The title of the article is “Expressionism’s Sooty Anomaly” was written by Roberta Smith on March 1, 2013 on the website of the New York Times. The main aim of the article is to give the reader some information about Franz Kline’ exhibition at Sidney Mishkin Gallery, about his works and his coming-to-be a famous artist.
According to the text, Franz Kline established himself as a major Abstract Expressionist painter almost overnight. He was exhibited in the Charles Egan Gallery on 57th Street in Manhattan when his unique style with emblematic motifs earned him a place in the Abstract Expressionist pantheon.
Kline became a member of the Abstract Expressionist bandwagon along with such prime movers as Arshile Gorky, Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning, Mark Rothko and Clyfford Still. However, he didn’t spend many years or decades as others did but won popularity for a short period of time, about four years. Kline’s representational period is almost an embarrassing anomaly in the annals of Abstract Expressionism. Surprisingly, it has received little attention and sometimes been ignored altogether. Further the author gives the description of “Franz Kline: Coal and Steel” exhibition. The show was organized by Robert S. Mattison, a professor of art history at Lafayette College, in Easton, Pa., at the Allentown Art Museum of the Lehigh Valley in northeastern Pennsylvania. Such works as “Chief,” “Caboose,” “Bethlehem” and “Ingot” show their industrial forms which are visible, highly or not so highly distilled.
Mr. Mattison takes Kline’s connection to the region beyond the titles and black-on-white forms. In his essay he says that Kline’s art is not only full of simply powerful formal devices but it reflects the ups and downs of Kline’s life. The works themselves reveal Kline’s talents for drawing and painting culminate in the architectonic calligraphies of his mature style.
The author adds that the Pennsylvania landscapes and street scenes of the 1940s have paint-loving originality and can be compared with van Gogh or Soutine than to any American artist, except the 19th-century eccentrics Albert Pinkham Ryder and Ralph Blakelock.
As for the colour Kline turned to it late in his career, however the resulting paintings are often considered his weakest. In addition, some works narrow the palette to explore variations of two or three colors, as if heading for the ultimate reduction to black and white.
The author cites as an example some artist’s works: “Chief (Train)” (1942) and “PA Street (Pennsylvania Mining Town)” (1947). Most of Kline’s works depict Pennsylvania scenes and only several of New York. In conclusion Roberta Smith that if we want to understand all the beauty of Kline’s works ,we should know his career and his background. Well, this article really interested me, I would like to visit Kline’s exhibition and feel dynamics and expressiveness of his works.
Well done!
ОтветитьУдалитьSlips:
The title of the article is “Expressionism’s Sooty Anomaly” was written by Roberta Smith...WHAT was written the title or the article?
Please, next time put the link IN the title, not below your rendering!