Style
It had been recognized that the paintings of Josef Albers, Barnett Newman, Mark Rothko, Adolph Gottlieb, Ad Reinhardt, Clyfford Still and Robert Motherwell were all very different yet the symbolic content was achieved "through dramatic statement of isolated and highly simplified elements." In many cases the dramatic simplification was achieved by the use of:
- geometric means: Josef Albers; Franz Kline; Hans Hofmann
- compression: Grace Hartigan; George McNeil
- intricate elaboration of canvas surfaces: Richard Pousette-Dart; Robert Richenburg; John Ferren; Jimmy Ernst;
- isolated shapes or signs: Adolph Gottlieb, Robert Motherwell
- detailed over-all patterning of the canvas: William Baziotes
- simplified structure through the dominance of the large, unified color shapes: James Brooks, Esteban Vicente, Adja Yunkers, Cameron Booth; Giorgio Cavallon
In some cases there was a "loss of the feeling and immediacy" in the work.
Read more about this topic: Abstract Imagists
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