Medium as the Subject

Leon Kossoff, Frank Auerbach and Jackson Pollock are examples of artists that use paint as the subject. They let the medium, oil paint; portray the narrative, subject and metaphorical meaning of the painting. They use thick layers of paint to symbolise the dominance and power, however to use paint as the subject is an ambitious task due to the over look it can get from viewers and critics. Although there is a slight juxtaposition between the technique and the subject due to its repressing power with the technique and uncertainties with the subject the qualities and paint properties for each painting demonstrate this heightened surface creating the sculptural affect and especially in Kossoff’s work the use of colours are earthy creating this connotation of art being a way of nature, which could suggest the metaphorical message of art being the power and dominance in society, this suggestion is emphasised by the use of paint being the subject. This is similar to the work of Jackson Pollock as he uses paint as the main subject and the only element to the painting. Pollock leaves the composition to fate, letting the paint fall where ever creating this impasto affect overlapping and layering paint. Pollock’s work caused controversy as it was seen as unprofessional and abuse toward art and paint, however Pollock is pushing the boundaries creating the growth towards modern painting and physically showing the importance of the medium chosen and demonstrating the aesthetically pleasing qualities and characteristics of raw paint and vibrant colours splashed across big boards. Pollock’s paint dribbling technique create this intimate connection between the artist and the painting because has to interact with the paint and the board to create this spontaneous and raw affect and appearance. Pollock has the intention to portray his emotions and by doing this he has made the subject the paint so that the viewers have no distractions as to what the meaning and motif of the painting is. Pollock way and technique of painting has be scrutinized due to the way he portrays his emotions, however Pollock’s work makes the viewer think and he has changed the perceptions of art. Jackson Pollock is an important artist for the evolution of impasto as he was one of the first few to paint how he truly felt with no distractions and obscured meanings what he painted was conveying a true sense of emotion.

 

Jackson Pollock, 1912- 1956, was an art student in 1929 in new York, Pollock adapted and changed his painting technique being influenced from many artists such as José Clemente Orozco an Diego Rivera however by the mid 1940’s Pollock’s technique had grew into this obscured and abstract manner with dripping, splashing and pouring whole tins of paint all over canvases, he would paint from the floor and wall. Pollock would manipulate huge canvasses with not the expected paintbrush by with knifes and sticks, he would then add different textures and a heightened surface by incorporating foreign matter in the panting such as broken glass and sand the effect of this creates a sculptural surface and appearance iconic for the impasto technique. The new and evolved paint technique was connotated with abruptness and quick response experiment to the artist’s unconscious mood. Art critics claimed it had no relevance to the viewer and that his creations are not important due to it not meeting the expectations of a typical painting. Pollock’s work was not considered “art” due to the boundaries being pushed the technique then became the subject to abuse by newspapers and art critics, in 1956 Pollock was titled “jack the dripper” suggesting that he destroyed art and that his work expressed the manner of a child however many artist suggest that Pollock’s work “broke the ice” implying that Pollock’s painting have showed the world what art could become, or how art is evolving into something much more abstract.

Leon Kossoff, 1926, an expressionist painter, meaning that he paints the meaning and emotion rather than physical reality, being an expressive painter means that the emphasis on what he paints is his own individual perspective.  He evolved his painting technique from a young age. Kossoff entitled this heavy impasto method recreating truthful representations of people and places he knows well. The use of thickly applied earthy coloured oil paint to wood with rough and encrusted surfaces from the thick impasto paint creates a gloomy and depressing mood and atmosphere for the painting making the viewer sympathise with the artist and evokes the viewer to feel the isolation which the subjects and artist are going though. Kossoff’s use of extremely heavy impasto while still remaining some firm structure by often using thick black outlines and approaches minor elements of figurative abstractions creates this sense of 3D portraiture. The method which Kossoff is paining is making the paint the whole element of the subject the way that he uses paint to manipulate the human subjects is capturing to the audience. Kossoff’s work is mainly figurative and the centres of his work is the human subject absorbed in isolation, this is shown in the use of the dark colour palette around the subjects face or body, and the isolated, ill body in the centre of “Woman Ill in Bed, Surrounded by Family”. Although the woman is surrounded by family which the title suggests, the people in the painting have no look of love, or expression there bleak emotionless there just lounging around like they have to be there but don’t want to be, its equivalent to being in a room by yourself. Kossoff’s interpretation of portraits is strong and powerful as the paint is a definite thing and the way that he applies the paint and the way that he is so continuous within his technique and the way that he wants layers and layers of paint to portray the subject of his portraits different to what would be expected and is adapting the impasto technique. Kossoff is an extremely important artist in the growth and evolution of impasto as he was and still is the only artist that applies paint so thickly that it creates this high textured surface of human form and although the subjects are seen as isolated and alone it has an elegance which is represented within the choice of subject that Kossoff’s repeatedly chosen. Kossoff is important for the development of impasto due to his technique in the raised surface and extreme texture.

Frank Auerbach, 1931 born in Germany he then became a British citizen in 1947. In 1939 Auerbach arrived in Southampton leaving behind his parents who later died in a concentration camp in 1942. Having to fend for himself and to deal with the death of his parents from such a young age can affect a person and this could be the reasoning to why he paints in such thick and dominant brush strokes. His paintings have a very recognisable style due to the heavy application of paint. This style is similar to the work of Leon Kossoff as they have both adapted there style to using large quantities of paint to portray the subject used, although there is a a sense of structure within Kossoff work due to the thick black outlined brushstrokes, Auerbach has a sense of obscuring the background and the foreground with a lack of structure. This obscured structure means that Auerbach uses emphasises of highlight and shadow in bid to portray  the subject within his paintings, usually women, his wife Julia, a professional model, and his friend and former lover Stella. Auerbach gets fixated on a subject and becomes obsessed with recreating the perfect portrayal, this leads to him creating layers and layer of paint in a bid to get the a portrait worthy of being shown to the world. Auerbach would usually scraps off layers of paint and start again this is how the layered encrusted edges and raised surface are created, the sense of displeasure in what he has previously painted is what drives him to try again, creating thicker higher surfaces.  There is a sense of juxtaposition between the process, which is long and bleak in comparison to the hectic vibrant quick energy that is being portrayed throughout the use of colour. The colour palette used by Kossoff is earthy, similar to the work of Auerbach however his work has hues of red continuously running throughout his work, this could be a symbolic representation for love and passion toward the subject, this continuous flow of colour creates a fluidity though these clean coloured pieces. The colours uses are vibrant this is due to the large quantities being used; there is also a lack of smudging keeping the colour in their primary state. Although the composition of subjects have been swallowed in isolation there is an obscured sense of happiness which is shown thought the passion that has been put into creating these impasto portraits, the brilliant white highlights and the red streaks across the sitters face shown in “Head of E.O.W. I”, 1960 suggest there is romance. There is a hidden intense relationship between the artist and the paint which is shown with the artist also repainting the subject, he doesn’t try a new media he always creates the “perfect” image with the use of paint. The way that he perceives the subjects using paint is something that also suggests an intense connection between the paint, subject and artist as his choice in using paint is one that stays prominent and persistent throughout his oeuvre. Auerbach’s portraits are highly abstract due to the obscured structure and captivating vibrant colour however for the viewer it can be mentally challenging to look at the body of work due to them having the physical qualities of a sculpture and yet mentally still capturing the impact of a painting. Auerbach paintings shocked art critics as they didn’t have the correct elements and structure of a 2D painting and this controversy is something that sparked about the work of Leon Kossoff and Jackson Pollock also.