Willem de Kooning

Art Appreciation

As a 22 year old, Willem de Kooning emigrated to the United States as a stowaway on a coal ship. De Kooning is best known for his paintings of women. Like other abstract expressionists, De Kooning uses color and the application brushstrokes to express feelings.

He was awarded the National Medal of Arts in 1986 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1964.

Woman I (1952) via madmarwalker

Excavation (1950) via modernart2011



Interchange (1955) via poulwebb

Pink Lady (1944) via thebootedexquisite

Sources: http://madmarwalker.blogspot.com/2009/11/de-kooning-i-perception-or-projection.html#!/2009/11/de-kooning-i-perception-or-projection.html; http://www.willem-de-kooning.com/; Wikipedia

Robert Rauschenberg

Art Appreciation

Robert Rauschenberg was a Neo-Dadaists American Pop Artist known for his three dimensional collages. He incorporated trash and objects found on the streets and used various paint applications and materials in his work to make political or cultural statements.

Rauschenberg is recognized for Erased de Kooning Drawing, where he basically erased a drawing by Willem de Kooning. Signs is another Rauschenberg work widely recognized for the images of Janis Joplin, Bobby Kennedy, John F. Kennedy and the 60s era.

Rauschenberg was born in Port Arthur, Texas on October 22, 1925.  He later received a National Medal of Arts in 1993.

Retroactive 1 (1964) via orangemercury

Signs (1970) via artnet

Untitled 'combine' (1963) via artmastered

Erased de Kooning Drawing (1953) via secretforts

Hot Shot (1983) via jasonaltobelli

Sources: http://www.rauschenbergfoundation.org/; http://artyfactory.com/art_appreciation/art_movements/pop_art.htm; http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/episodes/robert-rauschenberg/about-the-artist/49/; http://www.theartstory.org/artist-rauschenberg-robert.htm#; Miles, Frank J., "Partners in Love & Art," LstyleGstyle Magazine, September / October 2012, Page 27.

Jack Tworkov

Art Appreciation 

Jack Tworkov, originally Yakov Tworkovsky, was born on August 15, 1900, in the border town of Biała Podlaska on the Poland/Russia border. In 1913, he immigrated to the United States along with his mother and sister to reunite with their father, who had arrived earlier.

Initially, Tworkov's interests leaned away from painting, leading him to enroll at Columbia University with aspirations of becoming a writer. It was his sister's encouragement that redirected him toward art, prompting him to attend classes at the Art Students League of New York.

However, it was during his time at Columbia University that Tworkov's path intersected with modernist ideals, eventually molding his unique artistic style. His creative journey was profoundly shaped by his interactions with notable artists and intellectuals of the era, including luminaries like Willem de Kooning, Hans Hofmann, and John Dewey. These encounters ignited his exploration of abstraction, propelling him into experiments that intertwined form and color.

Tworkov and de Koonig, in the company of fellow abstract painters such as Arshile Gorky, Mark Rothko, and Jackson Pollock, were instrumental in founding the New York School, a pivotal collective within the abstract expressionist movement.

Throughout his life, Tworkov assumed teaching roles in numerous institutions, leaving his mark at places like American University, Black Mountain College, Queens College, Pratt Institute, University of Minnesota, Columbia University, and Yale University, where he served as the Art Department's chairman from 1963 to 1969.

Jack Tworkov's influence on American Abstract Expressionism remains steadfast. His art bridged the gap between abstract concepts and intellectual depth, infusing each canvas with narratives that transcended mere visuals. He adeptly navigated the delicate equilibrium between structure and spontaneity, establishing a legacy that continues to inspire and challenge contemporary artists.

Red Robe (1947)

Pink Mississippi (1954)

Untitled (1954)

Sources:

Wikipedia

https://www.wikiart.org/en/jack-tworkov/pink-mississippi-1954

https://jacktworkov.org/

https://www.vandorenwaxter.com/artists/jack-tworkov-estate

Richard Avedon

Photography Appreciation

American photographer Richard Avedon is known for his contributions to fashion photography. At a young age, he began taking photos with a Kodak Box Brownie. Eventually, he became the fashion photographer for fashion publications such as Junior Bazaar, Harper's Bazaar, Vogue and Life. He is best recognized for having his models in movement.

You can see more of his work HERE.

Bob Dylan (1965) via blog.needsupply

Willem de Kooning (1969) via guessthelighting

The Kennedys (1961) via blog.needsupply

Sources:

http://www.avedonfoundation.org/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Avedon
http://www.biography.com/people/richard-avedon-9193034
http://www.gagosian.com/artists/richard-avedon
http://www.vogue.com/tag/photographer/richard-avedon/
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/02/obituaries/02avedon.html?_r=0
http://blog.needsupply.com/2013/10/13/richard-avedon/
http://blog.jelanieshop.com/photography/photographer-richard-avedon/
https://chloe328.wordpress.com/tag/richard-avedon/
https://mestadelsbilder.wordpress.com/2011/07/25/richard-avedon-photography/
http://www.boston.com/ae/theater_arts/gallery/kennedyportraits/

Wayne Thiebaud

Art Appreciation

Wayne Thiebaud was born Morton Wayne Thiebaud on November 15, 1920, in Mesa, Arizona, though his family moved when he was just a baby—settling in Southern California, mainly Long Beach, with interludes on an uncle’s ranch in Utah. 

He grew up in a Mormon household; his father held various jobs—mechanic, real-estate, etc.—while young Wayne developed early interests in illustration, cartoons, and commercial art. In high school he worked odd jobs and spent summers apprenticing in animation at Walt Disney. 

In his early career, Thiebaud studied at San José State and Sacramento State, finishing his BA in 1951 and MA in 1952. He taught art at Sacramento City College, and in 1956-57 took a leave and went to New York City. While there, he met artists like Willem de Kooning and saw the work of proto-Pop artists Robert Rauschenberg and Jasper Johns. That time sharpened his ideas about form, color, and subject matter, especially how everyday objects might be portrayed with new visual weight. 

Thiebaud’s style is notable for its heavy pigment, exaggerated or sharp color contrasts, strong shadows, and a sense of both realism and heightened formality. He often isolates commonplace items—cakes, pies, pastries, lipstick tubes, etc.—presented in neat rows or with rhythmic spacing. Over time he expanded beyond those still life and “confection” motifs to include figure painting and landscapes, including cityscapes, street scenes, hills, mountains, and California’s varied terrain. 

His later works often explore space, distorted perspective, and color planes, yet retain that core attention to surface, texture, and the everyday. Among Thiebaud’s best known works are many of the still lifes: Cakes (1963), Bakery Counter (1962), Pies, Pies, Pies (1961), Drink Syrups (1961), Eight Lipsticks (1964), Three Strawberry Shakes (1964). In the landscape and street-scene vein, works such as Sunset Streets (1985) and Flatland River (1997) are often mentioned. Also later paintings of mountains (e.g. his Sierra Nevada series) and city views sustain his recognition. 

Cakes (1963)

Bakery Counter (1962)

Pies, Pies, Pies (1961)

Sunset Streets (1985)

Sources:

Wikipedia

https://www.acquavellagalleries.com/exhibitions/wayne-thiebaud3

https://journalpanorama.org/article/wayne-thiebauds-california

https://www.theartstory.org/artist/thiebaud-wayne/

https://mymodernmet.com/wayne-thiebaud-paintings/

https://www.sfmoma.org/artist/Wayne_Thiebaud/

https://brooklynrail.org/2014/11/artseen/wayne-thiebaud-nov

https://pastimesinc.com/art-history-101-wayne-thiebaud/

https://www.gratzgallery.com/artists/wayne-thiebaud

https://www.artnews.com/list/art-news/artists/who-was-wayne-thiebaud-bay-area-figurative-art-cakes-1234665954

https://www.lesliesacks.com/artists/wayne-thiebaud/biography

https://www.berggruen.com/artists/wayne-thiebaud

https://vec.crockerart.org/blogs/24-facts-about-wayne-thiebauds-early-life

https://ccplonline.org/blogs/childrens/14211-2/

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Wayne-Thiebaud

https://achievement.org/achiever/wayne-thiebaud

Robert Motherwell

Art Appreciation

Born in Aberdeen, Washington on January 24, 1915, Robert Motherwell was an American painter and printmaker and considered an important figure in the development of Abstract Expressionism. He was one of the youngest members of the so-called "New York School" of painters, which included Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, and Willem de Kooning. 

His early work was heavily influenced by surrealism and often incorporated elements of automatic drawing and collage into his paintings. He later developed a more minimal style, focusing on large expanses of color and simple, geometric shapes.

Motherwell received a BA in philosophy from Stanford University. At Stanford, he was introduced to modernism through literature by Mallarmé, James Joyce, Edgar Allan Poe, and Octavio Paz. This would become a major theme to his works. 

He completed a year in a Ph.D. program in philosophy at Harvard and took courses in art history at Columbia University in New York City. 

He became friends with American art historian Meyer Schapiro, who then encouraged Motherwell to focus on painting. Schapiro introduced him to Parisian surrealists, which included Max Ernst.

While in Mexico with surrealist Roberto Matta, he met Maria Emilia Ferreira y Moyeros, his first wife. He would then dedicate his time to painting. 

In his return from Mexico, Motherwell played a significant role in laying the foundations for the new movement of abstract expressionism, aka the New York School.

Motherwell's first one-man exhibition was at Peggy Guggenheim's "Art of This Century" gallery. He became a leading spokesman for avant-garde art in America. He and Mark Rothko would eventually start the Subjects of the Artist School.

Motherwell's work has been widely exhibited and is held in many important collections, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., and the Tate Gallery in London. He received numerous awards and honors during his lifetime, including the National Medal of Arts in 1989.

Elegy to the Spanish Republic (c. 1940s)

Pancho Villa, Dead or Alive (1943)

Dublin 1916, with Black and Tan (1964)

Sources: 

Wikipedia

https://www.boreasfineart.com/artist/Robert_Motherwell/biography/

http://www.columbia.edu/cu/pr/97/19032.html

https://app.cuseum.com/art/robert-motherwell-dublin-1916-with-black-and-tan

whf c.ai