Abstract Expressionism

Big names and big colour abound in Abstract Expressionism at the National Gallery of Australia (NGA), timed to mark one hundred years since the birth of two great Abstract Expressionists; Jackson Pollock and second-wave painter Morris Louis. The exhibition consolidates forty-plus years of acquisitions, and features the work of such artists as Willem De Kooning, Ian Fairweather, Helen Frankenthaler, Hans Hofmann, Lee Krasner, Arshile Gorky, Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, Tony Tuckson, Peter Upward and Mark Tobey.

“Such a galaxy of strong and original talents has not been seen in painting since the days of Cubism,” proclaimed critic Clement Greenberg in his 1955 essay ‘American Type Painting’. Born out of the tumultuous political and social climate of the 1920s and 30s, Abstract Expressionism stressed individual autonomy and freedom in a manner that can be characterised as chaotic, anarchic and often destructive. Freedom in life translated to artistic liberty, with the new ‘colour-field’ style placing an emphasis on gestural spontaneity rather than the rigidity of earlier styles such as Cubism.

For fans of enigmatic Pollock, the iconic and controversial Blue Poles No. 11 is on show, along with Totem Lesson 2, and twelve drawings and etchings rarely displayed. The 1973 purchase of Blue Poles by the Whitlam government for a then international record-breaking price of $1.3 million was a hot button issue that incited much criticism at the time. Tied inextricably to politics, Blue Poles was seen by many as a symbol of excess; the work of a drunk in collaboration with other artists, and a potent symbol of frivolous government spending. Valued in excess of $40 million today, the work is a major international draw card for the NGA.

Lee Krasner’s Untitled (1953) is a visual record of an intensely emotional artistic process, with slashing, swirling gestures marking the presence of the artist. Krasner’s work is one of many collage compositions in the exhibition, displaying the multi-media dimension of the movement. Australia is represented in the exhibition by Tony Tuckson and Peter Upward, whose works illustrate the transcontinental reach of Abstract Expressionism and its development outside America. Compare Krasner’s work with Peter Upward’s June celebration (1960), and one can see the clear creative pilgrimage of Abstract Expressionism; the same anti-authoritarian instinct in those swishing trails of paint, with an immediacy akin to the work of Pollock. Other works on display, such as Hans Hofmann’s Pre-dawn, are rather more composed and orderly, representing the influence of Cubism.

The exhibition provides an opportunity for art patrons to experience the depth of the NGA collection, important in both national and international terms. Indeed, it is also an opportunity for viewers to re-engage with some of the major works of the twentieth century, to view with fresh eyes works such as Blue Poles, and to situate these works within a broader tradition of art making that was globally pervasive, and very much a product of the socio-political climate of the time.

National Gallery of Australia
Until January 20, 2013
Canberra

Peter Upward, June celebration, 1960, synthetic polymer paint on composition board; three panels

Lee Krasner, Untitled, 1953, oil, collage, gouache

Courtesy the National Gallery of Australia, Canberra

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