Late 20th Century Art

  • Number 1, 1950 (Lavender Mist)

    Number 1, 1950 (Lavender Mist)
    Jackson Pollock painted this example of abstract expressionism iwth oil, enamel and aluminum paints. What sticks out in this work is how Pollock made it: by flinging, pouring, and dripping paint with both spontaneity at some points and choreography at others. Pollock submerges himself in the painting as he relies on the subconscious to improvise.
    Source: Gardner's Art Through the Ages: A Global History, 13e
  • No. 14

    No. 14
    This oil on canvas by Mark Rothko is an example of chromatic abstractionist painting. Interestingly, Rothko did not intend for the juxtaposition to be the main aspect of the painting. Instead, he wanted the emotional impact of the pure colors themselves to be the biggest part of the painting. He is focused on the formal elements rather than representational forms to express himself.
    Source: Gardner's Art Through the Ages: A Global History, 13e
  • Die

    Die
    This sculpture by Tony Smith embodied the sculptural movement Minimalism that seeks Greenbergian purity. Like other minimalist works, the die lacks subjects, colors, surface textures, or any narrative elements. Instead, it stresses the "objecthood" of the art and its tangibility. The purpose is to reduce the experience to the most basic level.
    Source: Gardner's Art Through the Ages: A Global History, 13e
  • Marilyn Diptych

    Marilyn Diptych
    In this oil, acrylic, and silkscreen enamel on canvas, Warhol emphasizes the consumer quality of Marilyn Monroe. The repeats of the image shows that she has the status of that of a consumer good. The black and white paintings of Monroe on the right allude a sequence of film stills through which Monroe became famous.
    Source: Gardner's Art Through the Ages: A Global History, 13e
  • Red Blue Green

    Red Blue Green
    Ellsworth Kelly made this painting, a hard-edge painting, a sub group of Post-Painterly Abstraction. She clearly defined the areas of color to emphasize its two dimensionality. She tried to make her painting as pure as painting could be.
    Source: Gardner's Art Through the Ages: A Global History, 13e