Recurring themes #1 (Early works)

My artwork have seen a huge change from the period of 1930-1940s. I would like to present my painting style during the early period. In 1930, i moved to New York City to live with my brother, Charles. Well, I studied with Charles' art teacher, Thomas Hart Benton and he had influenced the way I painted. Benton was an American Regionalist painter and some of my works exhibited the scene of rural life such as Going West (1934-1935), where I painted a pioneer journeying West. There are swirling forms which evoke emotional intensity and the colour palette has a rather dark quality. However, this period only lasts for a while...

Going West, 1934-1935

There are also signs of my paintings changing for the better. My subject matters became more figurative and the colour scheme became increasingly colourful. I started to employ more curvy and sinuous lines which became dominant in my later works. Such paintings which shows the transition phase of my painting are The Flame, Guardians of the Secret and Mural, among many other paintings that I have done.

The Flame, 1934-1938

Guardians of the Secret and Mural, 1943

Mural, 1943

As you can see my paintings also begin to have similarity with my beloved wife, Lee Krasner's works. 'Mural' painted by myself is a piece that shows my progression towards drip paintings. The colourful palette and sinuous lines start to show up. Here's a work by my wife:

Shell-flower, 1947

This post thus summarises the development journey of my painting career. Next up, I'll be talking more about my drip paintings...