Post-War Art Movements: The Second Vanguards Era

The Second Vanguards: Historical Context

Key events following the Second World War (1939–1945) shaped this era:

• The Cold War: The division into two antagonistic worlds (capitalist and socialist), led by the two superpowers: the USA and the USSR.
• Specific Conflicts: The birth of the State of Israel and the start of the Arab-Israeli conflict, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the Cuban Revolution.
• Political Shifts: The independence of European colonies, the rise of dictatorships in Chile and Argentina, the Carnation Revolution in Portugal, and the end of the Franco dictatorship.

The 1980s saw the end of the Cold War with the fall of the Berlin Wall (1989), altering the European map. The 1991 Maastricht Treaty established agreements that created the European Union. Today, globalization, great scientific and technological development, and the spread of information have been converging all artistic fields. Current conflicts in the Gulf and international terrorism, such as Al Qaeda, have generated new global tensions.

Location and Artistic Development

In the second half of the 20th century, the artistic epicenter moved to the United States. New York became the new world capital of art, largely because many artists arrived fleeing Nazi Germany.

General Features of the Second Vanguards

This period was characterized by a great variety of artistic options. Art continued its path of technical and aesthetic experimentation in order to achieve original solutions, building upon elements of the previous stage. The disruptive attitude of the first half of the century was accentuated.

The traditional easel support was challenged, giving way to other plastic elements such as the human body itself (Body Art) and large-scale interventions (Land Art). Crucially, art was valued not for the outcome, but for the creative process itself.

Common Movements Include:

• Informalism
• Abstract Expressionism
• Pop Art

Abstract Expressionism

Jackson Pollock: "Number 1"

• Date: 1950
• Technique: Oil, enamel, and aluminum paint
• Support: Canvas
• Dimensions: 1.60 x 2.59 m

Analysis of the Artwork

A fine line drawing is superimposed over and over, spreading across the canvas so the painting appears to have no limits. Pollock, the principal representative of Action Painting, was involved body and soul in the execution because, for him, painting was a life experience.

Style and Technique

After World War II, the center of artistic culture moved from Paris to New York. Pollock is the creator of the Dripping technique ("drip"), characterized by the production of an energetic line, physical violence, and bright colors. Pollock established a new language; for him, painting was a vehicle for the expression of feelings and did not need to decode anything. It only explained the action—that impulse that leads to automatic and free all-over composition. The painting is a continuity that could expand beyond the borders of the canvas.