Splitting The Century, Part One
You Should Own Art, Edition 18
Oof! ‘22 has started with a roar and it’s been tough to find the time and the clarity to focus on Y.S.O.A. So, I’m about a week behind schedule.
The story goes that during the last century, a century in which humanity managed to pair technological and social advances with mechanized barbarity on a planetary scale, art experienced a severe schism. Beginning in the period during and immediately after the first World War, artists felt compelled to disrupt the culture that set the stage for such mindless carnage. This set in motion a general movement away from figurative art and towards abstraction. Things advanced to the point where it became difficult for art students to even learn the techniques of representational art. Certainly there were many factors behind the rise of abstract art, arguably the movement was already set in motion in the late 19th century. Whatever the causes, the first part of the 20th century saw a Cambrian explosion of art movements and modes of artistic expression, an explosion that arguably continues today.
I thought it would be neat to try and gather artifacts from this period. So this edition is devoted to works on the abstract end of continuum and the next will look at more figurative works.
But first, for those who are new here, my statement on who’s making money from all this (TL,DR: not me):
I am frequently asked if I make a commission from sales of the art that I feature here. No, I don’t. I have nothing to do with the transaction and I don’t plan to. I view Y.S.O.A. as a continuous argument that our lives are improved at some very fundamentally human level when we surround ourselves with art. I also think that making art is one of the best things you can do with your life, and I want to support those that do.
“Abstracted Seated Woman”
Ray Kaiser, 1937
Lithograph, 9 1/4 x 12 inches (entire sheet)
USD$750
This is really special. You may know of Ray by her married name. She is the Ray of the famed modernist design partnership of Charles and Ray Eames. What you may not know is that before she became famous as a designer, she was notorious as an artist. She was a founding member of the American Abstract Artists in the thirties, a time when galleries would not even show abstract art at all.
The work itself has an interesting history which is indicative of the start-stop, improvisatory early history of abstract art. You can read about it at 1st Dibs.
You can buy this work from 1st Dibs here.
“Gestural Monochrome Abstract”
Calvin Anderson, Late 1950s
Oil & Graphite, 14 x 11 inches unframed
USD$650
This is a quintessential work from this era; big energy with simple materials. This calls to mind the work of one of the big kids of Abstract Expressionism, Franz Klein.
You can buy this work from Lost Art Salon here.
“Dark Abstract Expressionist Stone Lithograph”
Gary L. Shaffer, 1962
Stone Lithograph on Rag Paper, 26 x 20 inches unframed
USD$785
This one just sticks with me.
You can buy this work from Lost Art Salon here.
Title unknown
Erling Jorgensen, 1957
Silkscreen Serigraph, Hand Signed, 5.5 x 7.5 inches
USD$360
I love the composition and joyfulness of this one. It’s worth reading the back story, it seems like a portal into a super interesting mid-century art movement in Scandinavia.
You can buy this work from 1st Dibs here.
Untitled
Bernard Childs, 1960
Intaglio print, 11.13 x 7.88 inches
USD$800
What strikes me is how contemporary this image is. It really could have been made today.
You can buy this work from 1st Dibs here.
Surreal Humanoid Forms
Jane Mitchell, 1970s
Graphite on Paper, 18.5 x12.5 inches unframed
USD$425
Ok, this is a little outside the date range I was aiming for, but I just love this image. Take a look at other examples of Jane’s work, it’s really intriguing stuff.
You can buy this work from Lost Art Salon here.
No title
Alfred Manessier, 1952
Lithograph, Edition : 59/100
19.69 x 25.6 inches
USD$520.72
Cool grays, deep blues, cadmium yellow. I think I’ll just hang out here for a while.
You can buy this image from 1st Dibs here.
Joan Miro (Plate 1)
Joan Miró
Original lithograph, 1956
16.75 x 15.5 inches, Frame Included
USD$795
If you’re unfamiliar with Miró’s work, you should take a few seconds to get hip. He’s been super influential across both art and design. We still see the influence of his work today.
You can buy this work here.
Untitled
Angelo Bozzola, 1955
Linocut Print, edition of 40 prints. Hand signed.
19.69 x 13.78 inches
USD$324.01
When I think of art from this period, this is what I think of: dramatic, big, graphic shapes and compositions. It looks effortless, but it’s incredibly hard to make something this elegant and intriguing.
You can buy this work here.
“Characters”
Giuseppe Capogrossi, 1958
Lithograph and stencil on wove paper
12 x 10 inches
$347.15
This is just super delightful. I imagine that this is a message written in a language that we could all understand if we simply let ourselves.
You can buy this work here.
That’s it for this edition. In the next, we’ll look at figurative works from the same period and see if we can spot interesting overlaps and difference. As always, thanks so much for reading. And, tell your friends to subscribe, they like are too.