IndexSummaryIntroductionRomanticismAction PaintingColor FieldHelen FrankenthalerContemporary PaintingsHeather DayLandscapeConclusionsSummaryThis report provides a brief analysis of the factors that have built contemporary art today. Looking more closely at the Abstract Expressionism movement, I want to investigate the main attributes through the artists' works and techniques in relation to my thought process when creating works. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Introduction The art world is constantly changing and adapting the way we see art. It allows us to consider different inventive ideas and expand our thoughts for art, ever since the cave paintings we have been intrigued by our limitations in creation. I want to discover how different characteristics and thoughts within the art world have evolved into the way we see contemporary art today. This report examines how the art world developed showing the evolution within the movements, which shaped today's perception, including the trends and techniques that artists portrayed through paintings. This report will provide a brief overview of some painting movements, however, it will provide an in-depth analysis of particular artworks and artists who have had a substantial impact on the art world and in my practice thus far. It will have a closer examination of the Abstract Expressionism movement in relation to my current studio practice. It will also consider the landscape and surrounding environment as a source of inspiration and the impact it has on the work, leading it to be one of the main contributing factors to my work. This report will also examine the impact of color when creating the work and what color and line texture mean to the viewer. The most important sources for this report were books, galleries, the Internet with my personal experiences with experimentation.RomanticismTo understand why some of the thought processes of abstract expressionism came into being, you should understand the beginning of the rebellion against some of the traditional “ artistic rules. It was only with the evolution of human philosophy in literature in the era of romanticism that artists began to show their thought process through artistic experimentation. The movement of romanticism was a significant turning point in the development of the perception of art. Founded in the early 1800s by literary critics, the idea of ​​Romanticism thrived as an artistic movement in the early 19th century and thrived until the mid-19th century. The characteristics of Romanticism consist of a belief in intuition rather than deduction as thoughts of evolution and human psychology have overwhelmed those of spirituality. This leads to some factors of Romanticism such as the ability to express feelings, the appreciation of nature and landscapes, and the importance of imagination. An early example of these ideas can be suggested in Caspar David Friedrich's “Monk at the Sea, 1809,” in which this dark painting was simplified to land and sea. This suggests a metaphor for Friedrich's imagination as the lone figure stares into the abyss imagining the immensity of the universe. Friedrich's color palette and painting technique are something to consider when referencing the characteristics of art in Romanticism, the close brushstrokes of deep hues complementary to the blues and greens suggest mystery and depth. Also a closer look at the visible brushstrokes, which suggest energy and imagination. To evaluate the results ofsome attributes of this particular movement, I found that the minimal approach to painting through color, composition and features was bold and required artistic courage, this is something that had been adopted in the abstract expressionism movement. Evidently there have been many significant movements in the development of history in the art world such as “Impressionism” (art movement, 1865-1885) “Cubism” (art movement, 1907-1914). These can be understood by the way the world changes and our knowledge expands, however it is worth noting that Romanticism is the beginning of a shift in thinking in the art world to get us to where we are today. Because Romanticism was strongly driven by aesthetic experience, emotion and nature, it allowed us to start seeing art differently, this took away the seriousness of art and allowed it to become more playful. Again, referring to this movement of Romanticism, Abstract Expressionist paintings did not attempt to create images of things that existed in the world. By having a better understanding of where different techniques and thought processes come from, I am able to begin to understand why I create work the way I do. There are two types of abstract expressionism. Action Painting Action paintings allowed the artist to consider the physical part of the process to be the main factor of the painting. This type of painting tends to be identified with spontaneous pouring and the gestural techniques reflect the amount of energy given to the painting. An example of this would be “Autumn Rhythm (Number 30), 1950” by Jackson Pollock. This work shows intertwined paint splattered in several layers of color. Pollock in this painting and throughout his career used many household colors in his practice. This can give the panting a lot of added texture like cracking and depth. Experimenting with enamel paint in my practice is something I have been busy with due to its versatility and inexpensive quantity. Color Field Field painting tended to be much calmer with soft flat blocks of poured color. Mark Rothko is a good comparison to find out how the characteristics of abstract expressionism originate from some ideas of the 18th and 19th centuries when romanticism was present. Rothko's “Purple, White and Red, 1953” compared to Friedrich's “The Monk by the Sea, 1809” have similar attributes of abstraction. Rothko's painting has three simplified panels of dark and mysterious color. Although Rothko never considered himself part of the Abstract Expressionism movement, he clearly fits the qualities that added to this artistic era driven by experimentation, mystery, and emotion. Morris Louis' approach to the color field technique is also worth considering as his brilliant rainbow colors in "Alpha-Phi" (1960) are poured onto canvas, with the negative space equally important to the subject, this it demonstrates the riskiness of the technique but once again the courage of the artist. Helen FrankenthalerFrankenthaler was an important factor in the Abstract Expressionism movement as she followed Pollock's method of creation on the floor. “Working on the floor allows for greater intimacy and control of the surface of the canvas” (Frankenthaler, 1984) This is something I can refer to in my practice as I have found greater control with the painting as a bird's eye view allows me to using my whole body to make marks rather than just my hand. Understanding Frankenthaler's approach to abstract expressionism is the concept of painting through instinctive feeling, yet the shapes, space and colors in his work suggest those of a landscapeabstract. The idea that the medium is the message is an intriguing one as Frankenthaler subconsciously thinks back to a particular landscape or the feeling of being within a landscape when creating his work. “I see most of my paintings as landscapes or views. By changing my view, capturing movement, I get some ideas by doing outdoor studies or simply noticing the designs and complications in nature.” Color has always been taken into account in Frankenthaler's work, many complementary soft pastel colors usually hit with a series of bold contrasting colors. The ability to find a balance between these factors has proven challenging, as Frankenthaler acknowledges: “It's a question of how you solve your doubts. This shows that since the process of using abstract expressionism techniques of painting is a gestural sign, you must have the ability to leave room for errors that give your work the factor of being accidentally delictile. This was something I was able to accept into my practice as I discovered the importance of space, line, color within my work. Frankenthaler's "Nature Abhors a Vacuum" (1973) is a great piece full of spirit with its warm color pallet. This work showcases much of Frankenthaler's immersion coloring technique with large areas immersed in bright colors. This piece also reflects a landscape as the shapes curve and resemble hills, however it's not as obvious with the color choices he used i.e. pink and orange. This for me relates to my studio practice as it gives the impression of recreating the emotional attachment you feel when you find yourself in a certain landscape and wanting to represent it within the painting.Contemporary paintingsHeather DayHeather Day was successful in his practice as he has a strong following on Instagram, this contemporary approach to art is something to consider in my practice as using Instagram as a blog is the quickest way to gain a following. Day's work displays many of the same methods and processes as Frankenthaler within the Abstract Expressionism movement. However, he uses the landscape as his main source of inspiration. Day's process begins outside, where he can quickly convey the feeling of being inside a landscape by placing some ideas about the structure and emotions of the landscape in his sketchbook. This is something I would like to experiment with more in relation to my practice as I believe it will give a little hint of landscape that I can take with me and respond to when painting larger works. In the study, Day takes up some methods of the abstract expressionist movement, in particular some techniques adopted by Frankenthaler such as immersion coloring. “Deference #2” (2019) shows an effective use of layering to express energy within the landscape. The everyday use of blue suggests the sea or sky in the abstract, against the grays and oranges that suggest stone or brick. This landscape symbolization is simple but effective as you can truly imagine nature within the abstraction. Landscape Landscape painting in art has usually depicted composition in a very traditional way, for example the Berg collection of paintings by James Morrison. These series of paintings are oil on panel, however his technique of diluting the oil until it is more liquid creates marks in his paintings that give it a lot of texture. It uses a lot of cool blue which suggests the harsh climate in the Arctic. The technique of diluting the oils into a more manageable material is something I would consider for my practice as it seems to be an effective way to add depth and layering. With the intention of expressing?”.