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After the end of World War II, the people of Europe were traumatized by the atrocities that were committed and the devastation that many cities were subjected to. They were further appalled by events that happened in the post-war period, such as the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombing. This sentiment led to a change in art style from traditional styles and mediums to embracing existentialism to express distaste for meaningless violence.
In France, figurative artists were beginning to lean away from abstraction towards figuration, with several famous figures finding their place between the two. Artists like Picasso continued to utilize old styles of representing form through abstract shapes, while those like Giacometti and Richier embraced surrealism. Balthus focused on existentialism, notably drawing young girls in uncomfortably sexual, but not overtly explicit, positions. Meanwhile, Dubuffet’s art drew inspiration from the kind of abstraction found in the drawings of children and the mentally ill.
Some abstractionists in France began to reject geometric abstraction in favor of creating spontaneous art based on emotion as opposed to reason. This style of art was represented by artists like Jean Fautrier, Bram van Velde, Hans Hartung, and Pierre Soulages, who all sought to use colors and various paint strokes to represent emotion and spontaneity. Other artists, like Wols, not only used speed to create a sense of intuitive spontaneity, but also occasionally set up ‘artmaking performances’, during which he wore armor. Meanwhile, artists like Nicolas de Staël sought to include both abstract and figurative concepts in their artwork.
Concrete art also saw a revival circa 1947, with Max Bill and Richard Paul Lohse using mathematics as a base for their painting styles. Lohe notably used small color-squares in various combinations throughout his paintings.
Meanwhile, Spain and Italy also saw a rise in figuration and abstraction. In Italy, where politics and art were rarely far apart, radical abstraction became popular among young artists. In Spain, abstraction was used by artists like Antoni Tàpies to convey their themes under a dictatorial regime. Giorgio Morandi became famous for still life, most notably household objects painted on plain backgrounds. Marino Marini turned his usual horse-and-rider theme into a symbol of suffering and disillusionment of humanity.
In the Netherlands, constructivism became popular in the post-war period. Artists using this style formed into a group called CoBrA (Copenhagen, Brussels, and Amsterdam). They promoted formal experimentation with an emphasis on brush gesture, and rejected rationalism and geometric abstraction. Among the notable members of CoBrA were Asger Jorn, Karel Appel, Pierre Alechinsky, and Hundertwasser.
British artists of the post-war period returned to a strong emphasis on the figure. Artists like Barbara Hepworth and Henry Moore experimented with placement of shapes in relation to each-other and to the background surrounding them. Francis Bacon used the human shape to paint grotesque figures using bright, vibrant colors. Graham Sutherland used expressionism in his etchings of plants to create odd and dangerous-looking creatures. Finally, Lucian Freud focused on the nude form, drawn with clinical precision.
The photographic medium was not yet as popular in Europe as it would later become, however during the post-war period photography was used to explore the frailty and absurdity of life. Josef Sudek, Werner Bischof, and Robert Doisneau were among the most well-known users of this medium. Sudek photographed items on his windowsill and the view from his windows. Bischof photographed cities, most notably the destruction caused by the war. Meanwhile, Doisneau took photos of people reacting to things they saw in the street, such as a display of lude artwork.
Reference
Arnason H. H., & Mansfield E.C. (2013). History of Modern Art. Pearson.
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