Modernism in

American ArtArthur DoveNature Symbolized1911Pastel on paper18 x 21 5/8 in.The Art Institute of Chicago

Life in the 1910s

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Patrick Henry BruceComposition II 1916

Oil on canvas 38 1/4 x 51 in (97.2 x 129.5 cm)Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven

Look at the painting on the right. How do you think artists created images from deep within themselves?

During the Modernist art movement in America, the artistic traditions of several centuries were shaken to their very foundations. Artists working under the modernist philosophy believed art could come from deep within themselves. They abandoned any obligation to realistic depiction, casting aside allegiance to an academic ideal in favor of a newfound freedom of color and design. The artists assert the aesthetic validity of the work of art, independent of the natural world, even though that may have been the source of inspiration.

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Morgan RussellSynchromie Cosmique

1915 Oil on canvas 17 x 13 in. Munson-Williams-Proctor Institute, Museum of

Art Utica, New York

Look at the painting on the right. How do you think artists created images without evidence of history or culture?

At the height of modernism, artists wanted to create images without evidence of history or culture. Russell believed his paintings to be more original in the search for pure form and more adventurous in liberating color from subject matter and natural objects. Here, there is no reference to natural form, but a superbly controlled organization of color and pigment on the plane of the canvas surface.

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Modernist artists strived to abstract subjects into dynamic patterns of brilliant color which suggests the pulsating real world. Even forms that are normally inert take on a lively existence. In this painting, the sweeping “force lines” of the suspension cables dominate the composition. You can see abstractions of skyscrapers, the dynamic, archetypal city scene of the twentieth century. Here, Stella captured the spirit he found in the bridge and the two New York boroughs, rather than the actual reality of the scene.

Joseph StellaThe Brooklyn Bridge: Variation on an Old Theme1939 Oil on canvas 5 ft 10 in x 3ft 6 inWhitney Museum of American Art, New York

Look at the painting on the right. How do you think artists created images portraying the spirit of an object?

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Artists strived to find the universal truth in their works through color. In this artwork by Patrick Henry Bruce, the eye is provided with a brilliant feast of pure color, but there is also a careful construction in the composition. Artwork during the Modernist movement began to liberate color from subject matter and natural objects.

Patrick Henry BruceStill Life (Flower Pot and Bananas 1911

Oil and charcoal on canvas 18 in x 24.25 inCollection of The Montclair Art Museum, New Jersey

Look at the painting on the right. How do you think artists tried to find the universal truth through color?

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Artists strived to find the universal truth in their works through shape. Georgia O’Keeffe opened her eyes to the abstract beauty of form and color. She produced this remarkable watercolor inspired by nature that treats color and form as separate entities.

Georgia O’KeefeEvening Star, III 1917

Watercolor on paper 9 x 11.875 inThe Museum of Modern Art, New York. Mr. and Mrs.

Donald B. Straus Fund.

Look at the painting on the right. How do you think artists tried to find the universal truth through shape?

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Let’s review the concepts of Modernism in American Art.

Art comes from deep within yourself.

Art is without evidence of history or culture.

Art strives to find the universal truth through color and shape.

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