Abstract Illusionism
Encyclopedia
Abstract illusionism, a name coined by New York art gallery owner and author Louis K. Meisel
, is an artistic movement that came into prominence in the United States
during the mid 1970s. Works consisted of both hard-edge and expressionistic
abstract painting styles that employed the use of perspective, artificial light sources, and simulated cast shadows to achieve the illusion of three-dimensional space on a two-dimensional surface. Abstract Illusionism differed from traditional Trompe-l'œil (fool the eye) art in that the pictorial space seemed to project in front of, or away from, the canvas surface, as opposed to receding into the picture plane as in traditional painting. Primarily, though, these were abstract paintings, as opposed to the realism of Trompe L'oeil. By the early 1980s, many of the visual devices that originated in Abstract Illusionism were appropriated into the commercial world and served a wide variety of applications in graphic design, fabric design and the unlikely decoration of recreational vehicles. This proliferation of Abstract Illusionist imagery eventually led to the disintegration of the original artistic movement and its transition into the mainstream.
Pre-1970 forerunners and practitioners of the style include Ronald Davis
, Alan D'arcangelo
, and Al Held
. Documented artists associated with the 1970s Abstract Illusionism movement include James Havard, Jack Lembeck
, Tony King, George D. Green, Michael B. Gallagher
, and Jack Reilly.
The first major museum exhibitions to survey Abstract Illusionism were "Abstract Illusionism," Paul Mellon Arts Center, Wallingford, CT, 1977; "Seven New York Artists (Abstract Illusionism)", Sewall Art Gallery, Rice University
, Houston, TX, 1977; "Breaking the Picture Plane," Tomasulo Gallery, Union College
, Cranford, NJ; and "The Reality of Illusion", which originated in 1979 at the Denver Art Museum
and traveled to the Oakland Museum, the Herbert F. Johnson Museum at Cornell University
, the University of Southern California
, and the Honolulu Academy of Art.
Louis K. Meisel
Louis K. Meisel is an American published author and the founder and proponent of the photorealist art movement, coining the term in 1969. He is also the owner of one of the earliest art galleries located in SoHo at 141 Prince Street...
, is an artistic movement that came into prominence in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
during the mid 1970s. Works consisted of both hard-edge and expressionistic
Abstract expressionism
Abstract expressionism was an American post–World War II art movement. It was the first specifically American movement to achieve worldwide influence and put New York City at the center of the western art world, a role formerly filled by Paris...
abstract painting styles that employed the use of perspective, artificial light sources, and simulated cast shadows to achieve the illusion of three-dimensional space on a two-dimensional surface. Abstract Illusionism differed from traditional Trompe-l'œil (fool the eye) art in that the pictorial space seemed to project in front of, or away from, the canvas surface, as opposed to receding into the picture plane as in traditional painting. Primarily, though, these were abstract paintings, as opposed to the realism of Trompe L'oeil. By the early 1980s, many of the visual devices that originated in Abstract Illusionism were appropriated into the commercial world and served a wide variety of applications in graphic design, fabric design and the unlikely decoration of recreational vehicles. This proliferation of Abstract Illusionist imagery eventually led to the disintegration of the original artistic movement and its transition into the mainstream.
Pre-1970 forerunners and practitioners of the style include Ronald Davis
Ronald Davis
Ronald Davis , born 1937, is an American painter whose work is associated with Geometric abstraction, Abstract Illusionism, Lyrical Abstraction, Hard-edge painting, Shaped canvas painting, Color field painting, and 3D Computer Graphics...
, Alan D'arcangelo
Alan D'Arcangelo
Allan D'Arcangelo was an American Artist and Printmaker, best known known for his paintings of highways and road signs...
, and Al Held
Al Held
Al Held was an American Abstract expressionist painter. He was particularly well known for his large scale Hard-edge paintings.-Background and education:...
. Documented artists associated with the 1970s Abstract Illusionism movement include James Havard, Jack Lembeck
Jack Lembeck
Jack Lembeck is an American painter and sculptor known for his Abstract Illusionism paintings and installation art....
, Tony King, George D. Green, Michael B. Gallagher
Michael B. Gallagher
Michael B. Gallagher , born 1945, is an American painter whose work is associated with Abstract Illusionism.-Life:Born and raised in Los Angeles, California....
, and Jack Reilly.
The first major museum exhibitions to survey Abstract Illusionism were "Abstract Illusionism," Paul Mellon Arts Center, Wallingford, CT, 1977; "Seven New York Artists (Abstract Illusionism)", Sewall Art Gallery, Rice University
Rice University
William Marsh Rice University, commonly referred to as Rice University or Rice, is a private research university located on a heavily wooded campus in Houston, Texas, United States...
, Houston, TX, 1977; "Breaking the Picture Plane," Tomasulo Gallery, Union College
Union College
Union College is a private, non-denominational liberal arts college located in Schenectady, New York, United States. Founded in 1795, it was the first institution of higher learning chartered by the New York State Board of Regents. In the 19th century, it became the "Mother of Fraternities", as...
, Cranford, NJ; and "The Reality of Illusion", which originated in 1979 at the Denver Art Museum
Denver Art Museum
The Denver Art Museum is an art museum in Denver, Colorado located in Denver's Civic Center.It is known for its collection of American Indian art,and has a comprehensive collection numbering more than 68,000 works from across the world....
and traveled to the Oakland Museum, the Herbert F. Johnson Museum at Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
, the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
, and the Honolulu Academy of Art.