In contextual studies we have been looking at the art movement abstract expressionism and a rang of artists from this movement including Franz Kline and Jackson Pollock. Abstract expressionism was all about expressing energy and emotion throughout an artwork; artists would use really exaggerated, gestural brushstrokes as well as multiple layers of paint on the media in order to build up an abstract composition which could be interpreted in many different ways.
In last weeks lesson we had a go at creating practical works inspired by artists Franz Kline and Jackson Pollock.
Jackson Pollock:
Exploring Jackson Pollock, we looked at his signature 'drip technique', which was a very messy process! We worked with multiple different paint colours and brushes, splashing and throwing them over the canvas. Pollock tended to work with household paints which had a much thinner consistancy and so, although we didn't have acess to these, we watered down our acrylic paints in order to achieve this.
We all had a go at this technique and the idea was to bulid up many layers and paints on top of each other, as Pollock did in his own work. To make the composition even more interesting, we later went in using a slab of wood to spread and mix the paint marks over the canvas, particularly looking at areas of the composition which weren't really working as this allowed for yet another layer, with an interesting background colour, to then build on top of in the drip technique.
Here are some images of the work we created up-close. I really enjoyed this technique as it was so hands-on and practical, we can really see how the artists are gestural and incooperate movement into the work. You can see the build-up of many layers and different colours that create realy texture and abstraction. I really love the overall effect that's been created and would love to see how I could express this art form throughout fashion.
Franz Kline:
We also looked at an artist called Franz Kline, who tends to work in these large, textured brushstrokes; best well-known for his monochromatic, gestural artworks.
Again, here are some examples of the work we created, using a range of different brush sizes and using the brush in multiple different ways e.g. on the end of a stick. There's this really interesting thickness and texture to the application of paint, which I think makes it really interesting to look at. We also added in hints of colour, rather than Kline's traditional black and white canvas, however I think this worked really well to convey further emotion throughout the work.
Overall, both technques and styles were really interesting to work with and I'll be interested to see how I can implement some of this work and styles/s into my fashion and textiles work, e.g. could I look at colour within their work, or could I look at how to re-create some of the abtract shapes and forms.
Comments