Franz Kline

movement, Franz Kline developed his own highly personal form of art based more on

“spontaneous expression in abstract design of the artist’s psychic states.”1 Abstract

expressionism saw representation as the exact opposite of their main aim in painting.

“Formal issues” such as color, lines, and shapes without recognizable representation is

what Kline, like many other abstract expressionists, strove to portray in their paintings.

They were individuals that were foraging their own way into the art world. Mainly an

artist of impact, Kline’s work was forceful and boldly dramatic, which characterized his

aggressiveness and raw energy. Best known for his robust black-and-white abstractions,

his zealous brushwork seemed to manifest the energy and gestures produced in the act of

painting. In this paper I will argue how Kline’s unique form, also referred to as action

painting, was affected by his background and other artists, how his work was not

influenced or represented Chinese calligraphy, and why he should be set aside from other

The Pennsylvania native originally was a representational painter, that used a style

. . .
Others thought that it was symbolism more than

calligraphy that Kline was trying to portray. A couple years after moving to New York, he sparked an

interest in abstraction and reduced the elements of his old style. ”10 It was as if his painting was something he

had no control over, and that painting in black-and-white was happening to him by some

type of force running through him. In response to a question by Katherine Kuh,

Kline responded with this insight. One of Kline’s works, Cage I, (see attached picture) is an example of Kline’s

achievements of making “a structural cohesion of plane, mass, and directional thrust” in

color abstraction. It was carefully planned out and even more slowly and purposely painted. Although this work did not

represent any type of calligraphy, it wasn’t simply lines thrown together in a painting

either. They range from the industrial forms pertinent to Kline’s childhood, like steel

bridges, to those of New York, like sky scrapers, to allusions of the human condition. ”7

One work in particular, Mahoning (see attached picture), was thought to look like

Chinese characters blown up many many sizes to a huge scale. ”2 Kline’s new style was

completely influenced by this new form of abstraction, especially how he used the

materials and what types he used. As quoted he said, “People sometimes think I take

a white canvas and paint a black sign on it, but this is not true. Held at the Egan Gallery in

1950, his show led critics to compare his art to oriental calligraphy because of its

simplicity. Painting strictly in black-and-white allowed him to

isolate and magnify value contrast. He gradually phased out figurative imagery between

1946 and 1950 with his reliance on color.

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Approximate Word count = 1673
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)

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