Robert MotherwellNo. 6 from Three Poems, Abstract Lithograph by Robert Motherwell1987
1987
About the Item
- Creator:Robert Motherwell (1915-1991, American)
- Creation Year:1987
- Dimensions:Height: 25 in (63.5 cm)Width: 21 in (53.34 cm)
- Medium:
- Movement & Style:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Gallery Location:Long Island City, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU46610515662
Robert Motherwell
The name of painter, printmaker and writer Robert Motherwell (1915–91) is often taken as synonymous with the New York School, whose name he coined. Motherwell was the youngest of this group of Abstract Expressionists working in art, dance, poetry and music in 1950s and '60s New York City, which included Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning, Philip Guston, Helen Frankenthaler and Mark Rothko.
Born in Aberdeen, Washington, in 1915, Motherwell had perhaps the broadest and best education of any of the New York School coterie, with an extensive background in philosophy, literature and art history. He earned a BA in philosophy in 1937 from Stanford University and was working toward a PhD in the subject at Harvard when he interrupted his studies for a yearlong trip to Europe, where he fell in love with European modernism.
After returning, in 1940 he enrolled Columbia to study art history. It was there that he met a group of exiled Parisian Surrealists, and encounter that proved influential on his style. Motherwell began to integrate the idea of “automatism” — unmediated gestures that reflect deeper psychological impulses — into his work, pioneering a new form of Abstract Expressionism that came to characterize the New York School.
Works like the 1967 Beside the Sea no. 45, an acrylic on canvas, and the 1966 lithograph New York International epitomize Motherwell’s use of simple shapes in boldly contrasting colors, executed in quick, gestural strokes that occasionally evoke figures, suggesting a latent narrative despite their obvious abstraction.
Throughout his career, Motherwell taught painting at Hunter College, in New York, and at Black Mountain College, in North Carolina, where his work influenced the likes of Cy Twombly, Robert Rauschenberg and Kenneth Noland. His influence as one of the founding fathers of American Abstract Expressionism remains profound.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Shipping from: Long Island City, NY
- Return Policy
More From This Seller
View All1980s Modern Abstract Prints
Rice Paper, Lithograph
1970s Abstract Expressionist Abstract Prints
Rice Paper, Lithograph
1980s Abstract Expressionist Abstract Prints
Rice Paper, Lithograph
1980s Abstract Expressionist Abstract Prints
Rice Paper, Lithograph
1980s Abstract Expressionist Abstract Prints
Rice Paper, Lithograph
1960s Expressionist Abstract Prints
Rice Paper, Stencil
You May Also Like
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Encaustic, Archival Paper, Rice Paper, Washi Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Abstract Prints
Monoprint, Rice Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Abstract Prints
Monoprint, Rice Paper
1990s Abstract Geometric Abstract Prints
Rice Paper, Etching
Mid-20th Century Abstract Abstract Prints
Rice Paper, Etching, Stencil
Early 2000s Contemporary Abstract Prints
Rice Paper, Monotype
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
Romare Bearden’s Humanity Infuses His Bright, Bold Art
Through collage, painting and printmaking, the artist foregrounded Black life in America in revolutionary new ways.
Chryssa’s 1962 Neon Sculpture Was Way ahead of the Art-World Curve
By working with lettering, neon and Pop imagery, Chryssa pioneered several postmodern themes at a time when most male artists detested commercial mediums.