I love abstract art, especially from the original clan of abstractionist expressionists, cultivated from the neighborhoods of lower Manhattan NY in the 1930s and 1940s. When I first became aware of the abstract expressionist genre, it was through learning about the life and work of several of the artists of that period who could be described as those who defined the era.
It began was Jackson Pollack. He had a large, a bodacious personality wrought with problems mirrored in his large bold creations. As with most abstract expressionist painters, his pieces were large…no, not large…huge. Wait, maybe that isn’t the right adjective either.
Enormous.
One hallmark of many abstract expressionist is that their work is often enormous. These enormous creations seem to move around the canvas as if they are moving to a beat. Sometimes the beat is a slow, thin note that is clear. But this note could stop and start again in a burst of multiple notes playing at their highest crescendo.
Along with Jackson Pollack, there are many others whose names and work define that era also. And there were women. But their names were not as recognizable to me…until I happened upon an exhibition at the Denver Museum of Art that changed the game for me.
The exhibition in 2016, the Women of Abstract Expressionism was monumentally awesome in so many ways for me. First, it opened my prevue to names that I did not know. I can close my eyes now and see the greens of a canvas painted by Mary Abbott, “All Green”, circa 1954. I had never heard of Mary Abbott up until this point. But “All Green” stole my heart. I wanted to wear “All Green”: wrap myself all in it, in a soft silky fabric.
Another painting that stays with me is “Bullfight”, 1959 by Elaine de Kooning. I am in love with this painting and I love me some Elaine. I get lost in “Bullfight”. Its energy is fierce and engulfing. I stare at “Bullfight” and problem solve, fantasize, become inspired and find a moment of joy.
As I mentioned above, this Denver Museum of Art exhibition was significant. I revisit my pics often from that day that the universe delivered me to the Denver Museum of Art, Spring 2016. If you would like to experience the Women of Abstract Expressionism, check out the exhibition catalog, linked here on Amazon. And, no, this is not sponsored by Amazon. I just want to share.
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