Materiality and atmosphere. Two American beat artists painting Europe

Abstract

The article discusses how European painting heavily influenced two American Beat painters in the post war years. Post-war American painting was often concerned with breaking away from traditional iconography and style, but Jay DeFeo and Joan Brown chose to engage with European traditional painting. Both artists travelled to Europe early in their careers and both declare an intense interest in European painters, paintings, and architecture. In Brown’s case particularly the works of Goya, Velazquez, and Rembrandt become scrutinized and remodeled in her pasty abstract style. De Feo, on her hand, states a particular interest in how the European cities’ distinct colors, lights and textures inspired her tactile, gritty painterly style. Both artists were involved in the San Francisco Beat era characterized by an unconventional and anti-establishment attitude. De Feo and Brown’s fascination with Europe is thus a radical contribution to Beat culture.

Keywords

• beat culture
• beat art
• american abstract expressionism
• traditional iconography
• jay defeo
• joan brown
• european iconography