Franz Kline

Franz Kline was an American Abstract Expressionist painter during the mid 20th century and is known for his very abstract style. Although, Kline’s earlier work was not as obscure as his most famous paintings in his later years. As pictured in his mural, Hot Jazz (Fig. 1), his figures, though impressionistic, were recognizable and conveyed movement. This movement is what helped to develop his style that got rapidly more abstract throughout the years. He discovered inspiration for some of works from befriending artist, Willem de Kooning and one can see the similarities especially in his black and white pieces.

I am not often drawn to abstract pieces because they often don’t make sense to me. But something about Kline’s artwork is very appealing aesthetically, and I also enjoy the conscious activity that goes into his paintings. Though his paintings may seem random, Kline was very conscious about his decisions and conveying his emotion within his strokes. To me, art is about purpose and I enjoy that you can clearly see Kline’s purpose in almost all his work.

Figure 1: Hot Jazz, 1940

Mahoning, 1956

Blueberry Eyes, 1960

Figure Eight, 1952

–

Works Cited

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franz_Kline

http://www.artnet.com/artists/franz-kline/