although they
look like they just balancing impossibly on each other