Franz kline is one of the most familiar american painters. Franz kline and his action painting manner ideelart. Despite this appearance of immediacy, however, the paintinglike many of klines abstractionswas deliberately planned. Dec 14, 2004 this landmark exhibition catalog surveys the entire career of one of the last great painters of high modernism, franz kline. Herskovic 186 franz kline began his career as a figure and landscape painter, and studied in the art department of boston university from 1931 to 1935 and heather. Abstract expressionist painter franz kline was well known for his black and white paintings. Alex katz on franz klines black, white, and gray the fixed value system doesnt seem to work well now. I paint the white as well as the black, and the white is just as important. Franz kline discussing black and white 1960 american. Black reflections, an intensely colored small work on paper, may in fact relate to an earlier black and white piece. Later the results seemed to signify something but difficult to give. Learn how franz kline turned small sketches done on the pages of a phone book into large, gestural abstractions.
I think there was a time when the original forms that finally came out in black and white were in colour and then as time went on i painted them out and make them black and white. He knew that art form through multiple sources, including the japanese avantgarde. This book belongs on the book shelf of everyone with an interest in american painting. The works included have been selected from collections from around the world with the intent of showing all of klines achievements, from the early figurative oil paintings of the late 1930s and 1940s to his breakthroughs in abstract expressionism seen in a selection of his largescale blackandwhite works. However, formatting rules can vary widely between applications and fields of interest or study. Dec 15, 2008 defying the heroic myth of abstract expressionism the artist exploding with spontaneous invention before a blank canvas kline rehearsed ideas for his big black on white paintings in these ink. Franz kline is considered a giant of mid20th century abstract art. To experiment on your own, take our online studio course materials and techniques of postwar abstract painting. Excerpt from an interview with david sylvester, 1960. The cipherlike quality of klines configurations, and his use of black and white, have provoked comparisons with japanese calligraphy, but kline. Franz kline in coal country is the first biography to examine klines formative years in lehighton, philadelphia, boston, and london, before he became a founding member of the new york school. He knew that art form through multiple sources, including the japanese avantgarde journal bokubi beauty of ink, but he was quick to distinguish his painting style, asserting in 1958, i paint the white as well as the black, and the white is just as important. Kline studied at boston university 1935 and at the heatherley school of art, london 193738, settling in new york city in the latter year. Acclaimed as the definitive volume on artist franz kline, this book provides firsthand accounts of his bohemian life and.
People have long looked at it in disgust and then labeled the entire abstract expressionist movement of the late 1940s and for. Around 1949 he began to make blackandwhite canvases such as painting, which, while abstract, continue to suggest the invigorating energy of urban street life. Franz kline is most famous for his black and white abstractions, which have. The painting techniques of franz kline video khan academy. Franz kline 19101962 was a leading figure among the abstract expressionists. To experiment on your own, take our online studio course materials and techniques of postwar abstract. Franz kline black and white collage etude pour accent aigu, 1957 techniques mixtes. No matter what youre looking for or where you are in the world, our global marketplace of sellers can help you find unique and affordable options. The final test of a painting, theirs, mine, any other, is. Klines gestural blackandwhite paintings elicited comparisons to calligraphy. Franz kline s energetic black strokes on a white field are as recognizable as jackson pollocks drips or mark rothkos rectangles of glowing color.
Franz josef kline artist, fine art prices, auction records. Franz kline was an american abstract expressionist known for his distinctive monochromatic paintings. Quarto approximately 11 inches high by 812 inches wide, softcover bound in pictorial wrappers with a blackandwhite cover illustration reproducing siegfried by franz kline. The blackandwhite lines command the kind of tension that transforms coal into diamonds, and single works have sold for over forty million dollars. An exhibition of works on paper, march 29may 14, 1977.
The books and articles below constitute a bibliography of the sources used in. The first work in only black and white seemed related to figures, and i titled them as such. Defying the heroic myth of abstract expressionism the artist exploding with spontaneous invention before a blank canvas kline rehearsed ideas for his big blackonwhite paintings in these ink. People have long looked at it in disgust and then labeled the entire abstract expressionist movement of the late 1940s and for the next fifteen years as little more than art fraud. Mahoning, a monumental armature of bold black enamel strokes laid against a white background, seems to be a record of franz klines spontaneous gestures. The exhibition, which presents blackandwhite works on paper spanning a period of seventy. Local kline authority and writer of carbon county, a postcard history and contributor to ebbert and ripkeys lehighton, rebecca rabenoldfinsel writes this about the mural in her forthcoming book. Mahoning by franz kline what makes franz kline a master. What if they werent symbols, but were simply aesthetic forms meant to be appreciated as art. Franz kline master drawings from the cleveland museum of. A lehighton art gem moves to allentown the morning call. Kline in coal country, cowritten with her son joel finsel.
Read and download now franz kline black white 19501961 ebook. Franz kline black and white collage etude pour accent aigu, 1957 techniques mi. Pdf franz kline black white 19501961 ebook video dailymotion. Discover delightful childrens books with prime book box, a subscription that delivers. Kline made several portraits of nijinsky during his early years, when he worked as a commercial illustrator. Feb 25, 2019 the blackandwhite lines command the kind of tension that transforms coal into diamonds, and single works have sold for over forty million dollars. Franz kline discussing black and white 1960 american suburb x. I paint the white as well as the black and the white is just as important. Feb 29, 2016 alex katz on franz kline s black, white, and gray the fixed value system doesnt seem to work well now. Franz kline in coal country by rebecca finsel and joel finsel.
At first glance, this composition is typical of his black and white work. It wasnt a question of deciding to do black and white painting. This landmark exhibition catalog surveys the entire career of one of the last great painters of high modernism, franz kline. Employing black brushstrokes on white canvases, kline created calculated compositions distinct from other artists of his generation. Jan 19, 1986 franz kline is one of the most familiar american painters. His thick black strokes set into or slashed across white grounds are as deeply etched in the landscape of postwar american art as pollock.
Employing black brushstrokes on white canvases, he created calculated compositions, which were distinct from other artists works of his generation. The story goes that klines most recognizable style large black and white. Sep 12, 2014 elite critics refer to franz kline as an artists artist. Probst i is an example of klines late work where he returned to employing a wider palette. Franz kline, american artist who was one of the leading painters of the postworld war ii abstract expressionist movement. Online shopping from a great selection at books store. The images were made under conditions that allowed for the accumulation of. Franz kline throwaways make a suave impression sfgate. Franz kline may 23, 1910 may, 1962, american painter. Franz kline was an american painter, who represented abstract expressionism movement.
Coupling capacitance is a collection of digital reproductions of modernist paintings produced with an erratic trackpad. Franz kline is most famous for his black and white abstractions, which have been likened variously to new yorks cityscape, the landscape of his childhood home in rural pennsylvania, and japanese calligraphy. Founded in 1997, has become a leading book price comparison site. Franz kline american, 19101962 black and white, 1954 oil on yellowbeige wove paper, laid down on cream wove paper the cleveland museum of art, contemporary. Franz klines emphatic, abstract paintings set down with strident. Praised as a second generation abstract expressionist, franz kline was born in wilkesbarre, pennsylvania in 1910.
His thick black strokes set into or slashed across white grounds are as deeply etched. Franz klines energetic black strokes on a white field are as recognizable as jackson pollocks drips or mark rothkos rectangles of glowing color. Probst i is an example of kline s late work where he returned to employing a wider palette. Quarto approximately 11 inches high by 812 inches wide, softcover bound in pictorial wrappers with a black and white cover illustration reproducing siegfried by franz kline. This volume traces klines art from its beginnings to his last painting in 1961, just a few months before the artists death. Elite critics refer to franz kline as an artists artist. Previous to this i planned painting compositions with brush and ink using figurative forms and actual objects with color.
Kline s gestural blackandwhite paintings elicited comparisons to calligraphy. Gaugh, who selected the show, is the first booklength study on the artist. Franz kline paintings from a private american collection. He spent years struggling to find a style for himself and then achieved overnight success with his dramatic black and white abstractions. He spent years struggling to find a style for himself and then achieved overnight success with his dramatic black andwhite abstractions. It features over 70 major works, including paintings, drawings, sketches, and documentary material. Franz kline may 23, 1910 may, 1962 was an american painter. Franz klines energetic black strokes on a white field are. New york, whitney museum of american art and chicago, museum of contemporary art, franz kline. It wasnt a question of deciding to do blackandwhite painting. Kline was married to a ballet dancer, elizabeth parsons, who, like the famous russian dancer nijinsky, suffered from schizophrenia.
What if all along we werent meant to interpret hieroglyphics. This generation experienced much of their youth during the great depression and rapid technological innovation such as the radio and the. But kline claimed to paint not what i see but the feelings aroused in me by that looking, and chief is abstract, an uneven framework of horizontals and verticals broken by loops and curves. Franz kline american, 19101962 black and white, 1954 oil on yellowbeige wove paper, laid down on cream wove paper the cleveland museum of art, contemporary collection of the cleveland museum of art 1961. Since 1949 ive been working mainly in black and white paint or ink on paper. Until the early 1940s, franz kline painted realistic landscapes, portraits, and cityscapes that were inspired by the textures and forms of new york city. There are dabs of yellow and pale salmon that illuminate the massiveness of black twisted shapes, creating warm luminous effects. In the 50s, franz kline, an artist hailing from pennsylvania, created a series of paintings with ink on telephone book pages. He spent years struggling to find a style for himself and then achieved overnight success with his dramatic blackandwhite abstractions.
Find the latest shows, biography, and artworks for sale by franz kline. Broad and spontaneouslooking black strokes cover inexpensivelooking printed paper. Blog home franz kline and his action painting manner. Etsy is the home to thousands of handmade, vintage, and oneofakind products and gifts related to your search. People sometimes think i take a white canvas and paint a black sign on it,but this is not true. The 1910s represented the culmination of european militarism. Kline viewed his gestural painting not as an expression of his emotions but as a means to create a physical form and presence that could be felt by. He is associated with the abstract expressionist movement of the 1940s and 1950s. Kline was also known for avoiding giving meaning to his paintings, unlike his colleagues, who would give mystical descriptions to their works.