Olivia
Josef Albers, an artist and art aficionado, devoted his life to revolutionizing the art world in the modern era. Assuming a teaching post at the Bauhaus, a directorship at Black Mountain College, and eventually the role of chairman of Yale University’s art department, Albers threw himself into the instruction of rising artists, ultimately transmitting the principles of German modern design to Americans and contributing his own perceptions of the modern era (Wainwright). At the same time, he sought to expand the realm of contemporary art with his own initiatives. Early on, Albers had developed an interest in glass painting, a medium that maintained a constant presence throughout his career (The Guggenheim Museum).
Although he expanded into metalwork, furniture, and typography, Albers eventually found his niche when he began the series Homage to the Square in the 1950s, one of his most striking ventures and certainly one that continues to win him much acclaim today (Miller). With this detailed study of color and shape, Albers surrendered himself to the movement of Abstract Expressionism (Wainwright). Within the vast umbrella of Abstract Expressionism was the more remote arena of color fields. This style employed often vast canvases dominated by flat washes of color. In keeping with the tenants of abstract art, these works lacked distinct detailing and were often absent of deep illusions (Wainwright). Instead, artists pursuing color fields sought to evoke emotion through the optical response to color and arrangement (Wainwright). Homage to the Square would eventually mushroom into a project consisting of over one thousand pieces of art, from traditional paintings to more forgotten modes such as tapestry and prints (The Metropolitan Museum of Art). Each work in the series exhibits a set of squared forms, each of a complementary color. The layers of shapes are mathematically constructed so as to create an optical illusion that distorts sizes, colors, and arrangements. In With Rays, Albers overlays the mild, pale gray square above three yellow-toned boxes, creating the illusion that the central shape almost floats separately (The Metropolitan Museum of Art). Albers has broken the horizontal symmetry of the piece as the squares gradually shift lower and lower. The congregation of multiple colors toward the lower half of the piece recalls a sunset as the late-afternoon light consumes the horizon (The Metropolitan Museum of Art). Via his Homage to the Square series, Albers questions how one element of an image, or possibly one element of our lives, can distort all others.
Contemporaneously, Mark Rothko was also busying himself with abstract experimentation. In a slow evolution toward his adopted mode of the color field, Rothko abandoned his representations of figures and scenery in favor of abstract shape (Loos). The 1940s saw Rothko forgo his traditional subject matter, moving toward paintings populated by many shapes, together recalling a scene, and eventually refining the technique into his multiforms (Loos). By the 1950s, Rothko’s signature style included only four rectangles at most and was oriented vertically, marking the final refinements to the multiform pattern (The National Gallery of Art). The artist worked with thin washes of oil and egg-based pigment, applying additional layers to deepen the color or adding washes of new colors to achieve a luminescence (The National Gallery of Art). Rather than employing uniform saturation or layers of identical color, Rothko experimented with a hue’s range of intensity and tone in different parts of each work creating a diverse viewing experience. With the paint, the artist would create rectangles of colors, one hovering above the other. The rectangles had soft, undefined outlines creating an ethereal appearance, causing the shapes to seemingly hover above the canvas (The National Gallery of Art). With No. 13 (White, Red, on Yellow) along with all of his multiforms, Rothko layers colors and dilutes edges and layers his hues to beg the question, what lies beneath the surface? Rothko’s philosophical aims suit the form he so carefully devised over his career.
Both Albers and Rothko adapted the multiforms to suit their aesthetic purposes and theoretical designs. In keeping with the modernist movement, both artists experimented with form and color, challenging traditional uses of media. And both succeeded, through their trials, to discover strategies that animated a seemingly flat mode of art. Via optical illusions and layering techniques, Albers’s and Rothko’s works possess a multidimensionality that draws viewers toward them. Yet the progression of the works demonstrates a unique style each artist developed, a mode of expression that both conformed to the time and suited their own personal theories.
Works Cited“Josef Albers.” 2013. The Guggenheim Museum. 23 April 2013.
< http://www.guggenheim.org/new-york/collections/collection-online/artists/bios/1065>.
"Josef Albers: Homage to the Square: With Rays (59.160)." 21 March 2013. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. 23 April 2013.
<http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/59.160>.
Loos, Ted. “Rothko’s Journey to His Fields of Color, in Full View.” 20 March 2013. The New York Times. 23 April 2013.
< http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/21/arts/artsspecial/rothkos-journey-to-his-fields-of-color-in-full-view.html?pagewanted=all>.
“Mark Rothko.” 2013. The National Gallery of Art. 23 April 2013.
< http://www.nga.gov/feature/rothko/intro1.shtm>.
Miller, Angela, et al. American Encounters: Art, History, and Cultural Identity. London: Prentice Hall, 2008. 570.
Wainwright, Lisa S. “Colour-Field Painting.” 2013. Britannica. 23 April 2013.
< http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/126733/colour-field-painting>.
Images Cited
"Josef Albers: Homage to the Square: With Rays (59.160)." 21 March 2013. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. 23 April 2013.
<http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/59.160>.
Loos, Ted. “Rothko’s Journey to His Fields of Color, in Full View.” 20 March 2013. The New York Times. 23 April 2013.
< http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/21/arts/artsspecial/rothkos-journey-to-his-fields-of-color-in-full-view.html?pagewanted=all>.
"Mark Rothko: No. 13 (White, Red, on Yellow) (1985.63.5)." The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
<http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/1985.63.5>.
Josef Albers, an artist and art aficionado, devoted his life to revolutionizing the art world in the modern era. Assuming a teaching post at the Bauhaus, a directorship at Black Mountain College, and eventually the role of chairman of Yale University’s art department, Albers threw himself into the instruction of rising artists, ultimately transmitting the principles of German modern design to Americans and contributing his own perceptions of the modern era (Wainwright). At the same time, he sought to expand the realm of contemporary art with his own initiatives. Early on, Albers had developed an interest in glass painting, a medium that maintained a constant presence throughout his career (The Guggenheim Museum).
Although he expanded into metalwork, furniture, and typography, Albers eventually found his niche when he began the series Homage to the Square in the 1950s, one of his most striking ventures and certainly one that continues to win him much acclaim today (Miller). With this detailed study of color and shape, Albers surrendered himself to the movement of Abstract Expressionism (Wainwright). Within the vast umbrella of Abstract Expressionism was the more remote arena of color fields. This style employed often vast canvases dominated by flat washes of color. In keeping with the tenants of abstract art, these works lacked distinct detailing and were often absent of deep illusions (Wainwright). Instead, artists pursuing color fields sought to evoke emotion through the optical response to color and arrangement (Wainwright). Homage to the Square would eventually mushroom into a project consisting of over one thousand pieces of art, from traditional paintings to more forgotten modes such as tapestry and prints (The Metropolitan Museum of Art). Each work in the series exhibits a set of squared forms, each of a complementary color. The layers of shapes are mathematically constructed so as to create an optical illusion that distorts sizes, colors, and arrangements. In With Rays, Albers overlays the mild, pale gray square above three yellow-toned boxes, creating the illusion that the central shape almost floats separately (The Metropolitan Museum of Art). Albers has broken the horizontal symmetry of the piece as the squares gradually shift lower and lower. The congregation of multiple colors toward the lower half of the piece recalls a sunset as the late-afternoon light consumes the horizon (The Metropolitan Museum of Art). Via his Homage to the Square series, Albers questions how one element of an image, or possibly one element of our lives, can distort all others.
Contemporaneously, Mark Rothko was also busying himself with abstract experimentation. In a slow evolution toward his adopted mode of the color field, Rothko abandoned his representations of figures and scenery in favor of abstract shape (Loos). The 1940s saw Rothko forgo his traditional subject matter, moving toward paintings populated by many shapes, together recalling a scene, and eventually refining the technique into his multiforms (Loos). By the 1950s, Rothko’s signature style included only four rectangles at most and was oriented vertically, marking the final refinements to the multiform pattern (The National Gallery of Art). The artist worked with thin washes of oil and egg-based pigment, applying additional layers to deepen the color or adding washes of new colors to achieve a luminescence (The National Gallery of Art). Rather than employing uniform saturation or layers of identical color, Rothko experimented with a hue’s range of intensity and tone in different parts of each work creating a diverse viewing experience. With the paint, the artist would create rectangles of colors, one hovering above the other. The rectangles had soft, undefined outlines creating an ethereal appearance, causing the shapes to seemingly hover above the canvas (The National Gallery of Art). With No. 13 (White, Red, on Yellow) along with all of his multiforms, Rothko layers colors and dilutes edges and layers his hues to beg the question, what lies beneath the surface? Rothko’s philosophical aims suit the form he so carefully devised over his career.
Both Albers and Rothko adapted the multiforms to suit their aesthetic purposes and theoretical designs. In keeping with the modernist movement, both artists experimented with form and color, challenging traditional uses of media. And both succeeded, through their trials, to discover strategies that animated a seemingly flat mode of art. Via optical illusions and layering techniques, Albers’s and Rothko’s works possess a multidimensionality that draws viewers toward them. Yet the progression of the works demonstrates a unique style each artist developed, a mode of expression that both conformed to the time and suited their own personal theories.
Works Cited“Josef Albers.” 2013. The Guggenheim Museum. 23 April 2013.
< http://www.guggenheim.org/new-york/collections/collection-online/artists/bios/1065>.
"Josef Albers: Homage to the Square: With Rays (59.160)." 21 March 2013. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. 23 April 2013.
<http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/59.160>.
Loos, Ted. “Rothko’s Journey to His Fields of Color, in Full View.” 20 March 2013. The New York Times. 23 April 2013.
< http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/21/arts/artsspecial/rothkos-journey-to-his-fields-of-color-in-full-view.html?pagewanted=all>.
“Mark Rothko.” 2013. The National Gallery of Art. 23 April 2013.
< http://www.nga.gov/feature/rothko/intro1.shtm>.
Miller, Angela, et al. American Encounters: Art, History, and Cultural Identity. London: Prentice Hall, 2008. 570.
Wainwright, Lisa S. “Colour-Field Painting.” 2013. Britannica. 23 April 2013.
< http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/126733/colour-field-painting>.
Images Cited
"Josef Albers: Homage to the Square: With Rays (59.160)." 21 March 2013. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. 23 April 2013.
<http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/59.160>.
Loos, Ted. “Rothko’s Journey to His Fields of Color, in Full View.” 20 March 2013. The New York Times. 23 April 2013.
< http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/21/arts/artsspecial/rothkos-journey-to-his-fields-of-color-in-full-view.html?pagewanted=all>.
"Mark Rothko: No. 13 (White, Red, on Yellow) (1985.63.5)." The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
<http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/1985.63.5>.