"Shapes and Figures"; Combining Ideas

'Shapes and Figures' by Ed T. ©

Another entry in my endless series of sketchbook drawings; this one also is from several ago. It stuck out to me because I like the contrast between the large abstract colorful shapes and the figures and line drawings. I have always wavered between total abstraction and figurative abstraction in my drawing style. I really like the look of combining the figurative elements over a piece that might seem like it was meant as a total non-objective abstract image. Although this quote from Helen Frankenthaler is talking about learning new materials, it can be applied to combining different styles I think.

"Whatever the medium, there is the difficulty, challenge, fascination and often productive clumsiness of learning a new method: the wonderful puzzles and problems of translating with new materials." - Helen Frankenthaler

I like her use of the word translating. Translating what exactly? One's personal creative essence? One's artistic developed style? One's method of creative process? All of that and more I imagine. I am not one that is too big on academic method in artistic creation; of course knowing traditional techniques gives you a good foundation, but I am more impressed with raw creative ideas and passion for the work. And then whatever method or materials you choose to work with, the passion will come out in the work.

Helen Frankenthaler; Post-Abstract Expressionist

This is a beautiful quote from Helen Frankenthaler and describes well, her artwork:

"One really beautiful wrist motion, that is synchronized with your head and heart, and you have it. It looks as if it were born in a minute."

-Helen Frankenthaler

An abstract painter who in her work embraces a kind of natural abstract beauty and grace, rather than the very gestural and painterly works of her predecessors. Frankenthaler is an immensely important artist of the 20th century. She was the first artist to just soak-stain raw canvas, developing her own innovative methods for this process. Some would call her work Color-Field painting; a movement that followed after Abstract Expressionism.

She knew the influential New York art critic Clement Greenberg, who through she met Willam deKooning and Jackson Pollack. And Here we have a direct link from the two chief abstract expressionists, Pollack and deKooning, and the chief pioneer of the movement that would follow after them. In her work we find a poetic voice that embraces spiritual essence over matter, and abstract over representational.