MoMA Trip

     Visiting the MoMA is always an amazing and eye-opening experience. The pieces are exquisite and inspiring. I believe that appreciating modern art is important because, like humanity, it is a phase of evolution. A new step in the emotional and psychological human experience that deserves recognition just as much as any meticulous and elegant piece from the renaissance or Greek period.

Abstract Expressionism 1940's

     I am especially interested in abstract expressionism. I think the emotion and underlying meaning is a beautiful way to look into the heart and mind of the artist. One of the most popular expressionist artists, Jackson Pollock, is a pioneer of expressionism. The work below, Number 1A, was painted in 1948 and is seen as one of his greatest expressionist pieces. Pollocks substantial pieces need to be seen in person. Number 1A is huge, measuring in at 8'10"x 17'5".

      Using methods like drip painting, a technique where paint is dripped or poured onto a canvas evokes strong feeling of disorder and chaos. His work looks unplanned and random, but his work was meticulously planned and layered accordingly. These massive pieces when viewed more closely feel electric and alive. This creates a mental video of the creation of the piece.

Pollock carefully "dripping" over canvas

Pollock's first layer was a series of handprints
that set the body of the piece

His use of his body, brushes, and the tubes of paint themselves is remarkable and pertinent to the reception of the piece. Here we can see that a closer look shows us that Pollock was not only dripping but that he used his body as a tool for mixing. He has left an enduring piece of himself on his art. The viewer can imagine Pollock pacing around his canvas contemplating his next step, they can imagine him getting down onto his hands and knees and becoming an element in his art.

Pop Art 1950's

     Moving on to a very influential period of art, pop art. Appearing in the mid to late 50's, pop art challenged modern day consumerism and mocked pop culture, advertising, commercials, and social icons. During this time America was experiencing a cultural shift, advances in technology and the growing relevance of mainstream media, but also reeling against the war in Vietnam. Pop artists parodied popular culture as a form of "sticking it to the man" and spreading dislike for the materialistic culture of the Western world. In my opinion, pop art acted as a catalyst for the punk movement in the late 1970's and 1980's.
     Like Dada, pop art uses many mediums and found objects used in collages and sculptures. Heavy use of primary colors made pieces visually captivating and the use of everyday mundane objects represented as art was thought provoking. Pop art was also seen as controversial because it changed our concept of art. Artists were no longer only creating original concepts or imagery, but copying familiar symbols.

Campbell's Soup Cans, each canvas 20x16; 1962

     One of the most renown artists, who many see as the leader of American pop art, Andy Warhol was a master of challenging our vision of originality. Campbell's Soup Cans, is proof of this from the get go. It is composed of 32 of Campbell's soup varieties, to be arranged in no particular order. The cans are hand painted and stamped, a method he would largely abandon for photo-silkscreen processing. Warhol believed that everyone should be able to appreciate art, and what better way to reach the masses then by making his art familiar.