When you look at abstract art, what are you supposed to see among all those splatters and blobs? Abbi sorts out her feelings about Jackson Pollock’s monumental action paintings with a little help from the dancer and choreographer Mark Morris, and she puzzles over the scratchy surfaces of Cy Twombly’s paintings with Rookie editor, Broadway actor, and fashion prodigy Tavi Gevinson.

Also featuring: Corey D’Augustine, Stella Jacobson, and Anne Umland

Jackson Pollock. One: Number 31, 1950. 1950. Oil and enamel paint on canvas.

(The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Sidney and Harriet Janis Collection Fund (by exchange). © 2017 Pollock-Krasner Foundation/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York)

Cy Twombly. Tiznit. 1953. White lead, oil-based house paint, wax crayon, and lead pencil on canvas.

(The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Promised gift of Marie-Josée and Henry R. Kravis. © 2017 Cy Twombly Foundation)

When you look at abstract art, what are you supposed to see among all those splatters and blobs? Abbi sorts out her feelings about Jackson Pollock’s monumental action paintings with a little help from the dancer and choreographer Mark Morris, and she puzzles over the scratchy surfaces of Cy Twombly’s paintings with Rookie editor, Broadway actor, and fashion prodigy Tavi Gevinson.

Also featuring: Corey D’Augustine, Stella Jacobson, and Anne Umland

View the artwork from this episode at wnyc.org/abstract

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About the podcast: 

From WNYC Studios and MoMA, A Piece of Work is everything you want to know about modern and contemporary art but were afraid to ask. Hosted by "Broad City"’s Abbi Jacobson, this 10-episode series explores everything from Pop art to performance in lively conversations with curators, artists, and Abbi’s friends, including Hannibal Buress, Tavi Gevinson, RuPaul, and Questlove.

Produced by WNYC Studios. www.wnycstudios.org