Franz Kline
GL.58.8.9
This is an abstract expressionist painting. This style of art does not show realistic images of people or objects. Instead it uses shapes, colors, and lines to create an image.
Franz Kline was an American artist who created large abstract paintings featuring bold black brushstrokes on white backgrounds. The orange accents in this painting stand out because most of Kline’s early works are only black and white. He used more color in his later paintings.
The painting focuses on movement and energy. It uses strong lines to guide the viewer’s eye across the canvas.
American painter Franz Kline is best known for his bold, black brushstrokes that look energetic and expressive. He was part of the Abstract Expressionism art movement of the 1940s and 1950s. Artists in this movement focused on showing feelings instead of realistic images. Other artists in this style include Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko.
Kline used fast, heavy brushstrokes that show movement. His paintings may look unplanned, but he actually thought them out ahead of time. He often made small sketches first and used a projector to make them bigger on a wall before painting them on a large canvas.
I don’t decide in advance that I’m going to paint a definite experience, but in the act of painting, it becomes a genuine experience for me.
Franz Kline
Orange Outline focuses on movement and energy instead of realistic images. It shows Kline’s typical strong lines but also includes touches of orange, which makes it different from his mostly black-and-white work. The black shapes in this painting may remind viewers of buildings or bridges, but they are not meant to be one specific thing.
tags: movement, place, subjectivity, artist’s process
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Samuel J. Levin
1955
38 × 40 inches (96.5 × 101.6 centimeters)
Paintings
Modern