Greek Subjects, Greek-American Artists, and American Abstract Expressionism

Many Abstract Expressionists in America found in Greek mythology rich material to express metaphoric meaning that could be communicated through the referential titles that they gave to their art, even when they stayed far away from literal representation. In the work of some Abstract Expressionists, these metaphors have been interpreted as referring to the tragic events of World War II. Yet for the Greek-American artists among and around the Abstract Expressionists, references to Greek myths came naturally through pride in their ancestral culture.