Jackson Pollock, Autumn Rhythm (Number 30), 1950, Enamel on canvas, 8ft 9in x 17ft 3in image source
Defining non representational art can become a tedious and tricky enterprise, but fundamentally it should be understood as art that doesn’t represent a being, place, or thing. It shouldn’t be confused with abstract art which is the distortion of a subject whether it be a figure, landscape, or still life (being, place, or thing). The meaning of nonrepresentational art is entirely subjective to the viewer and lends a sense of freedom to both the artist and viewer. (1)
Nonrepresentational art usually contains so much energy that we are forced to pay attention. Whether the artist is working in gestures or simple shapes, lines, and colors, emotions can be felt. We study the relationship of shapes and form in design because simple shapes can make us feel certain emotions. Graphic designers, for example, utilize this energy to create simplified designs that can communicate product intent. The artists working in the Abstract Expressionist movement knew how to manipulate their materials to evoke emotions in their viewers without the use of a formal subject.
Theoretically emotions can be conveyed through simple line, shape, and color, but the type of emotions felt are rooted in personal experience and culture. It would be remiss for an artist to assume that a person in Indonesia might have the same reaction to the color white as someone from the US. However a designer could assume that white might represent mourning for an Indonesian and purity for an American. The same can be said for line and shape.
The artists of the New York school, also known as Abstract Expressionists, like Jackson Pollock (above), believed that the purpose of their art was to communicate primal truths about the human condition. It was a response to a world turned upside down by war and economic collapse. They were influenced by new philosophies from Carl Jung’s primitive archetype theories to Existentialism. Existentialism was especially appealing to this school of art due to the position that an individual's actions give meaning to life. (2)
Pollock was a New York artist who was involved with the Abstract Expressionists movement during the 1940’s and 50s. Despite the name, these artists were intentionally rejecting representational forms. Their motive was to communicate the artist’s inner state through gestures and color. Pollock had developed a technique of dripping paint onto a canvas. He would use various instruments to spray the canvas including brushes and turkey basters. He was considered a gestural artist who tried to communicate emotions through action. He was searching for a deeper truth in a post war world, rejecting the past, and creating his own language. The Autumn Rhythm painting is an example of his raw spontaneous emotion being applied to an unprimed canvas(3)
Whether or not the viewer finds value in nonrepresentational art, it is impossible not to feel something when viewing it. The sheer size of the Pollock canvas is enough to evoke a reaction, but the gesture is pure energy. What type of energy you experience is entirely subjective, giving the freedom to explore the work not only with the eyes but with the soul. In Pollock's case, the gesture speaks. It is up to the viewer to decide what is being revealed.
The artists of the New York school, also known as Abstract Expressionists, like Jackson Pollock (above), believed that the purpose of their art was to communicate primal truths about the human condition. It was a response to a world turned upside down by war and economic collapse. They were influenced by new philosophies from Carl Jung’s primitive archetype theories to Existentialism. Existentialism was especially appealing to this school of art due to the position that an individual's actions give meaning to life. (2)
Pollock was a New York artist who was involved with the Abstract Expressionists movement during the 1940’s and 50s. Despite the name, these artists were intentionally rejecting representational forms. Their motive was to communicate the artist’s inner state through gestures and color. Pollock had developed a technique of dripping paint onto a canvas. He would use various instruments to spray the canvas including brushes and turkey basters. He was considered a gestural artist who tried to communicate emotions through action. He was searching for a deeper truth in a post war world, rejecting the past, and creating his own language. The Autumn Rhythm painting is an example of his raw spontaneous emotion being applied to an unprimed canvas(3)
Whether or not the viewer finds value in nonrepresentational art, it is impossible not to feel something when viewing it. The sheer size of the Pollock canvas is enough to evoke a reaction, but the gesture is pure energy. What type of energy you experience is entirely subjective, giving the freedom to explore the work not only with the eyes but with the soul. In Pollock's case, the gesture speaks. It is up to the viewer to decide what is being revealed.
Sources
1. Gersh-Nesic, Beth. "What Is Nonrepresentational Art?" ThoughtCo., accessed April 4, 2021 https://www.thoughtco.com/nonrepresentational-art-definition-183223 2. Oxford University Press, "The Impact of Abstract Expressionism," in Smarthistory, August 9, 2015, accessed April 4, 2021, https://smarthistory.org/the-impact-of-abstract-expressionism/.
3. Dr. Virginia B. Spivey, "Abstract Expressionism, an introduction," in Smarthistory, August 9, 2015, accessed April 4, 2021, https://smarthistory.org/abstract-expressionism-an-introduction/.
3. Dr. Virginia B. Spivey, "Abstract Expressionism, an introduction," in Smarthistory, August 9, 2015, accessed April 4, 2021, https://smarthistory.org/abstract-expressionism-an-introduction/.
