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Early Abstract Expressionism
· Fostered in US by Works Progress Administration (WPA) which supported artists: "poor art for poor people" (Gorky).
· Early AbEx: influenced by Cubism and Surrealism
· Influenced by social protest art of Mexico (Rivera, Kahlo)
· Overblown scale, monochrome, unusual materials, myth & memory
· "Action painting"
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Diego Rivera
& Frida Kahlo
· Mexican social protest artists
· Rivera's work in the US was often removed for its politically reactionary themes
· He has a large mural at the DIA
· Dondero's wall murals were inspired by his work
· Kahlo was first to paint of female oppression and victimization
· She mixed Christian and pre-Colombian symbols
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Classic AbEx
· The artistic hero struggle to discover creativity, boldly
· Tapped unconscious memory (Jungian) with symbols from different cultures
· Gestural Painting: slapping paint onto canvases (Pollock, de Kooning)
· Colorfield Painting: nearly monochromatic canvases (Newman, Rothko, Still)
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