6533b833fe1ef96bd129b857

RESEARCH PRODUCT

Materiality and atmosphere. Two American beat artists painting Europe

Frida Forsgren

subject

050101 languages & linguisticslcsh:Fine Artsmedia_common.quotation_subjectArt historylcsh:Aamerican abstract expressionismjoan brownlcsh:AZ20-9990501 psychology and cognitive sciencesmedia_commonPaintinglcsh:NX1-820General Arts and Humanities05 social sciencestraditional iconography050301 educationArtlcsh:Arts in generallcsh:History of scholarship and learning. The humanitiesbeat culturebeat artjay defeoeuropean iconographyMateriality (law)Post warVDP::Humaniora: 000::Kunsthistorie: 120lcsh:Nlcsh:General Works0503 educationBeat (music)

description

The article discusses how European painting heavily influenced two American Beat painters in the post war years. Post-war American painting was often concerned with breaking away from traditional iconography and style, but Jay DeFeo and Joan Brown chose to engage with European traditional painting. Both artists travelled to Europe early in their careers and both declare an intense interest in European painters, paintings, and architecture. In Brown’s case particularly the works of Goya, Velazquez, and Rembrandt become scrutinized and remodeled in her pasty abstract style. De Feo, on her hand, states a particular interest in how the European cities’ distinct colors, lights and textures inspired her tactile, gritty painterly style. Both artists were involved in the San Francisco Beat era characterized by an unconventional and anti-establishment attitude. De Feo and Brown’s fascination with Europe is thus a radical contribution to Beat culture.

10.1080/23311983.2019.1621422https://doaj.org/article/951bb709b38d44db9121610402fc6110