In my contemporary art history and visual culture course this past week (which covers the history of art from the post-WWII period to the present), I introduced the provocative idea surrounding the propaganda potential of Abstract Expressionist painting. I have always enjoyed this topic as a way to subvert the commonly held notion that artistic intention determines the meaning of a work of art by showing students how successfully the American government, helped in part by the CIA, were able to hijack the meaning of abstract art works created by the New York School, exporting Abstract Expressionism around the world as a symbol for a uniquely “American” form of cultural expression.

Jackon Pollock in the act of composing an Abstract Expressionist work, c. 1955.

Significantly, the open container for meaning created by non-figurative and highly subjective art, especially as it was explored in the kinetic and non-traditional modes of Jackson Pollock, allowed the style to be exploited as a Cold War weapon against the socialist realism style of the Russians. Socialist realism, the only acceptable art allowed to be taught in Soviet and Eastern bloc art schools from around 1932-1988, was a style that drew on Romanticism and Renaissance principles of composition and aesthetics, foregrounding the glorification and idealization of communist values. Importantly, it was also a style that forbade any kind of abstraction or individual signatures to supersede the intended role of the artist in society. Socialist realism’s singular goal was to reflect the collective spirit of the proletariat.

Within this context, it is not difficult to understand how and why Abstract Expressionism could be held up as the anti-socialist realism art form. For everything this movement held out in form and content as a manifestation of the “American dream” – seen mostly in terms of the paintings’ boundlessness, freedom, all-over gesture, innovation, and fierce individuality – it was also an art form that lied about the accessibility of that dream to everyone equally. Put another way, the very real limitations of the American dream lurk in the shadows of these art works, along with the legacy of white male privilege that is associated with the art movement.

These are the bigger questions I have my students ponder beyond the unfortunate “my kid could paint that” reaction to much of abstract painting. That, and to consider how far the original intended meanings behind many Abstract Expressionist works—intentions that are not entirely knowable, by the way—have largely been subverted by historical forces. As many of you reading know, Jackson Pollock died an alcoholic, a recluse and a very depressed man, unable to come to terms with a celebrity he never asked for. As for Barnett Newman (see featured image in today’s post), he was a self-declared anarchist and wanted little to do with Cold War politics. In the end, the Abstract Expressionists as non-conformist outsiders became the poster boys for insider American culture writ large—a profound moment in art history that also helps us come closer to understanding the broad commodification and co-opting of much of contemporary art today.

A few more things before the round up:

Sandro Botticelli, Young Man Holding a Roundel, ca. 15th century sold for $92.2 million, making it the second-most expensive Old Master artwork to sell at auction — Sandro Botticelli, *Young Man Holding a Roundel*, ca. 15th century sold for $92.2 million, making it the second-most expensive Old Master artwork to sell at auction

The art world sat up and took notice this past week as one of only three Sandro Botticelli paintings in the world believed to be in private hands came up for auction. The Renaissance painter’s Portrait of a Young Man Holding a Roundel (circa 1444/5–1510) led the Sotheby’s Master paintings sale in New York on January 28th and sold for $92.2 million, making it the second-most expensive Old Master artwork to sell at auction—the first one being Leonardo da Vinci’s Salvator Mundi, which sold at Christie’s in 2017 for $450.3 million. What was perhaps even more intriguing than the sale was the rumour of its buyer, none other than Russia’s President Vladimir Putin. Protests were sparked across Russia this past week caused in part by the leaked video of Putin’s alleged secret private palace. Who knows, perhaps this will be the final home of his newest art acquisition, if the Internet rumours prove to be true.
I have recently changed up the way I stay on top of my social media feeds, blogs, art journals, and other related content that help me prepare my weekly content. Being a big fan of Flipboard in the past, I have recently found it to be less than reliable, so I have moved to Feedly as my news aggregator application and have placed a menu navigation link at the top of my website for those who may want to check out my account. This is where I collect and pin the best of what I am looking at in terms of art and visual culture news each week, and I am really enjoying the platform interface across all of my devices (computer, laptop, iPad, and iPhone).