Page 15 - e-magazine391R

The Beats, Buddhism, and

Abstract Expressionism

By Jacqueline Luinstra
Ah, the 1950’s! Women in poodle skirts set apple pie on the
window sill to cool. Dapper men buttoned down and upright march to
work and back. Lovely, isn’t it? Whatever images that pop into your
mind at the mention of this bland glorious era, I would bet my student
loans that there’s a distinct absence of marijuana smoke, bongo
drums, and salacious, intellectual, insufferable young wanna-be-
poets. To many of us, the beatniks are either a historically out of place
whisper of adolescent rebellion, or they’re altogether unheard of. Yet,
from Kerouac to Pollock, from cross-legged Buddhas to chaotic
smatterings of paint, these outlandish hipsters made an
immeasurable contribution not only to American history and culture,
but to the strange and murky world of 20th Century art. Now, I know
what you’re thinking. Is there any phrase human lips can form that is
more pretentious than “the world of 20th Century art?” Probably not.
But what if I told you that all of those hideous, nonsensical,
inexplicably expensive paintings and sculptures cluttering up your
city’s modern art museum all share an unlikely genesis in a couple of
rowdy young poets committed to cultural defiance and— of all things!
— Zen Buddhism? The beatniks were the lone unruly voices of
nonconformity in an era built on staunch principles of “respectability.”
In their quest for truth, they brought about a second “Great Wave” of
interest in Japanese culture and religion, and that wave unsettled the
structure and tradition that was fundamental to the artists of the time.
Captivated by the beautiful and
ancient teachings of the Zen
monks, who challenged ideas of
form, space, and emotion the
beats revolutionized not only
literature, but the entire world of
visual art. Like a sudden clap of
thunder in the night, the beats
birthed a loud and shrieking form
of art named abstract
expressionism, and American art
has been unable to go back to Pollock at work. Taken
fromhttp://time.com/3878765/jackson-pollock-
sleep since. early-photos-of-the-action-painter-at-work/