the early twentieth century - art history with ivy dallythe early twentieth century art through the...

The Early Twentieth Century Art through the First World War

Lecture by Ivy C. Dally South Suburban College

South Holland, IL

The Continuation of Modernism… ► The Three Revolutions that affected

the art of the 19th century continue to influence the artists of the 20th century.

► At the turn of the century, a new idea arose in art called the avant garde, a military term used to promote the idea that art should push conservative boundaries.

► Avant garde art at the onset of the 20th century sought new innovations in the ideas of form and color.

► Avant garde art after WWII up to today continues to push boundaries in form, subject matter, media, and content.

Ernst Kirchner, Street, Berlin. 1913.

Welcome to the 20th century…time to review mimesis and abstraction!

PAINTINGS

Fauvism ► French term for “Wild

Beasts”.

► First of many 20th century art movements.

► Short-lived style known for bold use of color, flat distorted figures, and curved lines. Not concerned with the accurate or mimetic depiction of reality.

► Seen as an experiment, but notable for freeing color from reality.

Matisse, The Joy of Life, oil on canvas, 1905-1906

Ingres, The Golden Age, 1862.

German Expressionism

► German art movements inspired by the Expressionist tendencies seen at the end of the 19th century.

► Imagery characterized by Dramatic color contrasts

Angular simplifications of their subjects

Bold, crude finish.

► Content focused on the human condition: Sorrow, passion, spirituality, emotion

New Urban life

Max Beckmann, Self-Portrait, 1937.

German Expressionism: Die Brucke

► Die Brucke (The Bridge)

Expressionist art contemporary with the Fauvres.

Called the bridge because they felt they were the bridge between art of the past and art of the future.

Bright colors of the Fauvres combined with radical disortions.

Emil Nolde, Dance around the Golden Calf, 1910,

German Expressionism: Der Blaue Reiter

► Der Blaue Reiter (The Blue Rider) Art focused on the

contrasts and combinations of abstract forms and pure color.

First examples of non-representational paintings.

“The expressive power of the visual elements released from their descriptive roles.”

Kandinsky, Sketch I for Composition VIII, 1913, Figure 20-4

Kandinsky, Composition IV, 1911.

According to Kandinsky, the content of his works are “what the spectator lives or feels while under the effect of the form and color combinations of the picture”. Quoted in Artforms, 10th ed., pg. 359-60.

Analytic Cubism

► Art that is concerned with deconstructing objects in order to study and understand them. Also concerned with shifting space and perspective.

► Abstraction of subject matter to the point of being unrecognizable. Another path leading to non-representational art.

► Devoid of color and emotional associations to focus on FORM.

► Style created by Picasso and Braque.

Picasso, Woman Playing the Mandolin, 1909.

The Progression of Analytic Cubism

Cezanne, Gardanne, 1885-1886. Post Impressionist work.

The Progression of Analytic Cubism

Braque, Houses at l’Estaque, 1908.

The Progression of Analytic Cubism

Braque, The Portuguese, 1911.

Picasso, Les Demoiselle

d’Avignon, oil on canvas, 1907.

Braque, Le Portugais (The Emigrant), oil on canvas, 1911-1912.

Futurism ► Italian movement inspired by

the Cubists.

► Added a sense of speed, motion, and machine mechanics to the shifting planes and multiple vantage points of Cubism.

► Use of diagonal lines, repetition, and rhythm to capture the speed of the modern world.

Marcel duChamp, Nude Descending a Staircase, No. 2, 1912.

DuChamp had a GREAT sense of humor (in my opinion) and had himself photographed descending a staircase in the 1950s. I personally am glad he opted to stay clothed.

Sonia Delaunay-Terk. Le Bal Bullier, 1913.

SCULPTURE

►The minimal, abstract forms seen in sculpture at the onset of the 20th century dominated sculpture for most of the century.

Brancusi, The Kiss, 1907.

Brancusi, Sleep, 1908

Brancusi, Sleeping Muse, 1909-1911

Brancusi, Newborn (I), 1915

Boccioni, Unique Forms of Continuity in Space, 1913. Futurist Sculpture

After this lecture you should be able to…

►Identify the formal and iconographic characteristics of

Fauvism

German Expressionism

Cubism

Futurism

Modernist Sculputre

►Explain the relationship of politics and art in the early 20th century.