High School

How did Lynda Benglis' fallen paintings challenge the traditional boundaries of easel painting?

Answer :

Final answer:

Lynda Benglis challenged traditional easel painting by using her whole body to create art and by employing methods like pouring liquid substances to form abstract pieces on unconventional substrates like floor, plastic sheets, and Plexiglas.

Explanation:

Lynda Benglis' innovative artistic practice challenged the traditional boundaries of easel painting. She moved beyond the figurative representation and shook the foundations of the Western tradition by not strictly using an easel and brush.

Benglis embraced the use of her whole body, allowing her to physically interact with her art in a dance of creation that involved pouring and manipulating liquid materials.

One of the techniques she employed was creating 'pours', wherein she poured liquid rubber onto the floor, creating floor paintings that displayed a sense of motion and abstraction.

This method echoes the approaches of Jackson Pollock, who also moved away from traditional easel painting by laying canvases on the ground and splattering paint.

Both artists defied conventional painting techniques, exchanging them for more physical and dynamic methods.

Continuing this tradition of innovation, Benglis experimented with new materials such as latex, beeswax, and synthetic resins. This allowed her to transition from traditional canvases to other surfaces such as plastic sheets and Plexiglas, further expanding the scope of 'painting' beyond its traditional confines.

The bold use of various mediums and substrates demonstrated her commitment to redefining painting and contributed to the evolution of contemporary art.