Gestural Abstraction in Australian Art 1947 – 1963: Repositioning the Work of Albert Tucker

Gestural Abstraction in Australian Art 1947 – 1963: Repositioning the Work of Albert Tucker Volume One Carol Ann Gilchrist A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of Art History School of Humanities Faculty of Arts University of Adelaide South Australia October 2015 Thesis Declaration I certify that this work contains no material which has been accepted for the award of any other degree or diploma in my name, in any university or other tertiary institution and, to the best of my knowledge and belief, contains no material previously published or written by another person, except where due reference has been made in the text. In addition, I certify that no part of this work will, in the future, be used for any other degree or diploma in any university or other tertiary institution without the prior approval of the University of Adelaide and where applicable, any partner institution responsible for the joint-award of this degree. I give consent to this copy of my thesis, when deposited in the University Library, being made available for loan and photocopying, subject to the provisions of the Copyright Act 1968. I also give permission for the digital version of my thesis to be made available on the web, via the University‟s digital research repository, the Library Search and also through web search engines, unless permission has been granted by the University to restrict access for a period of time. __________________________ __________________________ Abstract Gestural abstraction in the work of Australian painters was little understood and often ignored or misconstrued in the local Australian context during the tendency‟s international high point from 1947-1963. Distinguished by the mark of the artist evident in the finished work, gestural abstraction included a number of international variations such as European tachisme or l’art informel, l’art brut, matière or matter painting and American Abstract Expressionism. This thesis will examine the reasons for the lack of significance attributed to gestural abstraction by Australian art critics and art historians by taking a unique analytical approach which is developed in the first half of the thesis. This approach draws on interdisciplinary sources to establish a framework for repositioning examples of Australian painting which would be better appreciated as examples of gestural abstraction. The work of Australian artist Albert Tucker produced during the relevant period will be the main focus in the artist chapters. This thesis will demonstrate that certain art works can benefit from a reclassification which brings out qualities which enhance the perceived significance of the work. Such reconfiguration of elements can lead to better informed reception. Art historical approaches have not as a rule focused on aesthetic theory, concentrating rather on art historical precedent. This can involve overlooking the relevant social and historical aspects of the work‟s making and reception in favour of dominant styles favoured at the time or location of reception. Once the critical precedent is set for an artist‟s work of a particular period, it can be difficult to revise; such is the role of precedent in art criticism of certain periods, particularly within Australia at the time of this study. What is deemed the relevant art historical precedent for any given work in part determines how the work is received. However, this is rarely acknowledged. Instead, art historical classifications eventually are treated as objective properties of the work. Aesthetic theory, in contrast, reveals the contingency of such classifications. In addition to philosophical aesthetics, this thesis will draw on sociological field theory to account for the dynamic process through which aesthetic categorisations become active. This reveals the relevant contextual elements necessary to confirm the appropriate category, enabling optimal placement of the work to best appreciate its historical significance. A robust analytical methodology is developed on the basis of which art historical accounts can be evaluated. This involves examining the Australian art historiography and curatorial practices which led to the perception of these works in categories other than those in which they were produced and initially exhibited by the artist. Acknowledgements First and foremost I would like to thank my thesis supervisor Associate Professor Jennifer A. McMahon, Department of Philosophy, and Director of Graduate Studies, Faculty of Arts for her guidance and continuing support and encouragement. She greatly assisted in overseeing my multi-disciplinary approach taken in this thesis. I am thankful for the strong support of my co- supervisor Dr. Lisa Mansfield, Acting Head, Department of Art History, University of Adelaide, particularly in the early stages of my thesis and in her earlier role as Postgraduate Coordinator. I am grateful for the financial support of an Australian Postgraduate Award in assisting to make this thesis possible. Numerous others at the University of Adelaide have provided encouragement over the course of my study, among them Research Librarian Margaret Hosking, the Postgraduate Coordinators Dr Thomas Buchanan and Dr Claire Walker, and Associate Professor Rob Foster of the History Department, as well as the staff of the Adelaide Graduate Centre. Library and archives staff at the Getty Research Library, Getty Research Center; the Museum of Modern Art, New York; the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum Archives, New York; and the NIHA and Bibliothèque Kandinsky, Paris provided invaluable assistance. I am thankful for the professional assistance of Australian archives staff at The Art Gallery of New South Wales, National Gallery of Victoria, National Gallery of Australia and State Library of Victoria as well as the Heide Museum of Modern Art. Family and friends have been supportive throughout. I am especially thankful to John Gilchrist and Lilian Walker for their understanding. I am thankful to my final year high school art history teacher for inspiring my interest in abstract art and introducing me to the language of formalist art criticism and art history. And finally, I am thankful to my father Leonard G.M. Walker, an artist and interior designer of the period, for encouraging me to follow and realise my dreams. ii Contents Volume One Abstract i Acknowledgements ii Contents iii List of Illustrations v Abbreviations x Part I: Framework Introduction …………………………………………………………………………………………… 1 Chapter One: The Categorisation of Art Works ………………………………………………… 10 1.1 Introduction: Contextualising the approach……………………………………….. 10 1.2 Kendall Walton‟s „Categories of Art‟ ……………………………………………….. 11 1.3 Confirming role of active reception…………………………………………………. 21 Laetz‟s addition of privileged category and comparative aesthetic relevance……… 22 Chapter Two: The Aesthetic Characterisation of Art Works .……………….…….…….…… 27 2.1 Pettit and the possibility of discernible variation…………………………………. 27 2.2 Danto‟s style matrix …………………………………………………………………. 35 2.3 Illustrative Example and Conclusion ………………………………………………. 38 Chapter Three: Sociological Theory and Art Worlds …………………………………………… 44 3.1 Introduction: Art Worlds as Social Systems …………………………………..… 44 3.2 Institutional Theories of Art, Network and Field Theories ……………………….. 47 3.3 The Field: Relevant Terms of Reference …………………………………………. 53 Field of Cultural Production ……………………………………………………. 54 Field of Reception …………………………………………………………….… 55 Art Critical Discourse ……………………………………………………………. 56 Limitations ……………………………………………………………………...…. 58 3.4 Sociological contextual analysis – a demonstration of the field at work ………. 61 3.5 Chapter Summary and Conclusion …………………..…………………………… 67 Chapter Four: Art Historical Methodologies and Art Historiography ………………………….. 68 4.1 Introduction: Art Historical Methodologies ……….……………………………….. 68 4.2 Traditional Art History: Problems with art historical classifications …………….. 70 4.3 Australian Art Historiography: Underpinnings of categorisation and influence of key agents ………………………………………………………………….. 74 4.4 Abstract Art: Abstract Art Categories Relevant to this Study …………………… 81 4.5 Abstract Art: Defining the terms employed in this thesis ………………………… 91 4.6 Chapter Summary and Conclusion ………………………………………………… 94 iii Part II: Postwar Gestural Abstraction – Context and Australian Artist Case Study Chapter Five: Art Critical Discourse 1947-1963 – Positioning Gestural Abstraction ………. 96 5.1 Art Criticism – Key Positions and Agents of Consecration in the Fields of Cultural Production and Reception ……………………………………………... 96 5.2 Paris and Europe …………………………………………………………………..…. 98 5.3 London …………………….…………………………………………………………… 105 5.4 New York ………………………………………………………………………………. 113 5.5 Reception of „Australian art‟ in London ………..…………………………………… 116 5.6 Chapter Summary and Conclusion …………………………………………………. 123 Chapter Six: Albert Tucker – Matière, Allusive Abstraction and the Haptic: Art Critical Discourse in the Field of Cultural Production and Reception ……………. 125 6.1 Introduction ……………………………………......………………………….……… 126 6.2 Art Critical Discourse in the Field of Reception – International …………………. 129 6.3 Art Critical Discourse in the Field of Reception – Australian ……………………. 145 6.4 Dynamics in the field – establishment of the active category …………………… 147 6.5 Chapter Summary and Conclusion………………………………………………… 157 Chapter Seven: Positioning the Gestural Abstraction of Albert Tucker ………………………. 161 Part I – Consecrating the Artist in the Fields of Reception and

Load more