Abstract Expressionism= Cultural Production in Times of Chaos

“In the American metaphysic, reality is always material reality, hard, resistant, unformed, impenetrable, and unpleasant. And that mind is alone felt to be trustworthy which most resembles this reality by most nearly reproducing the sensation it affords.” Lionel Trilling, The Liberal Imagination

Guilbaut’s discussion of abstract expressionism in the first chapter of his text encouraged me to look at abstract expressionism as being difficult to interpret yet still bearing semblance to the period in which it was produced, making it an art form that should not be lambasted for being “inaccessible.”Guilbaut writes, “But if Schapiro was right and abstract art was rooted in the social fabric, responding to social conflicts and contradictions, then it was theoretically possible for a left-wing artist to use abstraction (and thus to take advantage of twentieth-century discoveries in the plastic arts) without being ashamed of it” (Guilbaut 25). Following a materialist conception of art, we can see abstract expressionism emerging from the chaos and conflict that resulted from the political, economic, and social events following World War II.

In addition, the above quote by Trilling fits in perfectly with Schapiro’s argument because although modern painters may not have been depicting reality directly, their work embodied the sensations of reality, or the feelings and emotions that are identified with that period of time. In the case of abstract expressionist art, artists such as Jackson Pollack attempted to create art that embodied the essence of the period after World War II, and although many may not have been able to interpret this kind of art, I think what makes Pollack’s art somewhat accessible to me is that it is a reflection of the struggle people faced in coming to terms with modernization by realizing that they were both its subjects and objects.

Just like Americans were trying to come to grips with this modernity in their lives, artists such as Pollack were coming to grips with modernity in their artwork. In this case we see Pollack and other abstract expressionist artists embracing chaos, fragmentation, and destruction rather than fleeing from it. In all actuality, then, abstract expressionists were not really out of touch with their environment but were bold enough to confront it in all of its complexities and intricacies. It is this revelation that has led to my newfound appreciation of this type of art form.