Objective abstraction
Objective abstraction was a form of abstract art developed by a group of British artists in 1933. Experimentation was prevalent in British art at the time. The main figures were Graham Bell, William Coldstream, Edgar Hubert, Rodrigo Moynihan and Geoffrey Tibble. The paintings produced by the group used 'improvisation from freely applied brushstrokes'[1]. Geoffrey Tibble described objective abstractions as 'pictures that were not abstracted from nature, and which made no reference to and had no associations with anything outside themselves. The picture was an object in its own right', Bowness (1960:198)[2]
The exhibition 'Objective Abstractions' was held at the Zwemmer Gallery[3] in 1934 showing the group's work, except Hubert's. The exhibition also included work by more representational artists, Ivon Hitchens, Victor Pasmore, and Ceri Richards.
The movement was short-lived lasting only a few years. Many of the artists involved went on to be part of the realist Euston Road School.
References
- ^ "Objective Abstraction, Tate website". Retrieved 10 September 2014.
- ^ "Bowness, Alan (1960) The Paintings and Constructions of Victor Pasmore, The Burlington Magazine, vol. 102, no. 168, May, pp. 198-203". Retrieved 24 October 2014.
- ^ "Zwemmer Gallery, Artist Biographies website". Retrieved 10 September 2014.