The Art of Existentialism

The philosophy of Existentialism was an influential nuance in art that aimed to explore the role of sensory perception, particularly vision, in the thought processes. Existentialism stressed the character of personal, subjective experience and it insisted on the freedom and autonomy of the individual. The philosophy was often misunderstood, often by those who called themselves Existentialists. Nonetheless, it provoked discussion of themes such as trauma, anxiety, and alienation; ideas which were prevalent in post-war art.

Existentialism's focus on individual experience made it an ideal tool with which to interpret much post-war abstract art. Though it never enjoyed the same popularity among American artists as it did among Europeans, it contributed to the discussion of Abstract Expressionism which was developed in New York in the 1940s. Through the works of Alberto Giacometti and Francis Bacon, who were figurative artists of the post-war period, popularized the philosophy, which came to be widely understood as the intellectual expression of anxiety about the fate of humanity during the atomic era.

The terminology of Existentialism provided abstract artist with a platform in which to assert the importance of their personal expression. It addressed the concerns about the fate and dignity of humanity, which was pervasive during this era. Also serving the needs of figurative painters Giacometti, for example, was shaped by Existentialist ideas; as the philosophy touched on how human beings interact, this provided a template for thinking about how the painter might relate to the portrait sitter.

In the 1950s, an exhibition of figurative art was heavily influenced by Existentialism in New York. "New Images of Man," which was staged at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, examined how artists from around the world - Giacometti, Francis Bacon, and William de Kooning - gave expression on the dilemma's that plagued mankind at the time.