Franz Kupka: 1st Abstract Painter.

Ron Anderson

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Mar 18, 1995, 4:45:45 PM3/18/95

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One of my favorite painters is Franz Kupka. Painted the first abstract
painting (pre-kandinsky, et al), but, somehow, he seems to have been
overlooked in art-world hype. His pre-abstract work is also interesting.
Sort of allegorical realism. Initially influenced by late 19th cent.
viennese school. There are a few books on him, most are out of print.
A small hardback by Rizzoli was published a few years ago. Might still
be around. There was a Guggenheim show quite a while ago. The catalog
was excellent. Ron

Joshua Heuman

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Mar 19, 1995, 12:43:30 AM3/19/95

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Ron Anderson (r...@crl.com) wrote:
: One of my favorite painters is Franz Kupka. Painted the first abstract
: painting (pre-kandinsky, et al)...

How are you defining the term "abstract"? If you mean based on a real
object, but less detailed, then the people living ca. 25,000 BCE beat
everyone! If you mean non-representational, then who really was the first?

--
Joshua Heuman
yu10...@yorku.ca
Art History Undergraduate

Bruce VonAhsen

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Mar 19, 1995, 9:32:05 PM3/19/95

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Joshua Heuman (yu10...@afep.yorku.ca) wrote:

: Ron Anderson (r...@crl.com) wrote:
: : One of my favorite painters is Franz Kupka. Painted the first abstract
: : painting (pre-kandinsky, et al)...

: How are you defining the term "abstract"? If you mean based on a real
: object, but less detailed, then the people living ca. 25,000 BCE beat
: everyone! If you mean non-representational, then who really was the first?

They were also the first postmodern instalation artists!
--
brenda is )\._.,--....,'``.
br...@sparc.isl.net /, _.. \ _\ (`.
`._.-(,_..'--(,_..'`-.;.'

va...@cwu.edu

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Mar 22, 1995, 3:17:20 PM3/22/95

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Ron Anderson wrote that Franz Kupka painted the first abstract painting.

Interesting, Ron. What was the date?

Vance

GeoffG603

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Mar 22, 1995, 10:52:37 PM3/22/95

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kupka's work was part of the early (I think Czech) modernists. The early
abstractions were about 1911, although I am not quite sure. Either that or
1913. Really neat stuff, and I agree with Ron, overlooked.

Dan Odom

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Mar 23, 1995, 2:10:49 PM3/23/95

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geof...@aol.com (GeoffG603) writes:

It would have to be 1911 or earlier -- isn't 1910 - 1913 or so the
period when Mondriaan was getting started?

Ron Anderson

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Apr 14, 1995, 3:00:00 AM4/14/95

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va...@cwu.edu wrote:
: Ron Anderson wrote that Franz Kupka painted the first abstract painting.

Ron Anderson

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Apr 16, 1995, 3:00:00 AM4/16/95

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va...@cwu.edu wrote:
: Ron Anderson wrote that Franz Kupka painted the first abstract painting.

: Interesting, Ron. What was the date?

: Vance
Having problems posting... Anyway, as someone mentioned, "The First Step"
1909. Two excellent sources on Kupka are: "Frank Kupka" by Ludmila Vachtova
& "Kupka" Guggenheim catalog 1975. Both are very hard to find though. The
Rizzoli book that was mentioned might still be around but is very limited.

Ron

Jim Felder

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May 2, 1995, 3:00:00 AM5/2/95

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r...@crl.com (Ron Anderson) wrote:
>va...@cwu.edu wrote:
>: Ron Anderson wrote that Franz Kupka painted the first abstract painting.

>
>: Interesting, Ron. What was the date?
>
>: Vance

> Having problems posting... Anyway, as someone mentioned, "The First Step"
>1909. Two excellent sources on Kupka are: "Frank Kupka" by Ludmila Vachtova
>& "Kupka" Guggenheim catalog 1975. Both are very hard to find though. The
>Rizzoli book that was mentioned might still be around but is very limited.
>
>Ron

I have read that Whistler's "The Falling Rocket" was considered to be the first abstract painting, and in fact precipitated the firs=
t court case over the worth or non-worth of a work of art after Ruskin's criticism of the piece. I think that was in the 1880s.

And what about Celtic art? It was almost all abstract and we can assume they painted. Definitely predate Kupka.