The Influence of American Nationalism on Mark Tobey’s Sumi Art

Abstract

Mark Tobey (1890-1976) was a quintessential Abstract Expressionist dedicated to applying Japanese calligraphy to the Western style painting. In 1957, he created a group of over fifty sumi abstractions, including Space Ritual No. 1 which was the epitome of his Japanese study. However, this strong Asian influence on his style marginalized his position in the art circles, thereby calling an end to his sumi work. American nationalism played an important role in his choice to create sumi: on one hand, he espoused sumi practice as a medium to represent American’s individualism, freedom, and masculinity; on the other hand, he estranged himself from sumi work because of the rhetoric of ideological confrontation and Asian denial. In the final years of his life, the universalism of Baha’i faith motivated him to seek the synthesis of East and West, crystalizing all the ideas and techniques that he had been accumulating over the years and creating a strong sense of wholeness in his art.