Women of Abstract Expressionism

Untitled (1951), Frankenthaler

In February of 2017, the Palm Springs Art Museum (PSAM) held the "Women of Abstract Expressionism" (WoAE) exhibit. While still volunteering at the Seattle Art Museum (SAM), I created a MS PowerPoint presentation to give to my then committee of department volunteer chairs. I've blogged about several of the dozen artists in past posts, but not the entire group.

This untitled work by Helen Frankenthaler is reminiscent of a work by Spanish Surrealist, Joan Miró. I'm thinking of his Harlequin's Carnival (1925).

The Palm Springs area is rich in art, including multiple locations/venues​ (e.g. Palm  Desert), and events (e.g. Desert X)​. In 2017, Palm Desert was showcasing “Glass of the New Millennium”​ at Kaplan/Ostergard Glass Center​. Other attractions included: The Galen and the Faye Sarkowsky Sculpture Garden​; and Desert X – International Art Biennial in the Coachella Valley​. Lots of artsy things to do and see!

PSAM contains a mezzanine level overlooking a large atrium​. There is a wide variety of art on display, including a Chihuly in “Contemporary Glass”​.

The WoAE originated at Denver Art Museum, exhibited June – Sept 2016, and then on to the Mint Museum in Charlotte, North Carolina.​ It celebrates the “Divine 12”, often unknown or unrecognized female artists of the mid twentieth century. Many of these women were still alive when we visited.

Mountains and Sea (1952), Frankenthaler

Helen Frankenthaler (1928-2011) is famous for Color Field paintings and Lyrical Abstraction. I appreciate her pastel compositions the most, as opposed to some of her larger, more monochromatic (red) works. See Palm Springs 2020. Here, I see a portrait of a woman in a fancy hat! This is reminiscent of Kandinsky's (1913) Improvisation 31 (Sea Battle). See my post entitled, Our National Gallery of Art in DC. See also, Palm Springs Art -- Marilyn Monroe & Museum Exhibitions.

JFK (1963)

Elaine de Kooning (1918-89), wife of Willem de Kooning, is probably most famous for her figurative expressionism, and specifically her portrait of President John F. Kennedy. I included the portrait in My Art Journey.

The Eye is the First Circle (1960), Krasner

Lee Krasner (1908-84), wife of Jackson Pollock, was famous in her own right. Expressing her grief at the loss of her husband and mother in 1959, Krasner painted The Eye is the First Circle in 1960. Its title is a quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson's Circles, an essay about spiritual growth.

Inclement Weather (1970), Hartigan

Grace Haritgan (1922-2008) used vibrant colors and sometimes representational elements in her abstract compositions. It is currently on display at  the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C.

Antigone I (1958), Schwabacher

Ethel Schwabacher (1903-84) expressed anxiety and loss in her paintings following the death of her husband, Wolf in 1951. Wolf was a Jewish entertainment lawyer with clients such as the Marx Brothers. Studying under artist Arshile Gorky from 1934-36, she wrote his biography.

All Green (1954), Abbott

Mary Abbott's (1921-2019) work was inspired by nature and the jungles of the Caribbean. She was a descendant of President John Adams, a debutant and model in her youth, and a student of artist Mark Rothko. Although not representative of a jungle per-se, she's expressing how she feels by using the colors of the foliage and the sea.

Incision (1958-61), DeFeo

Jay DeFeo's (1929-89) Incision was both large and impressive when viewed in person at PSAM. Although it is largely shades of gray, the use of thickly applied oil paint and string seem to drip off the canvas. 

The Wave, Roaring, Breaking (1959), Fine

Russia-born artist, Perle Fine (1905-88) was a protégé of Dutch artist, Piet Mondrian and a student of Hans Hofmann. She used hard-edged pure abstraction as her trademark method. This is yet another example of oil and collage. Bristling (1946) uses oil and sand, and shows the influence of Mondrian.

The Beginning (1960), Gechtoff

Ukrainian-American artist, Sonia Gechtoff (1926-2018) was inspired by Giotto’s Arena Chapel in Padua, Italy where she spent time viewing frescos of the early Renaissance artist. It is intended to be a Genesis story and heavily influenced by Giotto.

Harlem (1981), Godwin

Lyrical abstract expressionist, Judith Godwin's (1930-2021) work has been displayed in over thirty-five art galleries. It's characterized by large organic shapes and sweeping brushstrokes. She was also a student of Hans Hofmann, who became her mentor.

Exodus (1960), Remington

Finally, Deborah Remington (1930-2010) also used hard-edged abstraction in her early works, then transformed into a machine-age abstraction, reflecting machines and industrial design during the era between the World Wars. Her work typically includes red and blue lines with black in the background.

Many of these expressionists were inspired by writers and poets whose works themselves are subject to interpretation.

April Flowers in Art -- Daisies & Sweet Peas

Red April (1970), Sam Gilliam

In honor of my wife's birthday, let's pay tribute to April flowers in art. We can all appreciate the lively Spring colors in Red April (1970) by African American color field painter and abstract expressionist, Sam Gilliam (1933-2022). Often compared to Rothko and Pollock, Gilliam experimented with sculptural 3D elements in his paintings by using stretched, draped, and wrapped canvases. Another of my favorite abstract expressionists and color field painters is Helen Frankenthaler. Both Frankenthaler and Gilliam are known as lyrical abstractionists.

Daisies (1919), Matisse

Going back to the early 20th century, French artist and Fauvist, Henri Matisse painted Daisies (1919). Considered to be a double flower, the daisy is our first April flower. Matisse's vaseful of flowers contains Shasta daisies. His later 1939 version, The Daisies, depicts the more traditional wild white and yellow flowers, and there's a nude in the upper left corner, but you are free to access the link.

Girl with a Bouquet of Daisies (1897),
Jules-Cyrille Cavé

Girl with a Bouquet of Daisies (1897) by Jules-Cyrille Cavé (1859-1949) shows a young girl holding a bunch of wild daisies. I'm not sure but the floral wreath on her head may contain sweet peas, which also represent April flowers.

Vase with Daisies and Anemones
(1887), Van Gogh

While Vincent Van Gogh is famous for his paintings of sunflowers and irises, he also painted daisies and anemones. The daisies are in Vincent's favorite color yellow and prominently displayed in a beautiful turquoise vase. The textured background has Van Gogh's characteristic brushstrokes.

Drawing, Sweet Peas (1875),
Henrietta Benson Homer

Daisies are naturally resistant to many plant diseases and pests. Like daisies, sweet pea leaves contain antifungal properties. Here's a drawing of sweet peas by Henrietta Benson Homer (mother to Winslow Homer). I wonder if Mamma Homer ever tried doing embroidery or cross stitch. 

My brother and I used to draw wildflowers using pen-and-ink and watercolors. As a kid, I remember watching Popeye and occasionally seeing him follow around his troublemaker foundling son, Swee' pea. Like other characters (Wimpy, Poopdeck Pappy, and Sea Hag) in E.C. Segar's comic strip Thimble Theater, he only made rare appearances.

Freya (November 2022)

In Norse mythology, the daisy is considered to be the sacred flower of Freya, the goddess of beauty, love, and fertility. My wife's sister has a beautiful dog named Freya. Here's a photo of her that I captured this past Thanksgiving. I love how the beautiful pattern in her fur repeats in the striped fabric of the sofa.

Symbolizing innocence and purity, an old Celtic legend says that God sprinkled daisies over the earth to cheer the parents up, after the death of an infant.

Daisy, from the comic strip Blondie, was the Bumstead's Cocker Spaniel/Poodle/Terrier.

The Madonna of the Carnation
(1478), Leonardo da Vinci

In the 19th century, parents would encourage their children to get up after a fall by saying, “ups-a-daisy”. My Nana would have said, “oopsy daisy” or “whoops-a-daisy”. My wife has received lots of encouragement from family and friends during her recent illness. Her favorite flower is the carnation, which has become a symbol of motherly love. Christians believe that they grew from the Virgin Mary’s tears as she watched Jesus carry the cross.

I hope you've enjoyed this tribute to my wife, April flowers, and the artists and artworks that celebrate them.

More Artist Jeopardy

Back in February of 2020, I posted Artist Jeopardy. As a follow-on challenge for both Jeopardy fans and art enthusiasts, here are four more categories to test your knowledge of famous artists. I'll start with my own Jeopardy bio-story.

I’ve been watching Jeopardy since Art Fleming hosted it prior to my high school graduation in 1975. I’ve written several of my own Jeopardy answers over the years. My first game was in 1992 in honor of my parents' 40th wedding anniversary; the answers were all about their married life and Mom won. Fun fact: Mom was a 3-day winner on Concentration (with Host Hugh Downs) when I was in the first grade.

My next game was in the late 1990s with several Art categories that I presented on behalf of the Interurban Center for the Arts in my version of their Projects, Projects class taught to prospective elementary school parent volunteer art docents. Then, in 2005 during my City University Master’s Program, I played Jeopardy Host, Alex Trebek in a version of the game devoted to the subject of Project Management. So, I’ve been part of the game for over 50 years! Maybe I should become a writer for Jeopardy!! Do they even have guest writers?

And the categories are...

WOMEN OF ABSTRACT
EXPRESSIONISM

THE ART OF BASEBALL

For the Video Daily Double

ARTIST'S MUSEUMS

(Name the City)

FATHERS OF ART

MOVEMENTS

An Artist's Ramblings

I have always wanted to learn how to blow glass. The Netflix series, Blown Away, is an excellent inspiration. We visited a shop once where we chose colors and an object and watched an artisan create a glass ornament and an ashtray for us. One of my neighbors has played around with stained glass, which would be another specialized glass medium I'd like to try. It might also be fun to try making a portrait or landscape out of small glass mosaic pieces or scraps of paper.

I'd be just as happy to take a sculpture class. Even learning to throw a pot using clay and firing it in a kiln would be fun. My family and I have painted ceramics at a Clay Café a few times. The finished product is such a surprise! I also painted on some gnome statues.

Sower (After Millet)
(1889),Van Gogh

Working in three dimensions and trying other mediums are great ways to explore the visual arts. Draw your inspiration from your surroundings and from the work of other artists. Van Gogh copied several of the works of Jean-François Millet and also emulated some Japanese artists.

Dave the Dog (from PwC)

I am inspired by the people that I teach, my brother and his artwork, my colleagues from the Art Alliance, and from the community, volunteers and the shelter animals we support at PawsWithCause. I am in awe of artists who can paint outside of the box. And I'm inspired by the color scheme of the Buffalo casino game's mascot.

I'm always looking for opportunities to share art with others. Lately, I've been helping out my niece by homeschooling her boys in art. This is leading to other teaching gigs in the Enumclaw area. I'll be teaching art classes at the Enumclaw Senior Center and doing an art camp for kids this Summer.

Another type of painting I'd like to try is abstract expressionism. I've always admired artists like Franz Marc, Wassily Kandinsky, Joan Miró, Jackson Pollock, and Helen Frankenthaler (one of a dozen women of abstract expressionism from the 1950s). For my next animal portrait, I'd like to try using non-traditional colors. This is what my portrait of Jeju and Bryce might have looked like through the eyes of Vincent Van Gogh (from the J Paul Getty Museum and Google Arts & Culture site). Check out my charcuterie board portrait of Jeju & Bryce in my post entitled, Animal Portraits Revisited.

I've also used the Prisma app to transform photographs into well-known works of art. The background of this blog sports a photo of my daughter with a filter that makes it look like a painting by Norwegian artist, Edvard Munch.

Another app I need to learn is Paint 3D. My brother uses it as a tool in lots of his art. Recently, he was inspired by artist, Daniel Horine, who produces nostalgic comic book covers in honor of baseball greats. My brother's cover immortalizes his own all-time favorite player, Andy Kosco.

I, too, have been inspired by baseball greats. For example, when Edgar Martinez was inducted into the Baseball HOF in 2019, I decided to make a collage in his honor using pictures I had collected and Mariners colors of tissue paper in the background. I had it framed and it hangs in my office along with several of his bobbleheads and (recently) the miniature version of his statue immortalizing him outside of T-Mobile Park. I even had a phone case made using my design.

Buffalo by Donna Gatlin

Bubbles by Donna Gatlin

Although I can't see myself ever taking up the art of quilting, I can still appreciate what my retired friend from Arizona has created. She artfully selects the fabric for her beautiful landscapes.

I also marvel at the stitching patterns that embellish her pieces with rich texture. She combines patience, skill, and an artful eye to make these wonderful masterpieces from scraps of fabric and thread. Amazing!

by Mickey Culver

One of my Art Alliance colleagues who is primarily an oil painter has been working in charcoal of late. Doing value studies with a limited palette is a great way to practice, understand, and learn how to create a range of shades from light to dark.

by Ken Patterson

I remember (as youths) my brother and I drawing wildflowers using pen and ink, then going back over them with watercolor embellishment. I painted a series of watercolor flowers last year while vacationing in California. Perhaps I should try Japanese Sumi-E painting next!

Bryce and Friends, Ken Patterson

I should definitely do more pastel paintings and try this medium on some more animal portraits. Here's the one I did of my dog with his friends at a California dog park.

So, no matter what media you choose, the techniques or applications you employ, or where you find your inspiration, the key is to have fun creating art that you and others can appreciate. Challenge yourself and get blown away!

Palm Springs Art -- Marilyn Monroe & Museum Exhibitions

Forever Marilyn (2011),
John Seward Johnson II

The controversial Forever Marilyn statue returned to Palm Springs, CA in June of 2021 and is expected to stay there for 3 years. Created by artist, Seward Johnson in 2011, the city rented the 26-ft. tall statue of Monroe for 26 months before moving her to Hamilton, New Jersey for the Seward Johnson Retrospective. While she now faces Palm Canyon Drive, her backside is what you see when leaving the art museum. I don't remember seeing that angle in 1955's Billie Wilder film The Seven Year Itch. At first blush, the size of the statue reminded me of Daryl Hannah's character from the 1993 remake of the 1958 horror film, Attack of the 50-ft. Woman.

In the house where we are staying there's a movie poster from another Wilder/Monroe film, 1959's Some Like it Hot. Palm Springs seems to be enamored with Marilyn Monroe.

Love & Peace (2019), Curry Mendes

This year, when I arrived at the Palm Springs Art Museum (PSAM), I expected to see Marilyn out front. Instead, I looked out the museum window down the sidewalk toward Palm Canyon Drive to see her white panties under the spotlights. In a prior visit to the museum in 2018, Marilyn was featured in the Andy Warhol exhibition. She also adorns the wall of Lulu California Bistro on a floral-haired 15'X15' mural.

The second reason I wanted to visit PSAM again was to see the exhibit of American abstract expressionist Helen Frankenthaler (1928-2011). Previously, I saw the 12 Women of Abstract Expressionism exhibit which featured her early works along with those of Elaine de Kooning and Lee Krasner (among others). PSAM also once held another of Frankenthaler's works that was mostly in the color red. Unfortunately, I have to say that I much prefer her earlier works to those painted in her final years.

Mountains and Sea (1952), Frankenthaler

I love her softer early work in which she introduced her soak-stain technique, as displayed in her 1952 painting, Mountains and Sea.

80" Great Rhombicosidodecahedron
(2020), Anthony James

I always look forward to seeing what artwork is featured in the lobby of PSAM. This year visitors are drawn to a fantastic dodecahedron made of stainless steel, mirrors, and LEDs. It's like something out of the TV series, The Twilight Zone or the original Start Trek. I'd bet that all could be explained by Mr. Spock! It's like a hall of mirrors filled with geometric shapes that appear to deepen into what I can only describe as wormholes.

What I especially enjoy about this work is that each window enables patrons of different heights to peer into the fascinating work and witness their own personal kaleidoscopic view. So amazing!

Le Même Si (1959), Roberto Matta

The final two pieces are by Chilean Modernist painter Roberto Matta (1911-2002). He was part of the Surrealism movement in Paris and influenced the beginning of Abstract Impressionism, along with his contemporary Jackson Pollock (married to Lee Krasner).