|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Willem de Kooning |
Willem de Kooning was one of the major practitioners of a movement that developed in New York in the late-1940s and 1950s. It was called Abstract Expressionism. Abstract, in that it does not look like the real world, and expressionist, because emotional and subjective aspects are more important than objective and formal concerns. Abstract Expressionism developed partially as a response to the end of World War II. With the dropping of the atomic bomb in Japan, people came to realize that humankind could destroy the world if they were foolish enough to do so. After the war, the United States was introspective, and artists felt that this mood could not successfully be expressed through traditional painting techniques and subject matter. Instead, they looked inside themselves, using lines and colors to express feelings.
The title Gotham News gives us a reference point for interpretation. "Gotham" refers to the city in the Batman comics, which in turn referred to New York, where de Kooning lived. "News" perhaps refers to the newsprint seen on the lower left and the top center of the canvas. The artist had been using newspaper to help the paint to dry, and in that process some of the print came off. He liked the effect and left it. Gotham News could be considered a non-objective representation of life in New York, with the colors, crowds, and energy. Each viewer’s experience of cities will affect his or her interpretation of the painting; what is exciting, energizing, and exhilarating to some might be interpreted as confusing, violent, and frightening to others. Or, perhaps, de Kooning shows both sides of life in the city.
The working technique used to create Gotham News has been labeled "action" or "gesture" painting, referring to the fact that the artist’s movements and creation process are clearly evident in the final result. De Kooning used a number of different sized brushes—some strokes are very wide and others are quite thin. The paint is applied in a variety of ways as well, from very thin passages to thick areas of paint squeezed directly from the tubes. Although it appears as if Gotham News was painted quickly and spontaneously, de Kooning actually thought carefully about the creation process, often stepping back to consider his next move. The role of accident was important as well, as seen in the unintended newsprint and the way in which the paint was allowed to run in a number of areas.
The development of Abstract Expressionism is extremely important in the history of contemporary art for two major reasons. It was the first artistic movement born entirely in the United States. And, with its arrival on the art scene, the center of the art world—which up until World War II had always been in Europe (most recently in Paris)—shifted to New York.
— Mariann Smith