Revisiting the formal, pure and physical languages within the painting discipline
Assignment and Objectives:
Complete 1 or 2 paintings that are a minimum 20 x16 inches with 3 small studies that emphasize concepts demonstrating the language of painting. The work should demonstrate a variety of formal concerns in the picture plane such as the use of colour, shapes, scale shifts, composition and mark making (gesture) using paint of choice. You have the option of developing a bit of collaged materials into the painting provided the above objectives and the points below are followed. All attempts should be made in the painting assignment to not reference anything representational. (No Jackson Pollock dripping)
1) Elements: Your painting should consist of a variety of line, shapes (organic and geometric), colour and spaces. Develop a variety of line and shapes and consider variations of visual weight in the line and shapes. Variety of colour will include no pure white, or pure black but could use tints and shades. Start with simple colour and gradually work toward the colour becoming complex.
2) Composition: The arrangement of elements should have variety, complexity but unified in the overall. Consider intervals (negative spaces) between elements and allow for focal points where there are areas of multiple overlapping shapes that interact with each other while simultaneously interacting within the overall composition. How do the various different elements connect and/or interlock with each other?
3) Space: should vary from deep to shallow with elements overlapping and weaving through work. Avoid literal or conventional methods to depict shallow and deep spaces. Spaces and forms can be fragmented and or abstracted through experimentation with painting materials.
4) Materiality: Consider the reality of the painting medium (language of the medium) on the 2 dimensional surface of your picture plane. Thick and thin applications of painting mediums and mark making and consider your options in terms of a surfaces to paint on. Various types of gestures and brush sizes will be useful for this.
Studies or Smaller Preliminary Works:
The purpose of the studies is to assist you in the investigation of this assignment. All the objectives do not have to be met in each study but rather should be used to take risks and experiment with paint, colour and composition to find all the required objectives. The studies are not about making something small and then duplicating that small study at a large scale. Instead the studies and the larger work should feed off each other.
Variation of interesting organic and geometric solid shapes and shapes depicted with line (different sizes)
Overall good visual variety and complexity (using all elements) but also work is still unified
40% for the following:
Maximized layering and editing process in major parts of the painting(s)
Physical presence of materials on surface (Layer drawing materials thickly in some areas of painting)
Variation of mark making and physical textures (organic and straight, short and long, etc)
Variation of Line and Shapes (this is potentially connected to variation of stencils/templates and mark making)
20% for the following:
Experimentation and innovation
Overall uniqueness
Optional Readings (Assistance in developing assignment):
Also there is the option to consider excerpts from Search for the Real a small book by Hans Hofmann, or excepts from survey books such as Art Speak by Robert Atkins (small book), The Visual Arts: a history by Hugh Honour and John Fleming, 7th edition p 844, and essays: Modernist Painting by Clement Greenberg. Considering the Hofmann, Atkins, Honour/Fleming and Greenberg's readings may assist you when developing ideas in your painting.
For a broader view outside the Modernist /Pure Abstraction painting assignment objectives other texts such as Art of the Postmodern Era, by Irving Sandler, Contemporary Art: Art since 1970 by Brandon Taylor, Five Faces of Modernity by Matei Calinescu and essay: Action Painting: Crisis and Distortion by Harold Rosenberg. These other texts offer debates, alternatives and opposition to Greenberg’s ideas regarding Modernism.
EXAMPLES for GUIDANCE
The examples presented here for the Modernist assignment are meant as a guide. Not all examples below meet all of the objectives for the assignment but instead offer a range of partial ideas that can be cohesively comprehended, synthesized and applied to the specific requirements of the modernist assignment.
For additional student examples of a similar assignment from my drawing courses please view the following link:
http://derekbruecknercourseinformation.blogspot.com/2009/06/pure-abstraction-modernist-drawing-and.html
Advanced Painting 4 x 4 feet mixed media and paint on collaged paper Spring 2005
Advanced Painting 4 x 4 feet mixed media and paint on collaged paper Spring 2005
Advanced Painting 4 x 4 feet mixed media and paint on collaged paper Spring 2005
Advanced Drawing (2nd Year Drawing course) June 2002
Stage 1 of Project
This work is from a 2nd year drawing class but even for an intro painting course demonstrates an exceptional use of scale and editing in the next 5 images posted below. For the purposes of this particular painting 1 assignment students should avoid representational references or illustrating (no outlines on forms) and no using black.
Stage 2
Stage 3
Stage 4
An exceptional example of editing and risk taking
Stage5
Advanced Drawing June 2002 Final Stage For the purposes of this particular painting 1 assignment students should avoid representational references or illustrating (no outlines on forms) and no using black. As well this assignment will require working on stretched canvases or rectangular/square boards with no found objects inside or outside the picture plane (such as the interesting context of the paint can presented in this example above)
Fundamentals of Drawing circa Feb 2001 approximately 18 x 24 inches
This small work is from a foundations drawing class but even for an intro painting course demonstrates a very good combination of organic and geometric shapes and some interesting figure ground relationships are demonstrated as well. For the purposes of this particular painting 1 assignment students should avoid representational forms (such as cityscape references in this example) or illustrating (no outlines or using black)
circa 2002 Above Image is Earlier Stage of Painting Below approximately 18 x 24 inches
circa 2002 Final Stage approximately 18 x 24 inches
circa 2002 Above Image is Earlier Stage of Painting Below approximately 18 x 24 inches
circa 2002 Final Stage approximately 18 x 24 inches
Fundamentals of Drawing Feb 2002
This work is from a foundations drawing class but even for an intro painting course demonstrates an exceptional use of scale and a good use of geometric shapes and pattern with some preliminary understanding of gesture and mark making. For the purposes of this particular painting 1 assignment students should avoid representational references or illustrating (no outlines on forms)
Fundamentals of Drawing Feb 2009 approximately 8 x 4 feet
This work is from a foundations drawing class but even for an intro painting course demonstrates an excellent use of scale and a very good combination of organic and geometric shapes. For the purposes of this particular painting 1 assignment students should avoid modeling forms or illustrating (no outlines or high lights or shadows on forms)
As well see other examples of Pure Abstraction from 1year Drawing course examples:
http://derekbruecknercourseinformation.blogspot.com/2009/06/pure-abstraction-modernist-drawing-and.html
3) Space: should vary from deep to shallow with elements overlapping and weaving through work. Avoid literal or conventional methods to depict shallow and deep spaces. Spaces and forms can be fragmented and or abstracted through experimentation with painting materials.
4) Materiality: Consider the reality of the painting medium (language of the medium) on the 2 dimensional surface of your picture plane. Thick and thin applications of painting mediums and mark making and consider your options in terms of a surfaces to paint on. Various types of gestures and brush sizes will be useful for this.
5) Editing Process: Revising and Layering process. Some areas will require numerous layers of painting materials while other areas will work with minimal applications of materials. As well during the painting process some areas of the paintings should involve scraping and covering (materiality).
Keep the work fresh, intuitive and do not overplay the work. Document this editing process.
Studies or Smaller Preliminary Works:
The purpose of the studies is to assist you in the investigation of this assignment. All the objectives do not have to be met in each study but rather should be used to take risks and experiment with paint, colour and composition to find all the required objectives. The studies are not about making something small and then duplicating that small study at a large scale. Instead the studies and the larger work should feed off each other.
During the process there should be a back and forth of working between the studies and the large work (especially at the beginning stages of the painting) As well studies may include manipulations of digital photos of the large work taken while in progress. In general it is strongly recommended that you photograph the work in progress and periodically make some inexpensive prints at home to work on in order to consider all potential directions to develop the work. Overall experiment and investigate various options thoroughly with the studies and the larger work(s).
Steps of Process to Consider for Developing Painting(s):
Avoid having every formal and conceptual component of your painting pre-planned or “figured out” before you begin. This will eventually suffocate any desire to work, because it is almost impossible to pre-plan every step in the process and get positive results for this assignment.
If you are stuck with no ideas it is best to immediately start painting with vague ideas and some random organic and geometric shapes such as in some of the posted examples.
Prepare yourself mentally for a process of:
risk, unexpected direction, layering, reworking, researching, making small preliminary works, applying criticism, generally experimenting with conviction in your painting, and you will have a very successful work.
Steps of Process to Consider for Developing Painting(s):
Avoid having every formal and conceptual component of your painting pre-planned or “figured out” before you begin. This will eventually suffocate any desire to work, because it is almost impossible to pre-plan every step in the process and get positive results for this assignment.
If you are stuck with no ideas it is best to immediately start painting with vague ideas and some random organic and geometric shapes such as in some of the posted examples.
Prepare yourself mentally for a process of:
risk, unexpected direction, layering, reworking, researching, making small preliminary works, applying criticism, generally experimenting with conviction in your painting, and you will have a very successful work.
EVALUATION (FORMALISM) CRITERIA:
40% for the following:Variation of interesting organic and geometric solid shapes and shapes depicted with line (different sizes)
Overall good visual variety and complexity (using all elements) but also work is still unified
40% for the following:
Maximized layering and editing process in major parts of the painting(s)
Physical presence of materials on surface (Layer drawing materials thickly in some areas of painting)
Variation of mark making and physical textures (organic and straight, short and long, etc)
Variation of Line and Shapes (this is potentially connected to variation of stencils/templates and mark making)
20% for the following:
Experimentation and innovation
Overall uniqueness
Optional Readings (Assistance in developing assignment):
Also there is the option to consider excerpts from Search for the Real a small book by Hans Hofmann, or excepts from survey books such as Art Speak by Robert Atkins (small book), The Visual Arts: a history by Hugh Honour and John Fleming, 7th edition p 844, and essays: Modernist Painting by Clement Greenberg. Considering the Hofmann, Atkins, Honour/Fleming and Greenberg's readings may assist you when developing ideas in your painting.
For a broader view outside the Modernist /Pure Abstraction painting assignment objectives other texts such as Art of the Postmodern Era, by Irving Sandler, Contemporary Art: Art since 1970 by Brandon Taylor, Five Faces of Modernity by Matei Calinescu and essay: Action Painting: Crisis and Distortion by Harold Rosenberg. These other texts offer debates, alternatives and opposition to Greenberg’s ideas regarding Modernism.
Some Contemporary Artists to Research in Relation to Assignment:
Amy Sillman
Elizabeth Murray
Alex Janvier
Lisa Corinne Davis
Rodney McMillian
Jadé Fadojutimi
Dannielle Tegedder
Han Bing
Julie Mehretu
Gerhard Richter
Some Historical Artists to Research in Relation to Assignment:
Helen Frankenthaler
Joan Mitchell
Ed Moses
Lee Krasner
William DeKooning
Franz Kline
Phillip Guston (50's work)
Hans Hofmann
Robert Reed
Cy Twombly
Clyfford Still
Robert Ryman
Amy Sillman
Rodney McMillian
Elizabeth Murray
Alex Janvier
Lisa Corinne Davis
Amy Sillman
Rodney McMillian
Elizabeth Murray
Alex Janvier
Lisa Corinne Davis
EXAMPLES for GUIDANCE
The examples presented here for the Modernist assignment are meant as a guide. Not all examples below meet all of the objectives for the assignment but instead offer a range of partial ideas that can be cohesively comprehended, synthesized and applied to the specific requirements of the modernist assignment.
For additional student examples of a similar assignment from my drawing courses please view the following link:
http://derekbruecknercourseinformation.blogspot.com/2009/06/pure-abstraction-modernist-drawing-and.html
Advanced Painting 4 x 4 feet mixed media and paint on collaged paper Spring 2005 
Advanced Painting 4 x 4 feet mixed media and paint on collaged paper Spring 2005 
Advanced Painting 4 x 4 feet mixed media and paint on collaged paper Spring 2005 
Painting 1 course 2003
(the above four images are four different stages of same work)
approximately 4 x 3 feet
Painting 1 course 2003
(the above two images are two different stages of same work)
approximately 3 x 4 feet
Advanced Painting course 2005
approximately 3 x 2 feet
Painting 1 course 2003
approximately 18 x 24 inches
Advanced Drawing (2nd Year Drawing course) June 2002 Stage 1 of Project
This work is from a 2nd year drawing class but even for an intro painting course demonstrates an exceptional use of scale and editing in the next 5 images posted below. For the purposes of this particular painting 1 assignment students should avoid representational references or illustrating (no outlines on forms) and no using black.
Stage 2 
Stage 3 
Stage 4 An exceptional example of editing and risk taking
Stage5 
Advanced Drawing June 2002 Final Stage For the purposes of this particular painting 1 assignment students should avoid representational references or illustrating (no outlines on forms) and no using black. As well this assignment will require working on stretched canvases or rectangular/square boards with no found objects inside or outside the picture plane (such as the interesting context of the paint can presented in this example above) 
Fundamentals of Drawing circa Feb 2001 approximately 18 x 24 inchesThis small work is from a foundations drawing class but even for an intro painting course demonstrates a very good combination of organic and geometric shapes and some interesting figure ground relationships are demonstrated as well. For the purposes of this particular painting 1 assignment students should avoid representational forms (such as cityscape references in this example) or illustrating (no outlines or using black)
circa 2002 Above Image is Earlier Stage of Painting Below approximately 18 x 24 inches
circa 2002 Final Stage approximately 18 x 24 inches
circa 2002 Above Image is Earlier Stage of Painting Below approximately 18 x 24 inches
circa 2002 Final Stage approximately 18 x 24 inches
Fundamentals of Drawing Feb 2002 This work is from a foundations drawing class but even for an intro painting course demonstrates an exceptional use of scale and a good use of geometric shapes and pattern with some preliminary understanding of gesture and mark making. For the purposes of this particular painting 1 assignment students should avoid representational references or illustrating (no outlines on forms)
Fundamentals of Drawing Feb 2009 approximately 8 x 4 feetThis work is from a foundations drawing class but even for an intro painting course demonstrates an excellent use of scale and a very good combination of organic and geometric shapes. For the purposes of this particular painting 1 assignment students should avoid modeling forms or illustrating (no outlines or high lights or shadows on forms)
Painting 1 course 2003
(the above two images are two different stages of same work)
approximately 3 x 4 feet
As well see other examples of Pure Abstraction from 1year Drawing course examples:
http://derekbruecknercourseinformation.blogspot.com/2009/06/pure-abstraction-modernist-drawing-and.html
Amy Sillman
Rodney McMillian
Elizabeth Murray
Alex Janvier
Lisa Corinne Davis
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