Abstract-Expressionist Painting Journal

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Art Definitions

Some Movements & Styles in Plain English by C. Pagani

Impressionism & Abstract Impressionism


Abstract Expressionism
A movement which began in the 1940s, Abstract Expressionism is a style of painting in which the emotional, non-objective qualities of an object are given preeminence, taking all of the brakes off of the flow of human consciousness and creativity. In abstract expressionism the painter shows his personality through spontaneity. This being the case, most abstract expressionist art does not consist of painting an object or image, but is instead a study in color and interplay of paint and canvas. Nonrepresentational art, also called New York School. For further reading, see Abstract Expressionism Examples and Varieties and some modern abstract art (click on post titles to see paintings).


Abstract Paintings
Non-representational or non-objective art - that is, the artist does not attempt to capture an exact likeness from nature. Instead, the subject of abstract painting is the painting itself. "Paint is paint and canvas is canvas - they should not pretend to be otherwise." For further reading, see Abstract Expressionism Examples and Varieties, C. Pagani abstract expressionist paintings. (click on post titles to see paintings).


Abstract Impressionism
A term coined by Elaine de Kooning: Today we generally mean the creation of impactful impressionist paintings utilizing simplified abstract shapes and colors. This movement should not be confused with abstract expressionism, which does not possess any representational characteristics. Philip Guston, Canadian/American Abstract Expressionist Painter, 1913-1980, is considered by some to be the progenitor of this movement when he began adding recognizable objects to his abstract paintings. His works were far more abstract, however, than later proponents such as Domenic DiStefano and Chriss Pagani. Others name Jean-Paul Riopelle (1923-2002) as the father of the movement. In any case, this has created a dichotomy in the movement as readily recognizable figures and objects, even highly abstracted Cubist ones, may be considered quot;abstract impressionism" by some, while others insist that the overall feel of a work must be that of an impressionist painting and that the abstract characteristics must be noticeable only upon closer examination. From either side of this debate, however, abstract impressionists believe that a painting should always look like a painting, not a photograph. This distinguishes them from other contemporary realists. This movement does not have the same broad recognition as some other movements. See also Abstract Impressionism, examples.


Abstract Impressionists
A practitioner of abstract impressionism (Defined: Abstract Impressionism), a style of painting in which real life objects are represented through simplified, abstract shapes. The degree of abstraction varies with the practioner. Abstract impressionists tend to believe strongly in freedom of expression and individuality, preferring to emphasize the artist's own style over pure representation. The movement has been divided into those who insist on tangible representation and those who do not. Practioners the more abstract school include Mark Rothko, while those who lean toward the representational side include Dominic DeStefano and Chriss Pagani.


Expressionism
Sometimes using unusual colors or exaggerated shapes and images, this 20th-century European art movement stresses the expression of emotion and the inner vision of the artist rather than the exact representation of nature. The artist uses distorted lines and colors for emotional impact in an attempt to convey some of the non-material aspects of the subject at hand, in affect turning the represented object "inside out." Vincent Van Gogh is regarded as the precursor of this movement, along with Gaugin and Edvard Munch. See some Pagani examples of contemporary expressionism. (click on post titles to see paintings)


Impressionism
Impressionism is an art and music movement that developed in 19th-century France in reaction to the formalism and sentimentality that characterized academic art of the time. The impressionist movement is considered the begining of the modern art period. Impressionists are more concerned with conveying the emotional impression or experience of the subject of a painting than exact depiction of form. Foremost impressionists include Claude Monet & Camille Pissarro (the earliest leaders in this movement), Edgar Degas, and Pierre Auguste Renoir. Contemporary impressionists continue the tradition started by these masters, as well as adding elements of their own as a kind of modern renaissance, and the movement has branched out to fill the gaps between representational and non-representational art through abstract impressionism. See some Pagani examples of contemporary impressionism (click on post titles to see paintings).

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