Showing posts with label generalism art. Show all posts
Showing posts with label generalism art. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Monday, November 23, 2009
Manifesto for Generalism
Manifesto for Generalism
1. Generalism, is art, for the sake of art.
2. All art is Generalism, unless it is narrower defined in another art movement.
3. Whenever art cannot be explained, or defined by the artist or by somebody else, it will be regarded as Generalism.
4. Therefore Generalism unites all art.
5. The onus, therefore rest on the creator, or observer, to explain, or to prove that a particular piece of art should not be regarded as Generalism.
6. Generalism comes down to the fact, that even if an artist has nothing to say, he/she must say it in order to prevent their work to be classified as Generalism.
Jackson Pollocks influence on Generalism
Timeline: Abstract Expressionism
On the floor I am more at ease, I feel nearer, more a part of the painting, since this way I can walk around in it, work from the four sides and be literally `in' the painting.
-- Jackson Pollock, 1947.
Pollock, Jackson (1912-56). American painter, the commanding figure of the Abstract Expressionist movement.
He began to study painting in 1929 at the Art Students' League, New York, under the Regionalist painter Thomas Hart Benton. During the 1930s he worked in the manner of the Regionalists, being influenced also by the Mexican muralist painters (Orozco, Rivera, Siqueiros) and by certain aspects ofSurrealism. From 1938 to 1942 he worked for the Federal Art Project. By the mid 1940s he was painting in a completely abstract manner, and the `drip and splash' style for which he is best known emerged with some abruptness in 1947. Instead of using the traditional easel he affixed his canvas to the floor or the wall and poured and dripped his paint from a can; instead of using brushes he manipulated it with `sticks, trowels or knives' (to use his own words), sometimes obtaining a heavy impasto by an admixture of `sand, broken glass or other foreign matter'. This manner of Action painting had in common with Surrealist theories of automatism that it was supposed by artists and critics alike to result in a direct expression or revelation of the unconscious moods of the artist.
Pollock's name is also associated with the introduction of the All-over style of painting which avoids any points of emphasis or identifiable parts within the whole canvas and therefore abandons the traditional idea of composition in terms of relations among parts. The design of his painting had no relation to the shape or size of the canvas -- indeed in the finished work the canvas was sometimes docked or trimmed to suit the image. All these characteristics were important for the new American painting which matured in the late 1940s and early 1950s.
1942 (240 Kb); Oil on canvas, 73 1/4 x 49 in; Philadelphia Museum of Art
1942 (170 Kb); Oil on canvas, 69 x 43 in; Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice
1942 (180 Kb); Oil on canvas, 40 x 56 in; The Museum of Modern Art, New York
c. 1943 (150 Kb); Gouache and ink on composition board, 18 3/4 x 23 7/8 in; Ohara Museum of Art, Kurashiki
1943 (230 Kb); Oil, gouache, and plaster on canvas, 41 7/8 x 67 in; The Museum of Modern Art, New York
1946 (320 Kb); Oil on canvas, 54 x 43 in; Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice
1946 (270 Kb); Oil on canvas, 59 x 84 in; The Art Institute of Chicago
1946 (230 Kb); Oil on canvas, 40 x 28 in; Collection Frieder Burda, Baden-Baden
1946 (280 Kb); Oil on canvas, 30 1/8 x 24 1/4 in; The Museum of Modern Art, New York
Full Fathom Five
1949 (280 Kb); Oil, enamel, and aluminum paint on canvas; Neuberger Museum, State University of New York
1953 (150 Kb); Oil on canvas, 84 1/4 x 58 in; The Museum of Modern Art, New York
During the 1950s Pollock continued to produce figurative or quasi-figurative black and white works and delicately modulated paintings in rich impasto as well as the paintings in the new all-over style. He was strongly supported by advanced critics, but was also subject to much abuse and sarcasm as the leader of a still little comprehended style; in 1956 Time magazine called him `Jack the Dripper'.
By the 1960s, however, he was generally recognized as the most important figure in the most important movement of this century in American painting, but a movement from which artists were already in reaction (Post-Painterly Abstraction). His unhappy personal life (he was an alcoholic) and his premature death in a car crash contributed to his legendary status. In 1944 Pollock married Lee Krasner (1911-84), who was an Abstract Expressionist painter of some distinction, although it was only after her husband's death that she received serious critical recognition.
Breaking the ice
It was Jackson Pollock who blazed an astonishing trail for other Abstract Expressionist painters to follow. De Kooning said, ``He broke the ice'', an enigmatic phrase suggesting that Pollock showed what art could become with his 1947 drip paintings.
It has been suggested that Pollock was influenced by Native American sand paintings, made by trickling thin lines of colored sand onto a horizontal surface. It was not until 1947 that Pollock began his ``action'' paintings, influenced by Surrealist ideas of ``psychic automatism'' (direct expression of the unconscious). Pollock would fix his canvas to the floor and drip paint from a can using a variety of objects to manipulate the paint.
The Moon-Woman Cuts the Circle (1943; 109.5 x 104 cm (43 x 41 in)) is an early Pollock, but it shows the passionate intensity with which he pursued his personal vision. This painting is based on a North American Indian myth. It connects the moon with the feminine and shows the creative, slashing power of the female psyche. It is not easy to say what we are actually looking at: a face rises before us, vibrant with power, though perhaps the image does not benefit from labored explanations. If we can respond to this art at a fairly primitive level, then we can also respond to a great abstract work such as Lavender Mist. If we cannot, at least we can appreciate the fusion of colors and the Expressionist feeling of urgency that is communicated. Moon-Woman may be a feathered harridan or a great abstract pattern; the point is that it works on both levels.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Generalism, Architecturism, Television Impressionism
Because of the unstructured way I was painting before Superstroke, almost each and every painting I produced looked like it was painted by a different artist.
Conrad Bo
Generalism in Art
Conrad Botha
Introduction
to
Generalism
I founded Generalism as an art movement, mainly because there are too many paintings in existence that cannot be defined.
Generalism includes all art ever created, in the past and in the future. Therefore, all art that cannot be; or has not been yet defined as art, within an art movement, can be regarded as Generalism.
However when it is possible to narrower define a painting, like for instance an Impressionist painting by Cézanne, this art movement classification supersedes Generalism, and the painting will be known as an Impressionist painting.
Looking at the definition of the word, general (relating to or covering all instances: not limiting in meaning: not specific) there are many examples of artist all over the world that create art just for the sake of art without any specific movement or statement in mind. These are classic examples of Generalism
Regarding my own art, I am first and foremost a Generalist. In the spirit of Generalism I paint what I see, what I know, what I don't see and also what I do not know. As the founder of Generalism I declare that there are no rules in Generalism, any means necessary to apply paint to a surface in a sensible way can be and shall be used. The only rule to Generalism is that there are no rules. Generalism includes all art, and is not just limited to paintings.
Manifesto for
Generalism
1. Generalism is art, for the sake of art.
2. All art is Generalism, unless it is narrower defined in another art movement.
3. Whenever art cannot be explained, or defined by the artist or by somebody else, it will be regarded as Generalism.
4. Therefore Generalism unites all art.
5. The onus, therefore rest on the creator, or observer, to explain, or to prove that a particular piece of art should not be regarded as Generalism.
6. Generalism comes down to the fact, that even if an artist has nothing to say, he/she must say it in order to prevent their work to be classified as Generalism.
Conclusion
The above, are intended to spark debate, and do not have, to be regarded as the absolute truth.
The manifesto for Generalism, are just the starting point, it will continue to be adjusted, and debated.
Notes
I have included some photographs my Generalism paintings.
These paintings have one thing in common, and that is, (unless otherwise stated) that it could not be described or defined, into any other art movement, other than the Generalism movement.
Some of these paintings were part of my solo exhibition “Generalism, Architecturism and Television Impressionism”, which were held on 28 February 2004 in Johannesburg South
If you have any comments or would like more information please e-mail me at Conrad_botha@hotmail.com.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
