• Home
• Members
• Join
• Members Area
• Commissions
• Art History
• Links
• Contact Us

Jules Olitski

Born – Gomel, USSR 1922

Jules Olitski is one of a group of painters whom theorist Clement Greenburg called “Post-Painterly Abstractionists”. Olitski, with Helen Frankenthaler, was a major figure in the movement that followed Abstract Expressionism. Olitski studied art in New York and Paris, thereby absorbing both American and European avant-garde influences. The American colour-field paintings and thick abstracts by Hans Hofmann are of particular relevance. Unlike some of his contemporaries, who were seduced by the lure of popular culture to develop Pop Art, Olitski made, in effect, a critical reappraisal of Abstract Expressionist achievements. During the 1960s, this took the form of paintings comprising coloured stains, often with Pop titles. In 1964, he began making sprayed paintings. Yaksi Juice fills the vision of the spectator with overwhelming colour sensation. With reference to an apparent lack of aesthetic content, Olitski has redressed the balance in recent works, manufacturing thickly textured abstracts since the 1970s. He has also created a significant body of large-scale sculptures.

Masterpieces:

• Thigh Smoke
• Pink-Grey II

Text: The A-Z of Art, Nicola Hodge and Libby Anson.

Validate > CSS |

© Electricgallery.co.uk
> Site design Luka Cvrk
> Logo design The Artz Enchantress