FROM THE FIGURATIVE TO THE ABSTRACT: A COMPARISON …ccca.concordia.ca/academy/papers_PDFs/5-katherine/Katherine2.pdf · essay “After Abstract Expressionism” (1963), the critic

ARTH 648B-2 Envisioning Digital and Virtual Forms of Exhibitions: The Curatorial Translation of Theory into Practice, 2012

FROM THE FIGURATIVE TO THE ABSTRACT: A COMPARISON OF THE TRANSITIONAL WORK OF CLYFFORD STILL AND RONALD SPICKETT

Katherine Meredith

Clyfford Still (1904-1980) and Ronald Spickett (b. 1926) are two western Canadian artists who

began with figurative painting, a term referring to art characterized by the natural representation

of the external world. Both artists shifted their styles to create large, non-representational

canvases. Still was born in 1904 in North Dakota but spent the early part of his career in Bow

Island and Killam, Alberta, as well as in Washington State. Still’s subject matter during his

formative years mainly reflected his witnessing of farm workers in Alberta and Washington

during the Great Depression. Often depicted during this period was the theme of “man versus

machine;” the tired labourer struggling with farm machinery.1 Still’s early work reflects a Social-

Realist theme. Popular in the United States and Canada during the 1920s and 30s, artists of this

genre drew attention to the everyday conditions of the working classes and the poor, while

criticizing the social structures that maintained these conditions.2 Ronald Spickett, who is today

known by his Buddhist name Gyo-Zo, was born in Regina in 1926. He has spent the majority of

his life and career in Calgary. Spickett’s preliminary works were also inspired by a Social-

Realist subject, but a more specific approach, that of Mexican muralism: an uprising of mural

paintings displaying social and political messages in an effort to re-unite the citizens of Mexico

following the armed struggles of the revolution that began in 1910 and lasted into the late

1920s.3 Still’s art progressed in a gradual but steady fashion from figuration to abstraction, and

the artist never returned to figuration in his lifetime. Spickett, in contrast, began as a figurative

painter, experimented with abstraction, and constantly moved between the two styles. Several of


his works contain both figurative and abstract elements. Spickett’s work, unlike Still’s, did not

follow any sort of ordered succession.4

The height of Spickett and Still’s careers fall into the post-war art period when Abstract

Expressionism, an American art movement of 1940s and 1950s originally based in New York

City became popular across the United States and Canada. Asthis improvisational aesthetic

developed, it clustered into two distinct directions: a gestural and painterly form known as

Action Painting, and Colour-Field Painting, characterized by large, flat areas of uninterrupted

colour. Also thriving at the time was American art criticism, particularly that of New York art

critic Clement Greenberg. A champion of modern art criticism and defender of abstract art,

Greenberg wrote several critical essays which have been crucial in shaping our understanding of

abstract art today, as well as creating a standard for art criticism.5 There is a subtle underlying

American-ness to his articles, as suggested by the title of one of his best-known writings from

1955, “American-Type Painting,” which discusses Clyfford Still’s work at length.6 With the

prominence of abstract art and value of Greenberg’s criticism during this time, Canadian painters

of the Prairies sought the New-Yorker’s attention. In 1962 Greenberg, lead an Emma Lake

Professional Artists’ Workshop in Regina. By bringing in artists and critics from outside of the

province, these workshops aimed to help artists of the Canadian Prairies establish stronger

contacts with the international art scene. Following his visit to Regina, Greenberg toured the

Prairies to subsequently write an article “The Art of Prairie Canada” for Canadian Art. In

Calgary he met Ronald Spickett, where he was able to view and critique his paintings.7 Both Still

and Spickett reacted very negatively to Greenberg’s criticism. This exhibition will compare the


stylistic development and artistic principles of the two artists, as well as look at how they dealt

with Greenberg's criticism.

Clyfford Still PH-343 1937 Oil on canvas Clyfford Still Museum


During the late 1930s Clyfford Still develops a painterly approach suggesting a blend of

Surrealism, Social-Realism and Expressionism. In PH-343, Still’s figure on the right-hand side is

flattened and distorted, clenching a piece of machinery on the left side of the canvas. This

painting reflects Still’s theme of “man versus machine;” the canvas is evenly divided in the

middle, separating the two subjects. The faceless figure places his hand across the central border,

clutching the piece of machinery, suggesting their relationship. Both sides emphasize an effect of

verticality. The abstracted figure echoes the lines and shapes of the machine. In one of

Greenberg’s most notable essays, “American Type Painting,” written in 1955, the critic writes

that unlike virtually all of the Abstract Expressionists, Still arrived at his mature style with

almost no allusion to Cubism.8 Following this essay, Still wrote Greenberg an angry letter,

asking him not to comment on his work and stating that many of his comments were false, and

did not want any praise from the critic because other artists were becoming jealous. In the

opening paragraph, the artist wrote to Greenberg: “After taking the venom of Barnett Newman’s

jealousy for over two hours yesterday afternoon, it required some considerable control to see

your last effort in an objective relationship.”9 Still had strong disdain for art critics and art

institutions, denying most exhibition requests and disagreeing with critics’ statements.


Clyfford Still 1945-H 1945 228.6 cm x 175.59 cm Oil on canvas Collection San Francisco Museum of Modern Art http://www.sfmoma.org/explore/collection/artwork/298


Clyfford Still took the idea of distortion further and further, making only distant references to

figuration, until eventually his paintings became non-representational. The jagged, organic,

vertical shapes of Still’s early abstract paintings, which began around 1944, still evoke the same

elongated human figure he previously painted. 1945-H shows similar elements to PH-343; two

abstract vertical shapes protrude from the bottom of the canvas, with a black vertical division in

the centre, creating a balance in the two compositions. The artist’s palette echoes that of the

previous painting, the same black, dark red, earthy browns, and off-white colours. In the years

following these paintings Still’s palette became brighter, his brushstrokes looser, and his

canvases larger. Greenberg named Still “one of the most original painters of our time,” and in his

essay “After Abstract Expressionism” (1963), the critic credited Still as a major influence on the

emergence of Colour-Field Painting.10 Still developed this new type of painting, most prominent

during the 1950s and 60s, based on immense canvases of simplified areas or “fields” of saturated

colour. The intentions of the Colour-Field painters were to create an abstract art suggestive of the

sublime. Although Greenberg and other prominent art critics such as Harold Rosenberg and

Robert Rosenblum frequently praised the artist, Still consistently refuted their comments and

embarked on a life-long campaign to restrict any interpretation of his work. In an attempt to

restrict interpretation of his work, Still removed all titles from his paintings in 1947 and never

again titled his paintings.11


Ronald Spickett Pasado - The Church of San Miguel de Allende [Parroquia de San Miguel Arcangel] 72.8 x 115.9 cm 1956 Ducco enamel on cardboard Private collection, Calgary Ronald Spickett never wanted to be identified with only one “signature” style or art movement.

Much of his work of the late 1940s and 50s was inspired by the Social-Realist art movement of

Mexican muralism (including artists Diego Rivera, Jose Clemente Orozco and David Alfaro

Siqueiros), as well as the landscapes of Mexico. Spickett attended the Provincial Institute of

Technology and Art in Calgary from 1946-1949, where he was awarded a scholarship to spend a

year studying in Mexico. The painting Pasado exemplifies a transitional moment in his painting


following another visit to Mexico in 1956. The forms in Spickett’s paintings begin to dissolve

and become fractured, suggesting a Cubist approach to Mexican art.12 The separated

brushstrokes, two-dimensional modeling, and simplified forms of this painting mark the

beginning of Spickett’s shift to abstraction This change in 1956 was seen as a major turning

point in Spickett’s career.

Ronald Spickett Untitled 1959 181 x 121 cm Oil on Masonite Collection of the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology, Calgary


Spickett’s landscapes break away from representational form; the separated square brushstrokes

in the Pasado painting transform into a covering of abstract lines and basic shapes. Untitled,

1959 is composed of layers of splattered paint: a blend of yellow and white lines cover a curtain

of red lines on top of a black base. These non-representational paintings have been compared to

works by the American Abstract Expressionist Jackson Pollock. In a lengthy Canadian Art

article of 1963 on Canadian abstract painting, Greenberg wrote of Spickett as a “big attack”

painter, and referred to his work as “the boldest abstract painting I saw in prairie Canada, and the

best and most ambitious I saw outside Regina.”13 He also criticized the artist’s work for being so

varied and experimental, stating that Spickett “failed to recognize his “message” when it came to

him.”14 Spickett, among other Western Canadian artists, did not take Greenberg’s criticism very

well at all. In the next issue of the journal, Spicket wrote a letter stating “Why Canadian Art

found it necessary to call upon the missionary from the Land of the Gods to examine the error of

our ways and our lack of light, and why the apostles from the same place visit the natives and

leave The New York Gospel, is an unhappy but loaded question. Luckily, ‘I missed his message

when it came.’”15


Ronald Spickett 1-23: Posse #3 1966 243.9 x 152.4 cm Mixed media on canvas The art collection of the Student’s Union, University of Alberta, Edmonton


By 1963 Spickett returned to a semi-figurative theme when he began his Rider and Posse series.

The term “Posse” comes from the Medieval Latin term Posse Comitatus, referring to the body of

persons that a peace officer or sheriff of a county is empowered to call upon for assistance in

preserving the peace.16 1-23: Posse #3, shows one or two figures on a horse, suggesting this

group of men on duty to maintain law and order. The subjects of the painting are painted in a

very abstract manner, with the rider hardly suggesting a human form. Forms are layered and

fused together on a blank orange background. 1-23: Posse #3 is an example of Spickett’s

paintings which combine elements of both figurative and abstract painting.


NOTES 1 David Anfam, “‘Of the Earth, the Damned, and of the Recreated’: Aspects of Clyfford Still's Earlier Work,” The Burlington Maazine 135:1081 (April 1993): 263. 2 James G. Todd, “Social Realism,” Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online, Oxford University Press, accessed December 20, 2012, http://0-www.oxfordartonline.com.mercury.concordia.ca/subscriber/article/grove/art/T079466. 3 Todd. 4 Geoffrey Simmons and Ronald Spickett, Spirit Matters: Ron (gyo-Zo) Spickett, Artist, Poet, Lay-Priest (Calgary: University of Calgary Press, 2009) 16. 5 Daniel A. Siedell, “Contemporary Art Criticism and the Legacy of Clement Greenberg: Or, How Artwriting Earned Its Good Name,” Journal of Aesthetic Education 36:4 (Winter 2002): 17. 6 Claude Cernuschi, “The Politics of Abstract Expressionism,” Rev. of David Craven, Abstract Expressionism as Cultural Critique: Dissent during the McCarthy Period, Archives of American Art Journal 39:1/2 (The Smithsonian Institution, 1999): 38. 7 Simmons, 20. 8 Clement Greenberg, “‘American-Type’ Painting,” 1955, Clement Greenberg: The Collected Essays and Criticism, Ed. John O’Brian (Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1993) 228. 9 Clyfford E. Still, letter to Clement Greenberg, April 12, 1955, Archives of American Art, accessed December 20, 2012 http://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/images/detail/clyfford-e-still-letter-to-clement-greenberg-9430. 10 Greenberg, “‘American-Type’ Painting.” Clement Greenberg, “After Abstract Expressionism,” 1962, Clement Greenberg: The Collected Essays and Criticism, Ed. John O’Brian (Chicago: University of Chicago Press) 133. 11 Neal Benezra, “Clyfford Still’s Replicas,” Clyfford Still Paintings 1944-1960, Ed. James T. Demetrion (New Haven: Yale University Press) 88. 12 Simmons, 67. 13 Simmons, 23. 14 Simmons, 23. 15 Simmons, 24. 16 “Posse comitatus,” Dictionary.com unabridged, Random House, Inc., accessed December 21, 2012 http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/posse comitas.


BIBLIOGRAPHY Anfam, David. “‘Of the Earth, the Damned, and of the Recreated:’ Aspects of Clyfford Still's Earlier Work.” The Burlington Magazine 135:1081 (April 1993): 260-269.

Benezra, Neal. “Clyfford Still’s Replicas.” Clyfford Still Paintings 1944-1960. Ed. James T. Demetrion. New Haven: Yale University Press.

Cernuschi, Claude. “The Politics of Abstract Expressionism.” Rev. of Craven, David, Abstract Expressionism as Cultural Critique: Dissent during the McCarthy Period. Archives of American Art Journal 39:1/2 (1999): 30-42. Greenberg, Clement. “After Abstract Expressionism.” 1962. Clement Greenberg: The Collected Essays and Criticism. Ed. John O’Brian. Vol. 4. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1993. 121-134. Greenberg, Clement. “‘American-Type’ Painting.’” 1955. Clement Greenberg: The Collected Essays and Criticism. Ed. John O’Brian. Vol. 2. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1993. 217-235. “Posse comitatus.” Dictionary.com unabridged. Random House, Inc. Accessed December 21, 2012 http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/posse comitas. Siedell, Daniel A. “Contemporary Art Criticism and the Legacy of Clement Greenberg: Or, How Artwriting Earned Its Good Name.” Journal of Aesthetic Education 36:4 (Winter 2002): 15-31. Simmins, Geoffrey, and Ronald Spickett. Spirit Matters: Ron (gyo-Zo) Spickett, Artist, Poet, Lay-Priest. Calgary: University of Calgary Press, 2009.

Still, Clyfford E. Letter to Clement Greenberg. April 12, 1955. Archives of American Art. Accessed December 20, 2012 http://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/images/detail/clyfford-e-still-letter-to-clement-greenberg-9430.

Todd, James G. “Social Realism.” Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online. Oxford University Press. Accessed December 20, 2012 http://0-www.oxfordartonline.com.mercury.concordia.ca/subscriber/article/grove/art/T079466.

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FROM THE FIGURATIVE TO THE ABSTRACT: A COMPARISON …ccca.concordia.ca/academy/papers_PDFs/5-katherine/Katherine2.pdf · essay “After Abstract Expressionism” (1963), the critic