Dorothea Rockburne
Encyclopedia
Dorothea Rockburne is an abstract
painter drawing inspiration primarily from her deep interest in mathematics
and astronomy
. In 1950 she moved to the United States to attend Black Mountain College
, where she studied with mathematician Max Dehn
, a lifelong influence on her work. In addition to Dehn, she studied with Franz Kline
, Philip Guston
, John Cage
, and Merce Cunningham
. She also met fellow student Robert Rauschenberg
.
In 1955, Rockburne moved to New York City
where she met many of the leading artists and poets of the time. Rockburne is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters
and the National Academy of Design
.
Abstract art
Abstract art uses a visual language of form, color and line to create a composition which may exist with a degree of independence from visual references in the world. Western art had been, from the Renaissance up to the middle of the 19th century, underpinned by the logic of perspective and an...
painter drawing inspiration primarily from her deep interest in mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
and astronomy
Astronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
. In 1950 she moved to the United States to attend Black Mountain College
Black Mountain College
Black Mountain College, a school founded in 1933 in Black Mountain, North Carolina, was a new kind of college in the United States in which the study of art was seen to be central to a liberal arts education, and in which John Dewey's principles of education played a major role...
, where she studied with mathematician Max Dehn
Max Dehn
Max Dehn was a German American mathematician and a student of David Hilbert. He is most famous for his work in geometry, topology and geometric group theory...
, a lifelong influence on her work. In addition to Dehn, she studied with Franz Kline
Franz Kline
Franz Jozef Kline was an American painter mainly associated with the Abstract Expressionist movement centered around New York in the 1940s and 1950s. He was born in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, and attended Girard College, an academy in Philadelphia for fatherless boys...
, Philip Guston
Philip Guston
Philip Guston was a notable painter and printmaker in the New York School, which included many of the Abstract expressionists, such as Jackson Pollock and Willem De Kooning...
, John Cage
John Cage
John Milton Cage Jr. was an American composer, music theorist, writer, philosopher and artist. A pioneer of indeterminacy in music, electroacoustic music, and non-standard use of musical instruments, Cage was one of the leading figures of the post-war avant-garde...
, and Merce Cunningham
Merce Cunningham
Mercier "Merce" Philip Cunningham was an American dancer and choreographer who was at the forefront of the American avant-garde for more than 50 years. Throughout much of his life, Cunningham was considered one of the greatest creative forces in American dance...
. She also met fellow student Robert Rauschenberg
Robert Rauschenberg
Robert Rauschenberg was an American artist who came to prominence in the 1950s transition from Abstract Expressionism to Pop Art. Rauschenberg is well-known for his "Combines" of the 1950s, in which non-traditional materials and objects were employed in innovative combinations...
.
In 1955, Rockburne moved to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
where she met many of the leading artists and poets of the time. Rockburne is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters
The American Academy of Arts and Letters
The American Academy of Arts and Letters is a 250-member honor society; its goal is to "foster, assist, and sustain excellence" in American literature, music, and art. Located in Washington Heights, a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan in New York, it shares Audubon Terrace, its Beaux Arts campus on...
and the National Academy of Design
National Academy of Design
The National Academy Museum and School of Fine Arts, founded in New York City as the National Academy of Design – known simply as the "National Academy" – is an honorary association of American artists founded in 1825 by Samuel F. B. Morse, Asher B. Durand, Thomas Cole, Martin E...
.
Exhibitions
- 2010 New York Studio School
- 2000 Greenberg Van Doren Gallery, New York City, NY
- 1999 Art in General, New York City, NY
- 1989 The Rose Art Museum, Waltham, MA
- 1987 Recent Paintings and Drawings - Arts Club of Chicago, Chicago, IL
- 1982 Recent Watercolors and Drawings - Margo Leavin Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
- 1981 Locus - MoMA - Museum of Modern Art, New York City, NY
- 1971 Bykert GalleryBykert GalleryBykert Gallery was an influential contemporary art gallery in New York City between 1966 and 1975, run by Klaus Kertess and Jeff Byers, who had been classmates at Yale College, class of 1958...
External links
- Official Website
- Brooklyn Rail interview by Bill Bartman with Klaus Kertess and Dorothea Rockburne
- "Dorothea Rockburne", New Art City
- "Dorothea Rockburne", Saul Ostrow, BOMB 25/Fall 1988,