A Favorite Painting 21

Franz Kline, New York, NY 1953

As a contemporary of Jackson Pollack's, it's easy to lump Franz Kline in with the other abstract expressionists of the post-war period, and obviously, there are stylistic similarities to justify that categorization. But whereas Pollack seems to represent the chaotic nature of that era, to me Kline represents a more ordered perspective, based on solid, tangible structure and an almost mechanical precision. Granted, his structures-- as in the above painting from the Albright-Knox Gallery in Buffalo-- are under stress (and that stress is part of the link to other abstract expressionists) but his tough, angular constructions are clearly meant to withstand the pressure applied to them. Even in the absence of any establishing base or plain, the composition appears grounded (partly the effect of the black line on the right being cut off by the edge of the canvas) on a solid foundation that creates the impression of strength and stability. Because of that, I find it very reassuring even as it presents a somewhat warped perspective of... what? a bridge? a framework of a building? a mechanical crane? In emphasizing the component parts, any of these are possible; but in stripping the image to its bare essentials, Kline conveys aesthetically the core features of all of them, regardless of their specific utilitarian functions, and suggests (to me anyway) an urban landscape almost as striking as anything produced by nature. On another level, I also like how this image evokes a woodcutting (especially evident through the stark contrast of black and white), establishing an almost folk-like quality to the painting.

Maybe all of the preceding is just a lot of nonsense, except that if a painting can inspire this much thought (however rambling it is), then I definitely think the artist has done his job.