Tufte C7 Reading Guide:
Questions 4 and 5

Rebecca Mortensen
Q4....: Clement Greenberg was an art critic who promoted abstract impressionism, and praised Jackson Pollock’s work. According to Danto Jackson Pollock proved the myth of depth and that may be why Greenberg is pointing out to Pollock on the water excitedly, as if to agree with him.
Q5....: In “The Myth of Depth” the ideologies of these abstract impressionist artists are demonstrated by their actions within the painting. According to Greenberg depth is just an illusion.

Josh Spelbrink
Q4....: Kenneth Noland – pioneered the “shaped” canvas and usually painted in circles, targets, chevrons, stripes and shaped canvases. Very interested in the relationship of the image to the containing edge of the picture and studied this a great deal in his lifetime. Mark Rothko – studied the relationship, and wrote part of a book, between children and adult painters who were labeled “abstract expressionists.” Arshile Gorky – created “lyrical abstraction” a so-called new language in abstract expressionism art, also blended Surrealism and School of Paris art. Robert Motherwell – one of the youngest of the New York School, which also included Pollock and Rothko, Motherwell served as a liaison between abstract expressionist artistic and the general public due to his skill in rhetoric and educational background Clement Greenberg – one of the first critics to praise the work of Jackson Pollock Helen Frankenhaler – “soak stain” method, followed the works of Pollock and other abstract expressionists of the twentieth century.
Q5....: Abstract impressionism was a movement and many of the artists followed the work and example of Jackson Pollock. “The Myth of Depth” which was painted by Mark Tansey in 1984 appears to me that Tansey is attempting to explain that many other abstract expressionism artists perceive Pollock as a “Jessus” symbol to their field of art, where they are following his actions and are often left curious to his methods.

Mandee Kuglin
Q4....: I searched for Clement Greenberg who is in the boat lecturing on flatness. He was one of the first to show his support for Jackson Pollock believing that he was one of the few artists who was focused on the flatness of the picture plane. This makes sense because he is seen lecturing in the boat and that is an issue he found vitally important. All the artists believed that Pollock was the next thing in modern art. Q5....: I believe the depth has to do with illusions of depth in the painting, which abstract impressionism did not find as important, hence why Greenberg was lecturing about the importance of flatness.

Nate Ropes
Q4....: Helen Frankenthaler. She admired Pollock’s work and said that she wanted to live inside his paintings, that they were perfect. She is an artist, along with a number of the other individuals in the boat, but she started using oils on unprepared paper, heavily diluted with turpentine so that the paint soaks into the canvas. This technique was adopted by Pollock and used in the “Myth of Depth” in which he painted her. Q5....: The depth of a painting is more than just what you see initially. If you get up close and look at the painting, the many small, intense brush strokes that make up the rest of the whole painting become stories in themselves, reflecting the artists emotions, stories and feelings at the time he/she was creating that particular series of strokes.

betsy brey
I looked at Robert Motherwell, who was famous for the way his paintings were staged to show the mental and physical relationship with what they were working with, in his case, canvas. In this picture, it is represented by his examination of the water Pollock is walking on.
Q5....: 5. What does abstract impressionism have to do with "depth" "the myth of depth"? Abstract impressionism looked at different ways of examining depth and ways of altering it. name:

Elisabeth Pedersen
Q4....: Motherwell was a member of “the New York School” which Pollock was a part of as well. They believed in making the act of painting the content of their painting in order to unleash raw emotions. Motherwell got a bachelor's degree in philosophy from Stanford University because before he moved to New York an become a painter he wanted to be a philosopher. This could be one explanation for his pose looking over the water and questioning it because of his past experience and education in philosophy.
Q5....: He is trying to prove that there is no myth in the depth of artistic space. Just as Pollack can prove depth to be a myth in his painting, it is contrasting with the realist that there is depth.

Olivia Hedlund
Q4....: Arshile Gorky, the man holding the life preserver, was an Abstract Expressionist painter from the early 1900’s through 1940’s. His work seemed to be similar to some of Picasso’s work, very flat and abstract. It makes sense, then, that he might be represented in the boat, gripping a life preserver, to show his possible aversion to art that has depth.
Q5....: Gorky was a painter of the abstract expressionism movement, which was similar to the abstract impressionism movement. Both movements use small brush strokes, though the impressionist movement emphasizes precision and control rather than emotion. In the painting here, depth is illustrated though precise application of paint on canvas to create the effect of waves, or depth on paper. Many, like Pollock and Tansey, argued that depth could be shown in the 2D world of paper.

Matthew M. Beaumont
Q4....: Clement Greenberg: Known promoter of abstract impressionism and supporter of Jackson Pollock, and his work. Since Pollock was a painter from New York, and Greenberg had a love for America artistry, Greenberg fell in love with the ideas and concepts behind Pollock. However many feel that Greenberg failed to truly understand Pollock, and his works, and never looked past the surface of his works. This idea of looking only at the surface of his paintings is depicted in the confection as him pointing out the flatness of the situation at hand.
Q5....: Abstract impressionism differentiates itself from abstract expressionism by arguing that its brushstrokes are done with propose where expressionisms are done wildly and without thought. This difference though is debatable, and whether impressionism brushstrokes have a deeper meaning or not, is up for debate.

Miles Spangrud
Q4....: 1. Kenneth Noland was an American abstract painter who dealt heavily with lines and dimensions. His main focus was freehanded shapes and structure or very symmetrical and asymmetrical painting. This makes sense as to why he’s portrayed in the painting as interested, and trying to look over the other men’s shoulders to get a better look. 2. Mark Rothko was a very secluded and seemingly depressed abstract surrealist painter from Russia. As financial success and popularity came his way, he ducked form sight more and more, believing everyone to misunderstand him and his art, and killed himself later on. The word “surreal” really stand out to me as in the painting he is just standing with no real physical or emotional reaction to what he’s seeing, and just seems to be taking it in with little amazement. 3. Arshile Gorky was an Armenian-American painter who switched genres from impressionism to cubism to surrealism to abstract expressionism. He seemed to have a constant change of style and had remade a few of his pieces in a different context, and mostly dealt in 2D imagery. His constant shift in genres and 2D creations explains why he’s holding the floatation device, seemingly waiting for Pollock to fall in, given the obvious depth. 4. Robert Motherwell was an expressionist painter who had a heavy background in rhetoric and philosophy. This explains why he’s the only one in the boat looking at the water trying to explain the reasoning behind his floating, and how something to illogical is happening. 5. Clement Greenberg was an American art critic who promoted abstract expressionism and was one to praise the work of Pollock. In the painting he appears to be explaining and analyzing the situation which makes sense beings he was a critic of the time, and believed in the work of Pollock. 6. Helen Frankenthaler was a female abstract painter, and was inspired by the works of Pollock and Greenberg. This falls in with the picture perfectly, because even though you can’t really see her, it’s obvious that Greenberg is explaining to her what is happening and most likely telling her how terrific it is.
Q5....: It shows that in the art world, depth has no meaning, yet signifies everything that is happening on the image. Depth can be manipulated to any degree the artist wants to reveal to the audience.

Ben Torgerson
Q4....: Gorky was an abstract expressionist as well as Pollock. Pollock’s work took more risks and he greatly influenced Gorky. Gorky holds a life preserver, looking doubtful. This could show that he was following Pollock, and not fully committed to the abstract expressionist movement.
Q5....: Anything goes in abstract expressionism, and it is often random and spontaneous. This allows unlimited options for analyzing, showing a myth of depth.

Dylan Nordberg
Q4....: 4. Robert Motherwell was an avid "impressionistic art" person who joined a group whose membership included none other than Jackson Pollock. He believed that impressionistic art was far superior to the accepted realistic art of the time. He found similar impressions in the people of the group he joined and ended up becoming the most active among them. It seems that Tansey's painting is all about how impressionistic or abstract art is perceived by different people. Motherwell himself, while being an avid abstract painting, was apparently seen by Tansey as being a little immature in the art form itself. This is why in the painting Motherwell is cautiously peering over the edge of the boat. He is still not quite sure of himself, and is unable to take that next step as it were.
Q5....: 5. Abstract impressionism seems to take depth as merely an illusion. That the "myth of depth" is not in any way true or real. This is why Pollock is walking on water in the Tansey picture. He has proven that depth is merely an illusion by the artist.