Marc (FIG. 35-8). Like Marc, Rothenberg saw horses as metaphors
for humanity: “The horse was a way of not doing people, yet it was a
symbol of people, a self-portrait, really.”^21 Rothenberg, however, dis-
tilled the image to a ghostly outline or hazy depiction that is more
poetic than descriptive. As such, her works fall in the nebulous area
between representation and abstraction. In paintings such as Tattoo
(FIG. 36-30), the loose brushwork and agitated surface contribute
to the expressiveness of the image and account for Rothenberg’s cat-
egorization as a Neo-Expressionist. The title,Tattoo,refers to the
horse’s head drawn within the outline of its leg—“a tattoo or mem-
ory image,” according to the artist.^22JULIAN SCHNABEL The work of another American artist,
Julian Schnabel(b. 1951), forcefully restates the premises of Ab-
stract Expressionism. When executing his artworks in the 1980s,
however, Schnabel experimented widely with materials and sup-36-30Susan Rothenberg,
Tattoo,1979. Acrylic paint on
canvas, 5 7 8 7 . Walker Art
Center, Minneapolis (purchased
with the aid of funds from Mr.
and Mrs. Edmond R. Ruben,
Mr. and Mrs. Julius E. Davis,
the Art Center Acquisition Fund,
and the National Endowment
for the Arts, 1979).
Rothenberg’s Neo-Expressionist
paintings feature loose brush-
work, agitated surfaces, and
hazy, semiabstract forms. This
work’s title refers to the horse’s
head drawn within the outline
of its leg.
36-31Julian Schnabel,The Walk Home,1984–1985. Oil, plates, copper, bronze, fiberglass, and Bondo on wood, 9 3 19 4 .Broad Art
Foundation and the Pace Gallery, New York.
Schnabel’s paintings recall the work of the gestural abstractionists, but he employs an amalgamation of media, bringing together painting,
mosaic, and low-relief sculpture.988 Chapter 36 EUROPE AND AMERICA AFTER 19451 ft.1 ft.