Lena Rivera
Robert Motherwell (1915-1991) was an American abstract expressionist painter, printmaker, and editor. He was one of the youngest members of the New York School, which included Willem de Kooning, Jackson Pollock, and Mark Rothko. Motherwell's work was influenced by the Surrealists, particularly the concept of automatism, which taps into the unconscious of the artist. He was also inspired by the broad spaces and bright colours of the Pacific Coast, which he spent time at as a child due to his asthmatic condition. Motherwell's most famous series, Elegies to the Spanish Republic, consists of over 100 paintings, sketches, and drawings and functions as a memorial to the Spanish Civil War.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Artistic influences | Surrealists (Max Ernst, Duchamp, Masson, Roberto Matta), Meyer Schapiro, European Modernism |
| Artistic approach | Automatism, intuitive painting, drawing from the unconscious |
| Themes | Political, philosophical, literary, mortality, human empathy |
| Style | Abstract Expressionism |
| Colours | Ultramarine blue, ochre yellow |
| Art forms | Painting, printmaking, collage, drawing, writing, editing |
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What You'll Learn
Influence of surrealists and automatism
Robert Motherwell's encounter with Surrealists and his introduction to automatism played a pivotal role in shaping his artistic trajectory. In 1940, Motherwell moved to New York to study at Columbia University, where art historian Meyer Schapiro encouraged him to pursue painting. Schapiro introduced Motherwell to a group of exiled Parisian Surrealists, including Max Ernst, Duchamp, and Masson. Motherwell was deeply influenced by their notion of automatism, which held that art could be a manifestation of the artist's subconscious.
The concept of automatism, or "automatic" drawing, was introduced to Motherwell by the Surrealist artist Roberto Matta. After a trip to Mexico in 1941, where he met his future wife, Motherwell decided to pursue painting as his primary vocation. The sketches he made in Mexico evolved into his early significant paintings, such as "The Little Spanish Prison" (1941) and "Pancho Villa, Dead and Alive" (1943).
Matta's influence on Motherwell and other American artists in the early to mid-1940s was significant. Matta imparted a unique interpretation of Surrealist automatism, encouraging artists to tap into their unconscious minds and suppress conscious control in the creative process. This idea resonated with Motherwell, who sought to move beyond copying European art and create something entirely new. Motherwell played a pivotal role in spreading the theory of automatism to other American artists, laying the foundations for the Abstract Expressionist movement, also known as the New York School.
The influence of Surrealists and automatism is evident in Motherwell's work, particularly in his Mexican Sketchbook. The early drawings in this sketchbook show the influence of Matta and Yves Tanguy, while later drawings reflect his time with Paalen, another prominent member of the Surrealist movement. Motherwell's trip to Mexico and his exposure to Surrealism and automatism were thus pivotal moments in the development of his artistic style and his contribution to Abstract Expressionism.
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Early life and education
Robert Motherwell was born on January 24, 1915, in Aberdeen, Washington. He was the first child of Robert Burns Motherwell II and Margaret Hogan Motherwell. The family later moved to San Francisco, where Motherwell's father served as president of Wells Fargo Bank. They returned to Cohasset Beach, Washington, every summer during his youth. Motherwell was raised largely on the Pacific Coast and spent most of his school years in California, where he developed a love for the broad spaces and bright colours that would later emerge as essential characteristics of his abstract paintings. His concern with themes of mortality can be traced to his frail health as a child.
Motherwell studied philosophy at Stanford University, California, receiving his BA in 1937. He then studied painting briefly at the California School of Fine Arts in San Francisco before undertaking graduate work in philosophy at Harvard University from 1937 to 1938. While at Harvard, he studied under Arthur Oncken Lovejoy and David Wite Prall. To research the writings of Eugène Delacroix, Motherwell spent a year in Paris, where he met the American composer Arthur Berger. It was Berger who advised him to continue his education at Columbia University, under Meyer Shapiro.
In 1940, Motherwell moved to New York to study art history at Columbia University. There, he was encouraged by Shapiro to devote himself to painting rather than scholarship. Shapiro introduced Motherwell to a group of exiled Parisian Surrealists, including Max Ernst, Duchamp, and Masson. Motherwell was deeply impressed by their notion of automatism—the idea that art might be a manifestation of the artist's subconscious—and it became a central tenet of his work. Motherwell also studied with Kurt Seligmann and spent time with the Surrealist painter Roberto Matta, with whom he travelled to Mexico in 1941. There, he met his future wife, Maria Emilia Ferreira y Moyeros, an actress. Motherwell decided to make painting his primary vocation, and the sketches he made in Mexico evolved into his first important paintings, such as The Little Spanish Prison (1941) and Pancho Villa, Dead and Alive (1943). Matta introduced Motherwell to the concept of "automatic" drawing or automatism, which the Surrealists used to tap into their unconscious.
Upon his return from Mexico, Motherwell spent time developing his creative principle based on automatism. He observed that American artists tended to copy European artists rather than develop their own creative principles. Motherwell, who had a psychoanalytic background, believed that free association might be the best chance to create something entirely new. He became one of the first American artists to experiment with the surrealist automatic approach, characterised by brushing, splashing, and pouring paint onto the canvas without much critical intervention or editing.
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Time in Mexico
In 1941, Robert Motherwell took a trip to Mexico with the Surrealist painter Roberto Matta. This trip proved to be formative for Motherwell's artistic development. The sketches he made in Mexico evolved into some of his first important paintings, such as 'The Little Spanish Prison' (1941) and 'Pancho Villa, Dead and Alive' (1943).
Matta introduced Motherwell to the Surrealist concept of automatism, or psychic automatism—the idea that art is a manifestation of the artist's subconscious, produced through spontaneous, unedited drawing or writing that flows from the artist's unconscious. Motherwell was deeply impressed by this notion and it became a central tenet of his work and his "creative principle".
Upon his return from Mexico, Motherwell spent time developing his creative principle based on automatism. He observed that American artists, while technically skilled, lacked a creative principle of their own and often ended up copying European artists. Motherwell sought to change this dynamic and believed that automatism could be the mobilising force that would allow American artists to express themselves in a creative way, independent of European influence.
The areas Motherwell visited in Mexico and their cultures represented life and vitality for him, as well as a direct confrontation with mortality. He found that these places and experiences, along with his childhood sensory impressions of Central California, influenced his artistic process.
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The Elegies to the Spanish Republic series
Robert Motherwell's "Elegies to the Spanish Republic" series is a memorable artistic tribute to the Spanish Civil War. The series attempts to portray the emotions of the conflict era with powerful strokes and emotionally charged imagery. Motherwell's work on the series functioned as a memorial to the Spanish Civil War, an event that came to symbolize human tragedies, oppression, and injustice. The series comprises more than 140 paintings, including Elegy to the Spanish Republic No. 110, which is known for its stark black and white palette and interplay of ovoid and bar-like rectilinear forms. The meaning of these forms has been the subject of great debate, with some interpreting them as architectural or ancient monuments, and others seeing them as phalluses and wombs, suggesting the cycle of life and death.
Motherwell's "Elegies to the Spanish Republic" series was created in the context of the artist's broader exploration of abstract art in the modern era. Motherwell observed artists stripping away symbolism, objects, propaganda, and anecdotes, focusing instead on the emphasis of colour and form. This approach aligned with the concept of "automatism" or free association that Motherwell encountered through his interactions with Surrealists like Roberto Matta, Max Ernst, Duchamp, and Masson. The idea of automatism suggests that art is a manifestation of the artist's subconscious, and it became a central tenet of Motherwell's work.
Motherwell's personal experiences and interests also influenced the series. His time spent in Mexico with Matta in 1941 resulted in sketches that evolved into important paintings like "The Little Spanish Prison" (1941) and "Pancho Villa, Dead and Alive" (1943). Additionally, Motherwell's frail health as a child due to asthma may have influenced his later concern with themes of mortality. His love for the broad spaces and bright colours of the Pacific Coast, where he spent much of his youth, also emerged as essential characteristics of his abstract paintings, such as the ultramarine blue of the sky and the ochre yellow of the Californian hills.
The "Elegies to the Spanish Republic" series is a testament to Motherwell's intellectual accomplishments and his ability to bridge and challenge dual influences from European and American Modernism. His work in this series and beyond demonstrates a commitment to exploring formal dialogues while never neglecting the necessity of human empathy. Motherwell's legacy extends beyond his paintings to include the significant breadth and influence of his writing, editing, and teaching.
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Legacy and death
Robert Motherwell, an American abstract expressionist painter, printmaker, editor, writer, and teacher, died on July 16, 1991, at his home in Provincetown, Massachusetts. He was 76 years old. Motherwell's legacy is significant not only because of his prolific artistic output but also because of his intellectual accomplishments and the breadth and influence of his writing, editing, and teaching.
Motherwell's work as an artist is considered his most important legacy. His paintings, prints, and collages feature simple shapes, bold colour contrasts, restrained and gestural brushstrokes, and a dialogue with art history, philosophy, and contemporary art. His work also engaged with autobiographical content, contemporary events, and the essential human conditions of life, death, oppression, and revolution. Motherwell's work bridged and challenged the dual influences of European and American Modernism, and despite its interest in formal dialogues, never neglected the necessity of human empathy.
Motherwell's writing and teaching were also significant contributions to his field. He wrote numerous essays on art and aesthetics and lectured and published extensively, becoming an unofficial spokesman and interpreter for the Abstract Expressionist movement. Motherwell's writing contained a "rueful, pessimistic undertone," and he often questioned the validity and usefulness of art criticism itself.
In addition to his artistic and intellectual pursuits, Motherwell also had a successful career as an editor. He edited "The Dada Painters and Poets: an Anthology" and directed the publication of the series "The Documents of Modern Art" from 1944 to 1952. Motherwell also founded the Dedalus Foundation in 1981 to foster public understanding of modern art and modernism through research, education, publications, and exhibitions.
Motherwell's impact extended beyond his own lifetime and continued to influence future generations of artists and thinkers. His estate, estimated at over $25 million, included more than 1,000 works of art, not including prints. A memorial service for Motherwell was held on the beach outside his Provincetown home, attended by several hundred people.
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Frequently asked questions
Motherwell's Elegies to the Spanish Republic series was a memorial to the Spanish Civil War, which symbolised for him the human tragedies of oppression and injustice. The series consists of over 100 black forms on white backgrounds.
Motherwell was encouraged to paint by his teacher, Meyer Schapiro, who introduced him to a group of European Surrealists in New York, including Max Ernst, Duchamp, and Masson. Motherwell was impressed by their notion of automatism—the idea that art is a manifestation of the artist's subconscious. He also drew inspiration from the broad spaces and bright colours of the Pacific Coast, where he spent much of his childhood due to his asthma.
Motherwell was introduced to the concept of automatism, or "automatic" drawing, by the Surrealist painter Roberto Matta. This method, which taps into the unconscious, became central to Motherwell's work. He is known for his expressive canvases and collages, created using an intuitive approach influenced by the automatic writing and drawing prescribed by the Surrealists.
In 1941, Motherwell travelled to Mexico with Roberto Matta, where he met his future wife, Maria. The sketches he made in Mexico evolved into his first important paintings, such as The Little Spanish Prison (1941) and Pancho Villa, Dead and Alive (1943).
Motherwell's paintings often touched on political, philosophical, and literary themes. He explored mortality, with his concern for this theme stemming from his frail health as a child. He also examined abstraction, stripping away symbolism, objects, propaganda, and anecdotes to emphasise colour and form.
