Bay Area Figurative Art Movement

The Bay Area Figurative Movement is widely regarded as the region’s most significant contribution to 20th-century art. In this course, we delve into the 1950s, a pivotal period in the evolution of abstract painting after World War II. Our focus includes Bay Area artists and San Francisco Art Institute faculty David Park, Richard Diebenkorn, James Weeks, and Elmer Bischoff, who became the leaders of the new Figurative Movement, and how they defied the New York School's emphasis on pure abstraction by reintroducing subject matter into their work. We also discuss how this movement's development was closely tied to the rise of beat culture in San Francisco and the growth of West Coast jazz with the San Francisco Art Institute as the hub of activity and exploration.