Motherwell, Robert (1915-1991), an American painter, was a leading member of the Abstract Expressionist school. Motherwell became famous for several series of paintings. But his large body of work includes many widely varied themes ranging from violent and large menacing shapes to tender, intimate forms.
Motherwell began his best-known series, Elegies to the Spanish Republic, in 1948 and continued it through the 1970’s. This group of more than 100 paintings deals with his emotional reaction to the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939). Motherwell used colors and designs that suggest characteristics of Spain’s landscape. In the mid-1950’s, he created the Je t’aime series, which features broad, freely applied brushstrokes. During the 1940’s and 1950’s, Motherwell also produced collages. In the early 1960’s, he painted a series called Beside the Sea. These works have simple shapes and sharp color combinations that represent the sea and splashing waves.
Motherwell was born in Aberdeen, Washington, on Jan. 24, 1915. He worked in many techniques, including etchings, lithographs, and illustrated books. Motherwell also wrote essays on art and edited a series of books by modern artists. He died on July 16, 1991. The Collected Writings of Robert Motherwell was published in 1993, after his death.
See also Abstract Expressionism .
