George McNeil ~ Abstract expressionist painter

 source: tuttartpitturasculturapoesiamusica

A pioneer Abstract Expressionist of the New York School, McNeil [1908-1995] had over forty solo exhibitions during his lifetime. Between the ’40s and until the mid ’60s his art was decidedly abstract but it was always joined to metaphor. George McNeil had a career that spanned the entire postwar American art era. McNeil attended Pratt Institute and the Art Students’ League, where he studied with Jan Matulka.

Abstract Expressionism: Hans Hofmann (1880-1966)

Rhapsody (1958)
oil on panel 182.9 x 81.3 cm

Botanic Garden (1942) 

oil on board laid down on panel 55.8 x 76.2 cm

Towering Spaciousness, 1956

Brooklyn Museum: Contemporary Art

Hans Hofmann (March 21, 1880 – February 17, 1966) was a German-born American painter, renowned as both an artist and teacher. His career spanned two generations and two continents, and he is considered to have both preceded and influenced Abstract Expressionism.

• Early Life and Education:

  • Born in Weißenburg, Bavaria, on March 21, 1880, to Theodor Friedrich Hofmann and Franziska Manger Hofmann.
  • Educated near Munich, he was active in the early twentieth-century European avant-garde.

• Artistic Journey:

  • Brought a deep understanding and synthesis of Symbolism, Neo-impressionism, Fauvism, and Cubism when he emigrated to the United States in 1932.
  • His painting is characterized by rigorous concern with pictorial structure and unity, spatial illusionism, and bold use of color for expressive means.

• Influence and Recognition:

  • Critic Clement Greenberg considered Hofmann’s first New York solo show at Peggy Guggenheim’s Art of This Century in 1944 (along with Jackson Pollock’s in late 1943) as a breakthrough in painterly versus geometric abstraction that heralded abstract expressionism.
  • Major retrospectives at the Whitney Museum of American Art (1957) and Museum of Modern Art (1963) solidified his recognition.
  • His works are in the permanent collections of major museums worldwide.

• Influential Art Teacher:

  • Established an art school in Munich in 1915, building on the ideas of Cézanne, Cubists, and Kandinsky.
  • After relocating to the United States, he reopened the school in both New York City and Provincetown, Massachusetts, until he retired from teaching in 1958 to paint full-time.
  • Influenced post-war American avant-garde artists and theories of Greenberg.

• Key Tenets:

  • Push/pull spatial theories.
  • Belief that abstract art has its origin in nature.
  • Emphasis on the spiritual value of art.

wiki/Hans_Hofmann

Alexander Calder (1898-1976)

 

Coloured Pebbles (1965)

gouache and ink on paper 53.3 x 73.7 cm

Ronnie Landfield (USA b. 1947)

In the Smoke

acrylic on canvas 40 x 37 in.

ronnielandfield

Duke Asidere (Nigeria b. 1961)

 

Soul Music

oil on canvas 45 x 45 cm

Palmgrove for Us All

oil on canvas 104.5 x 91 cm

Exploring Palmgrove (2011)
oil on canvas 102 x 104 cm

Arnoud van Mosselveld (NL 1961)

 

Ave Verum Corpus (2018) - Ink on paper (11 x 18,5 cm)

Blue Tulips (2020) - Mixed Media on paper (50 x 50 cm)

Tulips in blue (2018) - Oil on paper (c. 60 x 40 cm)

Every painting is a struggle. The beginning is always full of optimism and confidence, but in the subsequent phases it appears again and again that each portrait demands its own independent creative process. It is only good if it is good. That means: an interesting painting that invites the viewer to be viewed. But also: well-affected. No photo, but the direct recognition of the person portrayed. It is the challenge to find and capture the true personality of the subject.

After almost 20 years of being the secretary of management of a large Chamber of Commerce, I really had to do something else. A person may not leave unused the talents he is given. That has also been a big struggle: giving up certainty for the uncertain. But it is the conviction that makes the difference. In the end it was not a choice. The roles were reversed: the master in law now was forced to become a master painter.

source: https://arthur.io/art/arnoud-van-mosselveld

Emily Carr (Canadian, 1871-1945)

The Indian Church, 1929

Oil on canvas, 108.6 cm × 68.9 cm

Swirl, 1937

Oil on canvas, 27 x 22.75 in.

Emily Carr was a Canadian artist and writer known for her paintings of the landscapes and indigenous cultures of the Pacific Northwest coast of Canada. She was born in Victoria, British Columbia in 1871 and began her art studies in San Francisco before studying in London, England. She returned to Canada in 1912, and began to focus on painting the landscape and the Indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest. She is considered one of Canada's most significant artists and her work was influential in the development of a distinct Canadian art style. She was a member of the "Group of Seven", an influential Canadian artists' group that focused on creating a national art identity. 

Emily Carr passed away on March 2, 1945. Her work is still widely appreciated and can be found in major museums and galleries across Canada.

Evert Taube

Evert Taube - Motiv från Skagen (1919) - Panel 50 x 64 cm