Abstract Saturday: Franz Kline (1910-1962)

Kline didn't begin painting abstractly until the 1940s. To help himself think in abstract forms after years of figural painting, he used an enlarger to zoom in on areas of smaller drawings to find the strong gestural, seemingly spontaneous lines that he would become known for, first in black and white and later in color as well. At times, he even revisited his earlier works and added color elements.

Franz Kline | Orange Outline 1955. Oil on paperboard mounted on canvas 38 x 40 in. (96.5 x 101.6 cm) — Franz Kline | Orange Outline 1955. Oil on paperboard mounted on canvas 38 x 40 in. (96.5 x 101.6 cm)

Black Reflections, 1959 via the Metropolitan Museum

Abtract Saturday: Paul Klee

Burdened Children 1930 Paul Klee 1879-1940 Bequeathed by Elly Kahnweiler 1991 to form part of the gift of Gustav and Elly Kahnweiler, accessioned 1994 via Tate.org — Burdened Children 1930 Paul Klee 1879-1940 Bequeathed by Elly Kahnweiler 1991 to form part of the gift of Gustav and Elly Kahnweiler, accessioned 1994 via Tate.org

+wikipaintings.org

Abstract Saturday: Douglas Swan, British (1930- 2000)

Douglas Swan | Stones & Ropes 1959 Oil on canvas via Godson and Coles — Douglas Swan | Stones & Ropes 1959 Oil on canvas via Godson and Coles

Douglas Swan | Winter Harbour 1958 Oil and collage — Douglas Swan | Winter Harbour 1958 Oil and collage

Beach 1958 Oil on canvas — Beach 1958 Oil on canvas

Douglas Swan | Yellow Net 1961 Oil on canvas via Saunders Fine Art — Douglas Swan | Yellow Net 1961 Oil on canvas via Saunders Fine Art

Dido, Oil on Canvas via Anthony Hepworth Fine Art Ltd. — Dido, Oil on Canvas via Anthony Hepworth Fine Art Ltd.

Abstract Saturday: Sir Terry Frost part 2

Terry Frost, British 1915-2003 | Blue for Lumbar 1956 Oil on board via Godson & Coles — Terry Frost, British 1915-2003 | Blue for Lumbar 1956 Oil on board via Godson & Coles

Green and Blue Movement 1952 by Terry Frost Oil on canvas board, 79.5 x 48.8 cm Collection: Lincoln College, University of Oxford — Green and Blue Movement 1952 by Terry Frost Oil on canvas board, 79.5 x 48.8 cm Collection: Lincoln College, University of Oxford

Force 8 by Terry Frost Ferens Art Gallery 1960 Oil on canvas, 221 x 173 cm — Force 8 by Terry Frost Ferens Art Gallery 1960 Oil on canvas, 221 x 173 cm

SIR TERRY FROST (1915 - 2003) BLACK AND WHITE SEA. MOVEMENT, 1951 oil on canvas 16 x 20 inches via — SIR TERRY FROST (1915 - 2003) BLACK AND WHITE SEA. MOVEMENT, 1951 oil on canvas 16 x 20 inches via

Terry Frost | Battersea flower seller 1948

Green and Maroon Movement by Terry Frost 1952 Museums Sheffield via BBC UK — Green and Maroon Movement by Terry Frost 1952 Museums Sheffield via BBC UK

Black Abstract 1960 Pencil, ink and pastel on card  1960 via Godson & Coles — Black Abstract 1960 Pencil, ink and pastel on card 1960 via Godson & Coles

Abstract Saturday: Adolph Gottlieb

Born in New York in 1903, his first home was on 10th street in New York City, opposite Tompkins Square Park, a neighborhood I used to wander daily when I was a freelance illustrator In the city. He was a contemporary and friend of Milton Avery and Mark Rothko. He changed the spelling of his first name from "Adolf" to "Adolph" in response to the election of Adolf Hitler as Chancellor in Germany and painted for the WPA in the thirties. My particular favorites of his paintings are the "pictographs" from the 1940s. They're all based on symbols or motifs from random human and natural forms, separated into compartments of a grid. Gottlieb didn't sketch out his ideas but tried to be spontaneous so as to draw from his subconscious. There are so many that I love, that it was hard to choose.