American expressionist painters, especially abstract expressionists like Adolph Gottlieb and Mark Rothko, were influenced by the wave of existential philosophy during their lifetime. Yet, their reaction to it is different than abstract expressionists like Pollock or De Kooning. The slashing and aggressive brushwork of these artists is missing from Rothko’s calm and contemplative pieces, and, while there are jagged edges in Gottlieb, there is an offsetting calm and balance that invites contemplation. Thus, while many abstract expressionists put oil on canvas as a call to action, we find the work of Mark Rothko and Adolph Gottlieb more an invitation to meditate.
Gottlieb’s Jagged, an oil on canvas measuring 72 x 48 inches, was painted in 1960 (Fenton 2). We definitely see a Zen-like aspect to Jagged. The piece is basically composed in two portions by the artist, both of them painted against a white background that is slightly swirled with tones of gray that gives the background a cloud-like appearance and mood. We are treated to degrees of mystery and ambiguity in this piece, due to the fact that the bottom half of the painting appears to be a large black hole with jagged edges as if something was shot through the painting. Above it rests a calm, red-hued circle that appears whole and calm against the ripped, jagged, opening just beneath it. We see the attempt to juxtapose two contraries: beauty and brutality. The top circle appears as if it is the some, darkened at sunset, burning red not orange. Or, it could be a moon, perhaps from another planet if not our own. It is the lovely, the whole, the beauty of life. Just beneath it in contrast, however, is the other side of life, the violent, brutal, and fragmented. The black opening beneath the circle is rough edged, jagged, and represents the chaos and brutality of existence in contrast to the beauty and loveliness of it. Together, the two symbols counterbalance each ...