Gordon Couch

Abstract Seascape 3. Contemporary Abstract Expressionist Seascape Painting

2000

Abstract expressionist seascape on paper. Boats gently rocking in the sunshine give a real feel good element to this piece. This work was created under the guidance of the great Engl...

Abstract expressionist seascape on paper. Depicting boats at anchor in a Cornish harbour, this piece has lovely earth tones running th...

Abstract expressionist seascape on paper. This piece is one of a series of works created under the guidance of great English artist Si...

Abstract expressionist seascape on paper. This piece is one of a series of works created under the guidance of great English artist Si...

Abstract expressionist seascape on paper. This piece is one of a series of works created under the guidance of great English artist Si...

Abstract expressionist painting on paper Matted

Robert Motherwell Elegy to the Spanish Republic No. 110C 1968 Acrylic and graphite on paper 15.2 x 20.3 cms (6 x 8 ins) Robert Motherwell's Elegies series represent one of the iconic motifs of Abstract Expressionism.  Based on a 1948 ink illustration the artist executed accompanying a Harold Rosenberg poem, “A Bird for every bird,” the drawing shows the hypnotically repetitive patterning of ovoids and vertical beams.  The stark contrast of the black ink on white paper references the symbolic use of the color black by artists such as Goya, Manet and Matisse to convey death, loss, and tragedy.  Motherwell was quite affected by the turbulence of the Spanish Civil War and alludes to the Spanish republic in his Elegies. Motherwell’s plumbing the depths of poetry, history, and primordial art in the Elegies is considered a hallmark of nascent Abstract Expressionist painting in its desire to "excavate" essential imagery of mankind. Motherwell, who originally trained as a philosophy scholar and later became of the great editors of 20th century art documents, grasped very early on the crucial importance that in order to contribute meaningfully to the canon of modern art, one must create a principle of aesthetics. Through the surrealist concept of automatism, the artist finally found the creative principle that eventually governed his extraordinary artistic output and produced the Elegies, one of the most salient, immediate painterly images of 20th century abstract painting. In fact, he has alluded to the fact that each one of his Elegies begins as an automatic drawing, and certain shapes are then blocked to create the signature armature of the vertical bars and ovals. The Elegies seem to possess the power of an archetypal image, an image the mind already grasps on a subconscious level. Motherwell's play of dualities of black and white as well as other dichotomies—the geometric versus the organic, chaos versus order, death versus life—was a condition of living through a tumultuous period in American history. During an interview, he vividly recalled the 1940s as the time when society was ordered by a set of contradictions.  In Motherwell's Elegies, he not only discovered an incredibly elastic pictorial language that would communicate on multiple levels but also acknowledged these contradictions in a manner that would resonate in abstract form.  The present work served as a model for a painting, Spanish Elegy...

The paintings of Christophe have everything they need, the balance, the color, the values, the emotion, the composition and just the right amount of feeling. What makes his art spe...

We are pleased to offer another impressive abstract expression painting by French abstract expressionist artist Christophe. This painti...

This piece Owen depicts an abstract composition with the use of mixed media and bold patterns producing work which is visually textured and rich with layers and is a part of the arti...

"Hey Did We Scratch?" - Abstract Expressionist Composition Detailed and layered composition by Leroy W. Parker (American, 1941). This piece is divided into a checkerboard, with a variety of overlaid patterns and textures. There are several types of handmade paper applied to the canvas, likely made by Parker himself. Signed "Leroy Wheeler Parker" in the lower right corner. "#1" and an up arrow are written on verso. Tag on verso with artist info, title, media, and date. No frame, but the edges of the canvas are painted for a frame-less display. Leroy W. Parker (American, b. 1941) is an artist from Oklahoma who now resides in Lafayette, California. Parker earned his BFA in painting from the California College of Arts and Crafts in 1966, and then went on to earn his MFA in 1968 from the same institution. He is a Professor of Art at San Jose State University. He has taught classes in fine arts, life drawing, ceramics, paper making (which he instituted in 1984), and sculpture since 1969. Parker has also served on the State Art Commission for sculptural grants. One of his pieces is held in the San Jose Museum of Art. Selected Exhibitions: Drawings and Paintings - ACCI Gallery, Berkeley, CA - 1974 “Artistry in Clay” - Forge Patio Art Gallery, Lafayette, CA - 1980 “A Most Elegant Show” - Sunshine Art Gallery, Fair Oaks, CA - 1982 “Flora” - Harcourts Contemporary, San Francisco, CA - 1983 Idea Gallery, Sacramento, CA - 1985 “Multi-Media Man” - Sacramento Center for Textile Arts, Sacramento, CA - 1994 “The Art of the Family” - Works Gallery, San Jose, CA - 1999 Artist’s Statement: I was born in Eagletown, Oklahoma to Southern Baptist parents, and my father was a preacher. We were two boys and six girls in the family. The most mundane things were magical and special to me. I liked to draw, color, make things, and plant things. I loved the woods and the earth, and watching storms with thunder and lightning. We moved from Oklahoma when I was 11. In the late 1950s, I attended Oakland Technical High School where I met artist Sam Richardson...

Small painting, big statement. In this visually engaging abstract painting, heavy textures entice the viewer to take a closer look. The neutral, grey palette with glimpses of black u...