Contemporary Art: Epic Abstraction @ Metropolitan Museum Of Art New York

(Drivebycuriosity) - New York`s Metropolitan Museum of Art is always worth a visit. The huge museum has a vast collection of art works and offers a lot temporary exhibitions. This week my wife and I took a look into their show " Epic Abstraction". They display icons of abstract art, which revolutionized the art world and are still influencing many artists (metmuseum). Some of them are really huge and impressive.

I love the "trip paintings" by Jackson Pollock. They look still wild & chaotic, maybe they are representing the Big Bang?

Above you can see his "Pasiphaë" from 1943 (Oil on canvas; 56-1/8 x 96 x 1-1/2 in. (142.6 x 243.8 x 3.8 cm). The curators explain Pollock"developed this novel interpretation of the Surrealist technique of automatism (which taps the artist’s unconscious to compose the image) by creating dozens of colored drawings, a selection of which is on view nearby. Amid the chaos are barely discernible sentinel-like forms on both sides of a prostrate figure in the center. Pollock originally called this painting Moby Dick, but he retitled it after hearing the story of the Cretan princess Pasiphaë, who gave birth to the half-man, half-bull Minotaur."

Above  Pollock`s "Number 7" created 1952 (Enamel and oil on canvas; 53 1/4 x 40 in. (134.9 x 101.6 cm)

Pollock`s majestic "Autumn Rhythm (Number 30)" from 1950 (Enamel on canvas; 105 x 207 in. (266.7 x 525.8 cm) .

Above Pollock`s "Number 28, 1950" (Enamel on canvas, 68-1/8 x 105 x 1-1/2 in. (173 x 266.7 x 3.8 cm).






Invitation To Meditate

Mark Rothko`s paintings are an invitation to meditate. Above his  "No. 13 (White, Red on Yellow)" from 1958  (Oil and acrylic with powdered pigments on canvas; 95-1/4 × 81-3/8 x 1-3/8 in. (241.9 × 206.7 x 3.5 cm).

The woman above is enjoying "La Vie en Rose" by Joan Mitchell from 1979 ( Oil on canvas) .

This woman is admiring “1950-E” by Clyfford Still from 1950 ( Oil on canvas; 91 1/4 x 69 in. (231.8 x 175.3 cm).

Above "Easter Monday" by Willem de Kooning created 1955–56 (Oil and newspaper transfer on canvas; 96 x 74 in. (243.8 x 188 cm).

Above the impressive "Duck Walk" by Mark Bradford from 2016 (Mixed media on canvas; 9 ft. 1/4 in. × 14 ft. 1/2 in. (275 × 428 cm).

Above “Night Journey” by Frank Bowling created 1969–70 (Acrylic on canvas;  H. 83 3/4 x W. 72 1/8 in. (212.7 x 183.2 cm).

Above "New York #2" by  Hedda Sterne from  1953
( Oil on canvas;  :78 × 34-1/8 x 1 in. (198.1 × 86.7 x 2.5 cm).

This woman is looking on "Dutch Interior" by Cy Twombly, created 1962 (Wax crayon, lead pencil, oil on canvas; 8 ft. 9 1/8 in. × 9 ft. 10 7/8 in. × 1 3/16 in. (267 × 302 × 3 cm).

To be continued