She Wolf by Jackson Pollock and Elegy to the Spanish Republic by Robert Motherwell are two abstraction artworks. When Jackson painted the She Wolf, he was not at his prime yet regarding his drip style as one of the greatest inventors of abstract expressionism. There are traces of numerous colors in his work that illuminates the use of the abstraction of free form in his artworks.
Many of his artworks exhibit the unconditional use of different materials which greatly influenced his psychoanalysis. The art is drawn using thick black and white lines, while the wolf is seen advancing to the left-hand side (Herman and Paoletti 142). The abstract lines are on the wolf’s body, while dense calligraphy is noticed on the canvas of the painting. The hieroglyphic indications merged with the palette represent the climate of the time marred by war.
Robert, on the other hand, makes use of two large black spots dominating his artwork. Three ovals of similar color merge with the two large black spots. In the background, which is white, the republican flag can be seen stained and with muted tones save for the red color. The red color intensifies as it signifies the bloodshed during the war. The mood of the art is sorrowful as it portrays sadness and emptiness.
While doing the work, Motherwell did it with a lot of sensitivity but with utmost depression. The name of the painting reflects the things that culminated during the Second World War which are not worth recalling. The oval shapes are between large vertical bars, dominated by black and white colors (Moog). They represent oppression and violation of the rights of people endowed with a slow and monotonous rhythm that can be compared to a funeral procession.
References
Herman, Alexander B., and John Paoletti. “Re-Reading Jackson Pollock’s” She-Wolf”.” Artibus et Historiae, 2004, pp. 139-155.
Moog, Molly. “Requiem for a Republic: Poetic Symbolism and Remembrance in Robert Motherwell’s Elegies to the Spanish Republic.” Washington University Undergraduate Research Digest, vol. 7, 2012.