To understand all of this, from the beginning, one must begin with the Word. That is to say, one must start with the understanding of the theory, what becam

There is one other painter during abstract expressionism who contributed a lot to the art theories of Greenberg specifically, and who created his works at precisely the same time frame as the other painters mentioned above. His name is Barnett Newman, and he was part of a style referred to as Post-Painterly Abstraction, a sort of subsetting of abstract expressionism. Along with him, among the "color-field" painters, as they were also called, was Mark Rothko. The general idea of the color-fielders was to paint huge fields of color on large canvases and divide them or meld them into fields of another color. Rothko liked to meld the color fields on the canvas, blurring the separation of the colors, whereas Newman used thin dividing lines to separate the huge color blocks he painted-sometimes fields of different colors, sometimes the same color. (Russell 323) These Post-Painterly Abstraction painters are the extreme of Greenberg's idea of a perfectly pure painting. Though it is perhaps not meant to portray the art theory of the time-Newman was attempting to express his feelings regarding "the tragic condition of modern life" and the general fight for survival human beings endure-Newman's work portrays an utterly uncreative artform. He attempted to use the art theory of the day-flatness, flatness!-to express something so incredibly complex and full of power that the fields of color divided by what he referred to as "zips" could not possibly get the message across by themselves alone. It could be said that Pollock better expressed these ideas than Newman's attempts.

Wolfe explains that artists rely on the "culturati", or high society members whose thoughts and actions are under the spot light at all times, to get their work noticed. These individuals like the newest of the new because it gives them a form of social status which separates them from the rest of society, and by all means if they can understand the newest modes of fashion and discuss them intelligently, all for the better. "The Boho Dance", as Wolfe calls it, occurs because it is the "culturati"-who tend to be the museum curators, the art critics, etc.-who will decide what art is fashionable and what art is not; they tell the world which artists are the greatest and which are like children dabbling in finger paints. So all any artist could truly hope for was a member of the culturati noticing their work and hopefully supporting them and funding them. The biggest dream of an artist is to be a name, Wolfe says; to be known, popular, to become a member of "culturati" because you are the creator of the current fashion. Essentially, to be genius because those art critics and those high society members say you are genius, and the rest of society, who try to catch up so hard with the "culturati" and never quite make it, flounders to support the new craze which is usually dead and gone by the time they all grasp it.

Probably the first true Abstract Expressionist, and the leader in the movement of abstract expressionism was Jackson Pollock. (Chiu et al. 138) Where the art of Cubism and Fauvism before Abstract Expressionism were abstractions of specific subjects and the like, abstract expressionism itself completely abolishes the idea of an actual subject. This begins with Pollock, whose work resembles the name "Action Painter" given the new art by Rosenberg-and abstract expressionism becomes synonymous with the word action-painting. Pollock was more concerned with the expression of the painting itself rather than the subject matter of the piece. (Russell 314) He would tack the canvas on the floor and dance around it with cans of paint, dribbling it on the canvas or flinging it off the brush or splattering it with powerful strokes; hence action-painting. Pollock's work generally has no subject matter other than the expressive explosion of feeling that appears on his canvases within swirls and splatters and intricate dribbles. With Pollock is the start

Some topics in this essay:
Greenbergian Rosenbergian, Painted Word, Dance Wolfe, Flatness Wolfe, , Post-Painterly Abstraction, Modern Art, Arshile Gorky, Action Painter, Greenberg Rosenberg, abstract expressionism, art theory, painted word, theory art, modern art, greenberg rosenberg, abstract expressionists, purity flatness, art theories, art theory art, truly art, greenberg rosenberg steinberg, art art theory, purity flatness greenberg, artwork abstract expressionist,