In class on May 1st, we began by wrapping up our discussion of Surrealism. We looked at the work by Frida Kahlo, The Two Fridas, taking time to discuss how this work was a reflection of her own identity, as well as sources of inspiration. I had not known that Frida Kahlo was a Surrealist (though she would deny this classification – as her paintings reflect her own reality), so it was interesting to learn about a female Surrealist artist! In discussing her sources of inspiration we covered the impact of folk art in her artistic process, which strays from the traditional impact of high art.
We then moved on to considering the further plunge into abstraction, with works such as De Stijl’s Composition en Rouge Blue et Jaune (Composition with red, blue, and yellow). Abstract works like this one use reduction to achieve their artistic goals. After looking at works from Europe, we shifted to American art – looking at works by American Abstract Expressionists.