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53 Cards in this Set
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#99 Portrait of Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz Miguel Cabrera 1750 C.E. _____________________ Content: This is a portrait of Sor Juana, a Catholic nun and sister of the Jeronimite order in New Spain (Mexico). She is sitting in a library, poised to write in the open book directly in front of her as she looks off slightly past the viewer into the distance. A library setting surrounds her, with shelved full of volumes, scientific equipment, and red curtains. Sor Juana wears her nun's habit, a large nun's badge beneath her chin, and a long, draping rosary. _____________________ Style: The scene is documented realistically and styled very similarly to the portrait of St. Jerome and other portraits of famous intellectuals at the time. The red curtains behind her, for example, were common in elite portraits and represented a higher status. All her religious garb was meant to convey the deep connection she had with her faith, while her surroundings communicate her love for learning. |
Context: Once a lady-in-waiting for the Viceroy (stand-in royalty) of New Spain, Sor Juana eventually became a famous Mexican nun and intellectual, often called "The Tenth Muse". She wrote plays and poetry, engaged in debate with other philosophers and scientists of the time (including one Ecclesiastical dispute), and was considered one of the first feminists. Instead of marrying (as marriage happened very young at this time), Sor Juana decided to pursue her intellectual passions at in a Carmelite convent before converting to the Jeroimite order, which had more freedoms. Despite being a nun, she still defended her rights as a woman and eventually drew concern from the Church about her intelligence, vocality, and advocacy. After a while, the Church forced Sor Juana to sell her library and give up her intellectual pursuits as well as her musical and scientific instruments. She was made to sign a document declaring she would cease her education and relinquish her intelligence. The thought that she might have been willing to do this is challenged by the fact she signed the contract with her own blood. From that day on, Sor Juana served as a nurse in an infirmary until she contracted a disease from an epidemic and passed away. The artist, Cabrera, most likely pictured Sor Juana in this way to give tribute to her religious and intellectual purposes. It is also thought that he modeled her features (as this was painted after her death) after Sor Juana's own self-portraits. |
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#100 A Philosopher Giving a Lecture at the Orrey Joseph Wright of Derby 1763 - 1765 C.E. _____________________ Content: The painting shows a groups of people, including two small children and a veiled woman, gathered around a device called an Orrey to hear a speaker. The man in the center is the philosopher delivering the lecture and the man to his left is taking notes. ____________________________________ Style: The noticeable feature of this painting in the contrast between the dark background and the dramatic lighting coming from the center of the Orrey (meant to show the glory of education and learning in much the same way as was done to represent the glory of God in many Renaissance paintings). The light illuminates the people's faces and how transfixed and awed their expressions are. The philosopher is placed prominently in the center and dressed in red, symbolizing his importance and also drawing attention within the piece. The perspective of the painting, as well as the people with their backs turned to the viewer, make it seem as if the viewer is part of the scene and witnessing the lecture in the very same way. |
Context: To start, an Orrey was a machanical, clockwork device that would be calibrated to recreate the movements of the plants in the solar system. The light shown in the painting may have well been a lantern placed in the center of the device to imitate the light and function of the sun. The artist used this painting, and its many stylistic features, to communicate the scientific information that was becoming available to the upper class on a global scale and the public's fascinating with knowing more about the world. This movement was spurred by the Enlightenment period, which challenged myths and preconceived ways of thinking. Instead, everyone was encouraged to find new ways of thinking and share with the public through new forms of education. This painting also suggests that even women and children were beginning to grab the opportunity at higher education, adding to the population of intelligent people. |
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#101 The Swing Jean-Honoré Fragonard 1767 C.E. _____________________ Content: This painting is one of a fine lady being pushed on a large, ornate swing by a man further back, The scene is set in an dense and wild garden, with flowers and little cupid statues surrounding the scene (one with its hand in a "shush" position over its mouth). There is another man lying on the bushes in front of the swing (presumably looking up the lady's skirt as she swings). The lady herself is dressed in an elaborate pink dress and seen kicking off one of her shoes. ___________________________________ Style: The style is the epitome of Rococo, a french design of painting that was all about lightheartedness in both subject and technique. The painting was made with high regard to realism and naturalism (especially in the foliage) but also with intentional use of soft colors and ornate details (with the layers and ruffles of the dress fabric). There is also strong use of implied line, with all the eyes in the painting (even those of the statues) being directed towards the woman as she becomes the focal point of the piece. She is also clothed in the lightest colors and bathed in sunlight, again casting her as the main subject. The scene is also very pastoral with an emphasis on the background and natural surroundings as being very tranquil and also secretive. |
Context: This was painted during a time when the aristocracies of nations (especially France) lived better than most of the populace. The wealthy and lavish way of living that those nobles sustained in enraptured in the costume-like dress of the women and the frivolity of the subject matter. During this time, women were also major patrons of the arts, mainly paintings that held scandalously sexual undertones. This kind of art serves as the wealthy people's escape from the real issues that France was facing and the outrage of the people at the aristocrat's superior lifestyle. Art became selfishly exclusive to the rich people and served as an attractive way for nobles to see themselves represented. If was this kind of pattern, of course, that later provoke the rise of the French Revolution and the overthrow of the aristocrats. |
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#102 Monticello Virginia, U.S. (architect) Thomas Jefferson 1768 - 1809 C.E. _____________________ Content: This served as Jefferson's private residence, as was designed as a livable home space. _________________________________ Style: Neoclassicism The colonnades, pediment, Persian windows, and dome all speak to classic European architecture. The interior is similar to a basilica plan, along with the Roman tradition of a large meeting area topped with a dome. The transept of the house intersects like the gothic churches seen in Europe. The steps leading to the front entrance are also similar to ancient Etruscan temples and most of the outdoor gardens were styled in a French imitation. |
Context: Thomas Jefferson (as a father of the American Revolution) became fascinated with classical antiquity during his many travels to Europe as an ambassador. He brought back his inspiration from several classical civilizations and moved to re-establish them in the young country of American through Neoclassicism, a movement seeking to reinvent classical ideas. Jefferson even moved to have Neoclassicism become that national architecture of America, and emulated that wish in the design of his own home. The ideas Jefferson brought did, in fact, resonate with the United States. Many classical myths and legends often illustrated the struggle against higher powers, similar to America's recent struggle to become independent from England and many of the old world cultures valued civic virtue and democratic involvement, both of which became foundations for America's political formation. |
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#103 The Oath of the Horatti Jacques-Louis David 1784 C.E. _____________________ Content: The painting, depicting a Roman myth, shows three brothers swearing on their swords held aloft by their father, while women sit to the right of the composition and grieve. All the figures are placed in an unidentifiable, columned hall. _________________________________ Style: Neoclassicism With a neoclassicist style and intention, this piece is both simplistic, symbolic, and a rejection of the coveted style of Rococo that was being embraced at the time. The painting is organized and structured. The male figures are constructed with geometric shapes; the females, with organic ones. |
Context: The legend that promoted the subject matter of this piece was about a conflict between Rome and the neighboring city of Alba. Instead of declaring war on each other, each city instead sent three representative to settle the dispute in combat. Rome chose the three brothers of the Horatti and the scene shows the oath they took before departing for the battle to defend Rome at all costs. It was typical that the fights like this one were only finished when one man remained standing. This explains why the women, most likely family relations or wives, are grieving for their husbands. It was likely they wouldn't return. The legend of the Horatti, like many classical stories, held a moral that was valued in Roman culture: sacrifice for the defense of your city (or nation) is a noble cause. At the time David painting this piece, France was on the verge of its Revolution and the end of the monarchy. As the artist was friends with Robespierre, a major mind in the development of the French Revolution, David no doubt picked up on the independence ideals that were resurfacing all over the world (for example, In America, with the American Revolution) and within that inner circle of Revolutionary thinkers. The result may have been the creation of this painting itself, and the important theme of self sacrifice for a greater good that it carries, the same motivation for the common people in the French Revolution. |
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#104 George Washington Jean-Antoine Houdon 1788 - 1792 C.E. _____________________ Content: This is a marble sculpture depicting George Washington. _________________________________ Style: Neoclassicism The choice of white marble is an indicator of the artist's neoclassicist style, as is the contraposto stance in which he places Washington, and the symbolic details that are sculpted along with the form. Washington is shown in street clothes, rather than his military uniform for which he was famous for and has a "fatherly" expression. He is leaning on a sculpted bundle of 13 rods, a fasces, which symbolizes power and authority, as does the sword he holds. The artist's choice not to have the sword in hand, however, speaks to Washington's history of having given up his military and presidential careers in order to let the young country of America grow. |
Context: This sculpture was made after the American Revolution, at a time when it was popular to commission the depiction of war heroes. The statue was ordered by the Virginia Governor, but sculpted by a French artist. There were two reasons for this, one being that there were no practiced American sculptors, the other being that the French people idealized the fore-fathers of America, like Washington, who had rebelled against a monarchy. The way Washington was styled was also inspired by his choice to retire from his military position and precedency in order to pursue farming instead and allow his country to develop without a constant, potentially corrupt, political/military figure. |
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#105 Self-Portrait Elisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun 1790 C.E. _____________________ Content: This is a self-portrait of Elisabeth shown in the act of painting, with brushes and a pallet in hand, while wearing a black dress with white ruffles, a dark red sash, and a white headscarf. _________________________________ Style: Naturalism This painting is a return to the more naturalistic ideals that appeared in the Renaissance. Elisabeth is shown looking straight at the viewer and in a natural, active position. There is no focus on the portrait she is shown painting, and it is monochromatically blended into the background. Instead, Elisabeth herself holds all the attention of the piece, especially with the addition of the contrasting red sash that she is wearing. |
Context: This artist was once highly famous for her portraiture in Europe, she even painted for Marie Antoinette. But, even though she painted for royalty, her paintings did not utilize many Rococo styles. Instead, Elisabeth embraced a Rousseau philosophy that celebrated any natural beauty that could be found in a growing industrial world. This piece also represents the emergence of the artist as an individual, as this was a self-portrait rather than a commissioned work and featured the artist instead of a posed, royal subject. Elisabeth was also the first women to be accepted into the Royal Academy of Art and Sculpture in France, which was dissolved during the French Revolution. Unfortunately, she was not invited back after the reconstruction of the institute (because she was a woman and because she was the first to buck the traditional cannon of portraiture). Instead of letting the design halt or alter her work, Elisabeth continued her art outside of any systematic art academy and still succeeded in portraying her naturalistic and individual beliefs. |
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#106 Y no hai remedio (And There’s Nothing to Be Done), from Los Desastres de la Guerra (The Disasters of War), plate 15 Francisco de Goya 1810 - 1823 C.E. (not published until 1863) _____________________ Content: This was a single print within a series that documented the destruction the Peninsular War (1808-1814) caused on Spain. This print (#15) shows a man tied up in front of a firing squad, surrounded by the bodies of those already shot. _________________________________ Style: Romanticism Made to communicate a certain message and historically depict a strong subject matter, this print uses the characteristics of romanticism, like potent subject and an uncensored style to fully achieve that purpose. This print in particular also uses grotesque imagery, the depiction of brutal military action, and raw human emotion (also seen in the title) to harness the true communication of the art. The piece is also strategically structured and compositional, with the use of directed line to lead the eye to the single focal point. It also utilizes a triangular composition, placing the focal point in a center, above position. |
Context: The depictions of these prints were to show the destruction and death caused by the Napoleonic French wars that were waged on Spain. Goya actually worked as a painter for the French and Spanish royalty and attempted to remain neutral during the fighting, as his work was so controversial that it might have meant his death if it had been published during the war. His prints intended to install Spanish nationalism needed to overthrow Napoleon's Empire and the Romantic style helped achieve that. Later in his life, Goya went deaf and became a recluse, drawing disturbingly creepy sketches and paintings all over the walls of the house where he lived. |
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#107 La Grande Odalisque Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres 1814 C.E. _____________________ Content: This oil on canvas piece showcases a nude reclining female, with her body turned away from the audience, but her head turned towards the audience. She is surrounded by various pillows, fabric, fine ornaments, curtains (with peacock feather tassels) and is waring a fine headscarf and bracelet. _________________________________ Style: Neoclassicism This style strays away from Romanticism and and returns to the neoclassicism of praising classical styles like those of the Renaissance and of Titian. The incorporation of a nude subject is also a return to Greek antiquity. The polished realism also harkens back to the use of chiaroscuro and the creation of perfect skin tone. |
Context: At this time, Europe was expanding its empire into new, exotic countries and catering art to a broader audience. The subject matter of this painting was inspired by the subsequent fascination with the foreign and exotic. The "Odalisque" became a popular subject, mostly in the form of female nudes, as they were meant to be the women of Turkish harems, places where Sultans would keep their many wives. The harems were apparently very lavishly decorated with Islamic designs and the women would be brought in because of their beauty and taken care of there. This painting also includes many exotic props placed near the woman, like the colorful cloths, feathers, and pipe that is sitting at the end of the bed. In the art world, artists were beginning to find their own expression and style amidst the changes brought by revolutions, the Enlightenment and the emergence of new worlds and globalization. Artist were still, however, dominantly influenced by the English empire and its romantic fascination with exotic things. |
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#108 Liberty Leading the People Eugène Delacroix 1830 C.E. _____________________ Content: This painting shows a revolutionary war scene with a topless women, representing "liberty", leading the people of France into battle while holding the "new" French flag aloft . The woman is followed by a young newspaper boy wielding two pistols, a well dressed gentleman, and the rest of the group follows behind. Bodies lay under the feet of the mob. _________________________________ Style: Romanticism In this piece, everything (the lines of the pistols, the angles of the bodies) is placed so it points to the Lady of Liberty. There is also an intentional use of light behind Liberty's head, which illuminates the dark composition. |
Context: This painting, more than anything else, is the French Revolution. It was painted during the revolutionary violence and uses strong symbolism, patriotism, and romanticism of what the war was about in order to further impress the ideals of the revolution onto the audience. The different appearances of the people in the group were meant to show the incorporation of all classes and all ages of people in the French revolution. The depiction of Liberty as a person, literally leading the people, is a strong symbol of what the people were fighting for and how, if they followed those ideals, they could reach an improved state in France and fly the revolutionary flag. |
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#109 The Oxbow (View from Mount Holyoke, Northampton, Massachusetts, after a Thunderstorm) Thomas Cole 1836 C.E. _____________________ Content: This shows a landscape of the scene described above in the extended title. There is also a small person shown on the hillside, apparently painting on an eagle, while some supplies sits higher on the hillside. _________________________________ Style: Romanticism This style, when applied to the natural word, represents a stylistic fascination with natural beauty. Everything holds a strong realistic element, but at the same time, there is more emphasis on what is beautiful rather than what is realistic. The interpretation of the landscape showcases the beauty of nature in a similar way in which religion was during the Renaissance, with the same intention of inspiring awe and glory. |
Context: Western expansion in the USA led to the establishment of the Hudson River School, one of the first American art academies, which was strongly influenced by the idealization of nature as introduced by the philosophy of Rousseau. Later in the 19th century, the national park system was formulate to aid the preservation and conservation of nature. The idea of pristine parks also sparked tourism to America, as it was popular at the time for wealthy socialites to take a "Grand Tour" of the world and visit exotic, natural wonders. |
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#110 Still Life in Studio Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre 1837 C.E. _____________________ Content: A Daguerre-type image of a studio filled with various items: a woven basket, a framed picture, fabric, two cherub faces, a plaque, and a leather pouch. _______________________________ Style: The Daguerre-type was an early form of photography that was one of the first to permanently inlay an image onto a plate. To create, a metal plate would be coated with light sensitive chemicals and put into a camera with the lens pointed at the desired subject. The scene would then be burned into the metal plate as the chemicals reacted and could be used to create prints of the image. Daguerre type's were extremely successful in being able to accurately depict the reality of a scene and all its details, like the element of texture. |
Context: The Daguerre type was introduced around 10 to 15 years before the mass spread of film photography. The subject matter of this particular shot was meant to be of a collection of worldly goods, which called attention to the globalization happening at the time and the consistent fascination with exotic cultures and items. Globalization also led to world trade, explaining why these items were available to artists and studios as collections. |
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#111 Slave Ship (Slavers Throwing Overboard the Dead and Dying, Typhoon Coming On) Joseph Mallord William Turner 1840 C.E. _____________________ Content: A seascape at sunset, showing the masts and body of a ship sailing away and people in chains float in the waves of the middle ground and clouds gather in the sky. _______________________________ Style: Romanticism The style is more minimized rather than realistic, with a strong emphasis on the use of color and brush work. There is a more purposeful sense to how the painting was created rather than what is being represented. The subject matter acts as imagery. With its Romantic style, the piece develops a purpose of calling attention to the issues of the slave trade, slavery in the United States, and the potential for a movement of abolishment. |
Context: As mentioned before, the piece is meant to speak to the social, inhumane effects of slavery in the United States and the treatment of slaves in the Triangle slave trade between Africa, Europe, and the Americas. The time period the piece was painted also saw the emergence of political and social ideas that fueled the Civil War in terms of abolishment and succession. J.M.W. Turner, however, was British and his choice of subject matter may speak to the globalization of the slave trade. It is also thought that this work may have been influenced by the publishing of "The History of the Abolishment of the Slave Trade" in 1783, a book that told the story of a slave ship that was in peril and threw the weak and dying slaves overboard. |
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#112 Palace of Westminster London, England (architects) Charles Barry and Augustus W.N. Pugin 1840–1870 C.E. _____________________ Content: A steel and glass structured building, built in London as a place, initially for the Royal family, and later for Parliament to have its proceedings. _______________________________ Style: Both the interior and the exterior styling harkens back to both Gothic and Islamic architectural genres. On the interior, especially in the Central Lobby, the geometric patterns on the floor and walls reminds one of both Islamic decoration (the Alhambra Palace) and this of Byzantium stye (San Vitale). The structure of the palace itself is very gothic in design, with a large, doomed central area, pierced columns, gothic windows, spires, towers, arches, and arches that are similar to the timpanums seen above gothic doorways. |
Context: The palace was built during the emergence of steel in architecture. It was one of the earliest palaces for The British royalty (in London) and is now slightly changed as the houses of Parliament were built around the original palace. Again, the many world influences came from looking at the exotic, especially the influences of Islamic culture. |
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#113 The Stone Breakers Gustave Courbet 1849 C.E. (destroyed in 1945) _____________________ Content: This is a oil on canvas work that displays two male figures (one old and one young) breaking and removing stones from a road that is in the process of being built. _______________________________ Style: Realism The focus of this piece is to being attention to the common people and the poor laborers at the time. In a slight departure from realism, the figure's ages were enhanced slightly so that it was clear the boy was too young and the man too old to be engaging in that level of manual labor. Stylistically, the tones and colors of the painting are muted and both figures are turned away from the viewer. The clothing of both figures is shown in tatters and the workers seem to be isolated by the surrounding his - which is representational to their isolated socio-economic captivity within the poor, working class. The brushwork is rough and unpolished as a rejection of the polished look of Neoclassicism when it became popular in France in 1848. All aspects of this work are focused on and painting with equal importance - a strive for perfect equality that can only hoped to be met in the real world. |
Context: This was painted only one year after Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels wrote and published "The Communist Manifesto", which advocated entire social and economic equality. Courbet, no doubt influenced by communist ideals, could have been trying to focus on the plight of the french poor in order to bring about socialist change in mid-century, real France. |
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#114 Nadar Raising Photography to the Height of Art Honoré Daumier 1862 C.E. ____________________ Content: A print of Nadar the photographer in a hot air balloon over Paris taking a photo - his top hat is flying off and he is seated in a unstable position. All the buildings below have signs reading "photography" and there are many famous Parisian landmarks dotting the cityscape. _______________________________ Style: Lithography Documentation The Lithograph was developed as a new art form. To produce, an image was drawn negatively onto a metal plate using an oil based crayon. The plate would then be inked and (with the ink providing the positive space and the oil crayon areas remaining blank because they repelled the ink). The plate would then be printed to show the image and could be re-inked and re-printed a number of times. This print in particular uses a lot of imagery, historical documentation, icons, etc. |
Context: Nadar was a famous photographer in Paris, using cameras developed out of pin-point boxes in the mid 17th century. Photography then was a new technology and not considered an art form. It was used to document events or items. Nardar, however, began to use his photography as an art in portraiture and started making it more popular. He took portraits of famous artists at the time, like Delacroix, as well as wealthy Parisian citizens or icons. To most people, having a photographed portrait became something of a status symbol. Soon, the court system of France ruled that photographs and their prints were individual works of creativity. This started the journey towards copyright and mass production. Amazingly enough, Nadar was actually a real hot air balloon enthusiast and was the first to take areal photos of Paris. He was often thought of as quiet the dare-devil, maniac artist, but maintained respect through his successful portrait photographs. |
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#115 Olympia Édouard Manet 1863 C.E. _____________________ Content: A nude, reclining women being waited on by a Negro servant bringing a bouquet of flowers. The woman is lying on a bed of various pillows and cloth, wearing small trinkets, jewelry, and fine slippers, and surrounded by fabric and a small black cat at the end of the bed. _______________________________ Style: The style of this work is categorized as realism, but it is also one of the first works to start to move away into a less realistic representation and into a more blurred, simplified state. Dark outlines highlight all the subjects of the piece and provide contrast between the darker and lighter colors. There is very little detail on any of the objects themselves, yet a larger detailing on the separate values and brushstrokes, showing the budding of impressionism and abstraction. The cat at the end of the bed id thought to represent the woman's attitude towards her society, as sort of a flippant, but well taken care of position. |
Context: Manet was famous for painting controversial subjects, like naked women in risqué scenes. "Olympia" is actually another name/word for a prostitute. The many trinkets and treasures the prostitute in the painting is shown wearing were meant to be the gifts men gave her when they visited the brothel and picked her as a favorite. Art academies at the time refused to admit these kinds of controversial subjects and so artists like Manet became some of the first to break away from the academic artistic traditions of realism and start developing their own style. The rejection of realistic traditions brought about the simplified details and elaborate brush work that is seen here. Also, the invention and establishment of photography as the ultimate realistic art form eliminated the need for paintings to accurately document people, items, or scenes. Because of this, artists became fumbling for the real purpose of paintings and starting to discover their own interpretations, leading to art forms like impressionisms, abstraction, and many others. |
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#116 The Sainte-Lazare Station Claude Monet 1877 C.E. _____________________ Content: As stated in the title, this piece shows the Sainte- Lazare train station in Paris with a front view of the trains coming and going. There is much steam and smoke shown in the air, along with crowds of people around the edges of the tracks. A far-off building can also be seen through the haze, beyond the triangular structure of the train station roof. _______________________________ Style: Impressionism As characteristic of impressionism, this piece is all about color theory and the behaviors of light, blended together to just give off the impression of the scene. Also typical of Monet is the paintings strong foreground and background. The piece is full of short, quick, unblinded brushstrokes and reflections of the lights upon many surfaces. People loose their representational shape and become little blots of valued color. The scene is also very everyday, very common. |
Context: Impressionism was a movement largely inspired and incorporated by Monet. As photography helped to expand the ways an artist could interpret painting, the essentials of light and color, along with brushwork technique, became apparent to impressionists and became the basis for their work. Around this time paint was also finally put into purchasable tubes. Because the impressionists found themselves so liberated from the confines of accepted, academy art, they often took it upon themselves to create their own galleries and exhibits, oftentimes gaining reputable fame. The people of Paris, ever eager for the next greatest thing, loved the new style of Impressionism and so started the downfall of popularized academies and the rise of art for arts sake as an individual expression - without any patronage or formal instruction. |
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#117 The Horse in Motion Eadweard Muybridge 1878 C.E. _____________________ Content: This is a series of black and white photographic slides showing the progress of a jockey riding a running horse. _______________________________ Style: The series was a study in motion, with photography being used to prove a theory and document the actions of a horse running. The photos were collaborated into a series to give the effect of animation and continuous movement. |
Context: These photos show the more scientific aspect of the booming photography enterprise. The story behind the documentation of a horse in motion came from a bet the photographer Muybridge made with one of his wealthy friends as a horse race track. Muybridge claimed that, at one point while a horse was running, all four of its legs were off the ground. To win his bet, Muybridge collected this series of photos to prove what he was saying. The organization of Muybridge's photos would later lead into the compilation of film for motion pictures and zoetropes (very popular at the time, even early on). Although his photos were taken for recreational purposes, Muybridge's specific action shots helped inform scientist and allowed for the knowledge of photography to incorporate itself into scientific understanding. |
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#118 The Valley of Mexico from the Hillside of Santa Isabel (El Valle de México desde el Cerro de Santa Isabel) Jose María Velasco 1882 C.E. _____________________ Content: An oil on canvas landscape of South Mexico showing a large lake surrounded by distant mountains and an overarching sky; people walk along the road that curves into the frontal middle ground and disappears in the later background. _______________________________ Style: With its Cole-like romanticism of nature, this piece is the epitome of the art schools established in Mexico that were often modeled after those in Madrid. Velasco seems to be entranced by nature and inspired by the popular work of German landscape artists that maintain the traditional, realistic look. |
Context: Velasco lived in a house overlooking this very scene, prompting his desire to paint it. At the time, Mexico had gained independence from Spain and there was a movement to establish Mexican identity, through social aspects, politics, and, of course, art. The communication of this identity abroad was also crucial in establishing Mexico as a world nation. The paintings of the Valley of Mexico was one way of doing that, sharing not only Mexico's intense natural beauty and abundance, but also the wealth of talent and culture that it possessed in its artists. World fairs were also gaining popularity at this point in time and all countries became eager to host and participate in one in order to showcase their scientific discoveries, innovations, and art - Velasco was showcased at one such event. There was also the prevalence of art academies that continued the artistic traditions that were unique to Mexico or had been carried over from Europe. |
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#119 The Burghers of Calais Auguste Rodin 1884 - 1895 C.E. _____________________ Content: A bronze work sculpture showing the five men of a traditional story regarding Calais, France. _______________________________ Style: In a neoclassicist sense, this sculpture portrays a return to bronze and the detailed work in polishing, sand bolstering, and patina effect that went along with that medium of art. This work began the climb into modernism by incorporating the influences of impressionist, rejection of representationalism, but also by including something more. The piece includes extraordinary texture (not polished) that is rough and course (similar to Impressionistic brushstrokes). The work was also a r-introduction of the bronze casting method for art at the time. To make, clay is sculpted and casted (sometimes into individual pieces depending on the size). The separate pieces are then cast in bronze using a large system and them finished with melted bronze and assembled.
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Context: Rodin was part of the sculptural movement into modernism but didn't want to be defined by a single "ism". The story he sculpted was about the city of Calais in France in which the keys of the city were stolen and recalled by the people of Calais, a story which later became part of their heritage and identify. In the story, the port of Calais was under siege by the English monarch, King Edward. Because the port access had been cut off, the city was slowly starving to death. The king announced that six city leaders had to be surrendered and executed in return for the city's freedom and allowance of food for the starving people. The six "burghers" were led out with nooses around their necks, carrying the keys to the city. But back in England, the Queen heard about the burghers and interrupted the execution, claiming it would be a bad omen for her unborn child. The burghers were freed and the keys to the city returned. Rodin's sculpture, commissioned by the city of Calais, did not initially please its inhabitants. It lacked a sense of heroic romanticism that the story demanded of the burghers of the story, as they had risked their lives to save their city. But Rodin's intent was to move away for the artificial emotion of romanticism and portray the Burghers in their true, human state, which truly evoked more meaning than what was originally expected of this piece. |
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#120 The Starry Night Vincent van Gogh 1889 C.E. _____________________ Content: A night sky consisting of swirling patterns, luminous starts and a crescent, yellow moon. The left hand side is bisected by an old, wavy cyprus tree. A slight areal view of a town is shown below, from the viewpoint of what is now known to be a graveyard. _______________________________ Style: The piece is full of color, mostly the primaries of blue and yellow. The color is mesmerizing, intense, layered, blended, and thick. The large amounts of paint allow for the obvious presentation of the small, flicked brushstrokes and texture of the paint itself. All the shapes are stylized, organic, and outlined in black, creating a linear movement and bringing attention to the raw elements of art - like line, color, shape, form, etc. |
Context: The life of Vincent Van Gogh is historic; the epitome of the starving artist; the well-know story of the manic artist. He was know to have a strong relationship with his brother and they corresponded frequently with letters. Van Gogh had come from a strongly religious Dutch family and almost became a priest. He continued his life with a slight struggle with religion, even painting churches into many of his works, like the steeple that can be seen in this one. At this point, tubed paints were popular and available and most were lead-based. Unfortunately, Van Gogh used these lead-based paints and often had a habit of cleaning his brushes in his mouth because he painted so quickly, which possibly resulted in his slight insanity due to lead poisoning. He was also an alcoholic and often used his paintings as payment for his places of residence above pubs, as well as other necessities. He eventually checked himself into a mental hospital where a doctor there took Van Gogh in and eventually allowed him to stay in his care. In this protective environment, Van Gogh painted more vigorously that ever - at least a painting per day. He maintained his unstable disconnect with society that allowed him hand over his undivided attention to painting. Some think that the view of "The Starry Night" was from his window at the hospital where he stayed with the doctor. Van Gogh's like ended when he shot himself in a field he had once painted and it was only later that he became the acclaimed artist of post-impressionism and originality of work. |
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#121 The Coiffure Mary Cassatt 1890 - 1891 C.E. _____________________ Content: An aquatint print on paper of a topless women sitting on the edge of a bed in front of a mirror adjusting her hair in a room filled with pink stripes and decorated walls and floor. _______________________________ Style: Japonisme As the artist, Mary Cassatt, was one of the few successful female artists of the time, her subjects were often of female figures. The scenes were not modeled, but instead were of everyday occurrences that were common, intimate, and uneventful. Working within the style of Japonisme (inspired by imported Japanese prints), this print shows typical Japonnisme elements like linear movement, stylization, basic elements of art, dark, back outlining, and solid, tonal colors (similar to cartoons). The piece also includes spacial in-organization and a consistency of patterns in a similar color. |
Context: Cassatt was a prominent, talented female artist who was good friends with many Impressionist and early expressionist painters. Although she was American, she lived in France for most of her life and befriended the likes of artists like Dega. The cultural exchanges happening at the time with Europe (France) and the far East, including Japan, brought with it the exportation of Japanese wood-cut blocks used for printing. Influence by impressionism and inspired by these Japanese art forms, Cassatt formulated her art into the style of Japonisme and created a multitude of prints using the aquatint process. |
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#122 The Scream Edvard Munch 1893 C.E. _____________________ Content: A figure on a bridge over swirling water, shown in the action of screaming, with an elongated head and hands, cloaked in black. The sky is many bright colors of blended yellow and orange and there are two other figures to the far left of the composition. Style: Symbolist The composition is organized into three parts: the bridge, the lake and fjords, and the sky. There are no spacial distinctions and everything blades slightly together, both in form and in color. The background scenery is most noticeably stylized, with the acute colors and organic, curving shapes. The bridge in more neutral in tone and consists of rigid lines. The human figures remain cut off from the natural surroundings by the sharp industrialized imposition of the bridge, but the most forward figure (the screaming one) incorporates the fluid, undulating lines of the surroundings into its form. The forms and distinctions made in the piece categorize it into a symbolistic style, as well as a step into expressionism. |
Context: The painting was actually one of a series of the same scene, down in a multitude of mediums (pastel, tempura, cardboard) The constant work Munch put into this one scene shows his obsession with the possibilities of a single moment and how to properly convert the themes of life, death, and terror that apparently converged on him at the time he conceived this painting. Of the painting Munch said, “I was walking along the road with two friends—the sun went down—I felt a gust of melancholy—suddenly the sky turned a bloody red. I stopped, leaned against the railing, tired to death—as the flaming skies hung like blood and sword over the blue-black fjord and the city—My friends went on—I stood there trembling with anxiety—and I felt a vast infinite scream [tear] through nature.” To clarify, the screaming figure (possible Munch himself) is reacting as one with nature and what it is presenting, while the other two characters remain untroubled and cut off from the scene by the bridge and harsh, man made existence. In a more literal view, some think that the colors in the sky were actually due to the volcanic eruption of Krakatoa in Indonesia (although this happened ten years before the painting was made), which was known to produce spectacularly colored sunsets for months on end. Historians have also linked the appearance of the screaming figure to a Peruvian mummy that went missing during the World's Fair happening in Paris in 1889, and also to another mummy that was on display in Florence. But it is more likely that Munch was trying to symbolically connect the affinity he felt with nature as it displayed signs of dread, so much so that he felt like screaming. |
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#123 Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going? Paul Gauguin 1897 - 1898 C.E. _____________________ Content: Painted on a heavy sackcloth, this image depicts various human, animal, and symbolic figures gathered in a sort of courtyard area of an island, showing a background of foliage and the sea. _______________________________ Style: The style remains extremely symbolic and full of iconography. Most of the figures are representational of greater ideas and meanings that may answer the questions posed in the work's title. In a way, the painting can be read from right to left, with the right side being where we come from, the middle being what we are, and the far left being where we are going. The style of the painting is intentionally imitates the look of ancient frescos or iconic paintings, Gauguin even painted in the yellowing corners to give the piece the feel of being old and valued. The figures are also disproportionate to one other (again, intentionally so) and seem to float around in the undefined space rather than rest on the painted ground. The painting also continues to mix the unknown and divine with the material and common. The actions of the figures lounging or picking fruit seem common place, but, even so, they are strategically placed to create meaning and are also surrounded by mysterious settings and items, like the iconic blue statue. |
Context: This time period say the development of psychology as a academic field, inspiring the sort of questions that are asked in the title of the piece and encouraging intellectuals and, to an extent, artists, to find their own answers. For Gauguin, his career as an in depth thematic painter began when he was living on the island of Tahiti after failing to become a stockbroker in the 1880's. He transitioned into a professional career as a painter after many years of simply painting for pleasure. He painted many time in the islands of Tahiti, most of the time using massive canvas, and died there in 1903 on the island of Hiva Oa in the Marquesas islands. During his time working on the islands, Gauguin corresponded with is manager back in Paris, Daniel de Monfried. After completing this piece (allegedly in only one moth), he told de Manfred that he would never paint anything as great as it again and had poisoned himself with arsenic and attempted suicide in the mountains of the island after the piece was completed. Since he was always one to boost his own fame, it is unclear whether such a thing was ever attempted by Gauguin, although the action does fit in with the themes explored in the painting of life, death, meaning, and poetry. But the painting still communicates a rather vague answer to its many questions, perhaps showing that the true answers shown were individualized to Gauguin himself, that many people could have their own interpretation of his art, and that psychology encouraged the personalized answering of universal questions. |
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#124 Carson, Pirie, Scott and Company Building (detail and plan) Chicago, Illinois, U.S. (architect) Louis Sullivan 1899 - 1903 C.E. _____________________ Content: A steel structured corner building made to serve as a department store. _______________________________ Style: Modernism This was the first building that began to resemble a skyscraper. Sullivan was one of the first modern architects. This building in particular relied its construction on a steel frame, concrete, and glass. The lower two levels have decorative steel designs all the way around, accented with detailed ornamentation leading to the main doors. The interior is similar to the Egyptian hypo-style hall, with columns throughout the large open space behind the main doors, decorated with steel beams overhead. The absence of walls makes the interior seem larger and more open, while the presence of the columns organizes the space and supports the structure. |
Context: Innovations of steel construction were spreading throughout American cities during this time. The cities themselves were growing larger, with a thriving consumer class. The development of department stores proved to be a booming market. Sullivan knew successful stores, to win out over the competition, needed to be accessible, decorated, have natural lighting (to limit the industrial feel), athletically pleasing aspects, and enticing display windows. All of these essentials became the basis for constructing this building and ensuring it was the perfect place for people to indulge their inner consumer. |
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#125 Mont Sainte-Victoire Paul Cézanne 1902 - 1904 C.E. _____________________ Content: A mountain landscape from the artist's hometown with trees, a village (individual houses), meadows, and farms. _______________________________ Style: Cezanne wanted to find a more grounded piece in the style of this work and employed strong line, shape, and form to do so. The scene is an outdoor view that was still very representational. In Cezanne's emphasis on shape, he developed the dimensions of planes, heights, widths, and depths to form the shapes of the mountain and the houses below it. He simplified all the shape and alternated between their linear and vertical qualities. The effect was a closer move towards Modernism. But unlike many modernist paintings to come, Cezanne continued to develop a lasting structure in his pieces and kept with a unified color scheme that did not hinder his emphasis on construction. |
Context: Cezanne was strongly influenced by the painter Camile Pizaro and the impressionists. But he also valued the traditional views on realism and representation. He often visited the Louvre to see the famed, traditional pieces and often imitated the authorial sense of space and lack of foundation he found there. He was also clearly influenced by nature and the surroundings he grew up around. |
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#126 Les Demoiselles d’Avignon Pablo Picasso 1907 C.E. _____________________ Content: A group of prostitutes from the "D'Avignon" street in one of the Brothels Picasso encountered. _______________________________ Style: Modernism Picasso employed a strong simplification of form and tangible line and shape to achieve the fractured, iconic look of his modernist pieces. |
Context: Cezanne and Picasso were, together, considered the fathers of Modernism. Picasso's original intent with this piece was to paint two men visiting the brothel. But he got distracted by the female forms and became intrigued on how he could manipulate the shapes of a nude, female body. Like many of his other works, this one has layers of previous works under it, one that, it has been found using x-rays, has the two original men in it. |
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#127 The Steerage Alfred Stieglitz 1907 C.E. _____________________ Content: A photo of the two decks of a ship, populated with people and crossed by the various parts of the ship, like the stairs, mast, and walking plank spanning the space. _______________________________ Style: The photo is in black and white and is a live action shot, with nothing staged or perfected. The angle at which it was shot at is the most intentional stylistic elements (and possibly the only one the artist could control). The angles of the ship frame the scene within. The two levels of people can be clearly seen, as can their specific differences in dress or what they might be doing. |
Context: Stieglitz took this photo on a ship bound from New York to Germany to visit his wife's family. Although he was accompanied by his wife and daughter, Stieglitz grew fed up with the snobs he was surrounded by on the first class deck and went to explore other parts of the ship. In this way, he found the scene photographed here, with the two separated classes shown on their respective decks and the angles of the ship and technology of photography allowing for a modernist and expressionist take on developing the scene's motion, texture, and composition. The people on the upper deck were, of course, first class citizens from New York, while the people on the lower deck were immigrants who had been rejected from Ellis Island and were returning to their native country. The literal separate of the two groups speaks the the social and economic inequalities that existed at the time, as well dressing the issue of how many immigrants were turned away from America (reforms to immigration were also attempted) and had to go back to whatever situation was left for them back home. The conditions of the lower steerage passengers were also undignified and unsanitary. Stieglitz often gave his sympathy to those turned away from American immigration, but still maintained that the uneducated should remain out of American society. For the most part, Stieglitz saw this photograph as a way for him to capture photography as an art form, while others recognized the social injustices happening around American immigration and foreign treatment. |
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#128 The Kiss Gustav Klimt 1907 - 1908 C.E. _____________________ Content: An oil on canvas piece showing a man and woman embracing on a bed of flowers, near a cliff edge. The man is wearing a cloak that wraps around the two figures and both are dressed in representational clothing. _______________________________ Style: The piece involves a passionate theme of love and desire, universal and human traits. Everything except the human figures is representational, and very near realism. The abstracting elements are found in the representational clothing both figures wear and also the meaning behind the scene. In an unnatural move, the woman's head is turned horizontally, away from the man, whose face cannot be seen. The linear theme makes the woman's face all the more noticeable as the focal point of the piece. Their clothing is yellow and filled with different geometric patterns. The man consists of squares and rectangles, while the women is filled with organic circles (opposites). The shapes do not match and create a mixed interpretation of the piece and weather it is really about true love. The environment is also very mysterious, with no landmarks or spacial constructs. The yellows in the piece are actually more gold, similar to Byzantium art, they were painted with gold leaf to create metallic shimmer and add to the raw, human themes. |
Context: Klimt was obsessed with women, both in the physical sense and with their form in an artistic sense. What's interesting about this piece is that it can be interpreted in two ways. Either the scene is one of mutual love, or it is a scene of passion in which the female is succumbing to the advances of the man rather than making that choice herself. |
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#130 The Portuguese Georges Braque 1911 C.E. _____________________ Content: A painted representation of a Portuguese street guitarist abstracted by various geometric shapes, brushstrokes, and printed lettering and numbers. _______________________________ Style: Cubism This painting is completely Cubist. The main focus, although the subject is of a human figure, is on the geometric shapes that fill the space. The color remains neutrality and monotone so as not to distract from the pure ability of the shapes to create meaning. The cubes utilize different planes (height, width, depth, etc) to reassemble the form of the musician. The numbers and letters are printed in an industrial imitation style. |
Context: Braque often worked with Picasso to form the basis of Cubism. Most Cubist artists would use numbering or lettering to enhance or distract from their subject matter. Their existence came from the traditional use of cubism in the form of collages that involved various textiles, substances, and often clippings from newspapers. Cubism became a way to see things differently and incorporated a new idea about what art's purpose was. |
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#131 Goldfish Henri Matisse 1912 C.E. _____________________ Content: A scene with a bowl of goldfish standing on a table near a blue staircase, surrounded by a plethora of potted household plants. _______________________________ Style: Fauvism As one of the fauves (translated into "wild beasts"), Matisse's focus was on pure color. There was no use of tints, pastels, monochromatic schemes. Fauvism utilized vibrant, flat, intense color (straight from the paint tube) to render all other elements meaningless (distorted shape, no space, indistinct lines, simplified shape), and find the true concept of art in color and color patterns. |
Context: At this point, groups of artists were creating manifestos of their styles and how they contributed to the purpose and meaning of art. Historically, in the 17th century when this painting was made, goldfish were becoming a highly sought after import from the exotic countries of Asia. The fish no doubt transfixed Matisse with their vibrant, untouched color and perfection for becoming fauvism subjects. In the later years of his life, Matisse continued to work, even without the use of his hands, in his "Cut-out" series, which still used bright colors and patterns. |
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#132 Improvisation 28 (second version) Vassily Kandinsky 1912 C.E. _____________________ Content: A composition of various black lines and valued colors, creating s strong sense of movement. _______________________________ Style: Expressionism This piece is not representational at all, although it is thought to communicate images of war. The powerful lines challenge any previous established art forms. |
Context: As the importance of education continued to envelop this time period, the understand of art began to incorporate the fields of science and spirituality. Kandinsky is often considered to be the beginning of abstract expressionism. He was personally impacted by both of the world wars; born in Russia but moved around a lot because of the instability of the Russian empire. He studied science (physics) and religion, the latter of which was unfortunately shattered by many scientific discoveries. At the time Kandinsky painted this piece, discoveries were being made that the universe consisted entirely out of a select group of elements and materials. Kandinsky applied this to his art by using only the raw elements of art, which could be universally understood by people from any background, culture, language, or religion. This helped blend Kandinsky's love for science and his spirituality of art. |
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#133 Self-Portrait as a Soldier Ernst Ludwig Kirchner 1925 C.E. _____________________ Content: An oil on canvas piece; a self-portrait of Kirchner in his solider's uniform, smoking a cigarette. In the background stands a nude female figure. _______________________________ Style: This piece was made as part of the German Expressionist movement. Often called "di brucke" (the bridge), Germany Expressionists worked on bridging the gap between traditional art and modern ideas. The figures are chiseled and simplified, with stoic expressions and little emotion. |
Context: The impact of both the world wars left Germany in a state of destruction and imperfect, temporary government. Kirchner was a solider in WWI, but became mentally unstable and was dismissed. This painting was done during Kirchner's time in the military, in a lesser position to stay out of the front lines. His art incorporated his educational background and understanding of modern ideas. Kirchner was one of the first to buck industrial society. The impact of the wars also left people looking for the manifestation of a new "utopia". |
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#134 Memorial Sheet for Karl Käthe Kollwitz 1919–1920 C.E. _____________________ Content: A wood block print depicting the historical event of Karl Liebknecht's funeral. _______________________________ Style: Expressionism (not officially categorized) - meant to express pity for the plight of the poor. This print is organized into three distinct horizontal sections. The first is busy with the masses of individual people shown standing behind Kiebknecht. The second, middle section shows the collective bodies of the people, all dressed in black. And the last, lowest level shows the contrasting white of the memorial sheet covering Lieblknecht's body. The figures and presentation of the body are similar to how Christ was often depicted in the Renaissance. |
Context: Kollwitz was one of the fist German, female artists to be actively involved in the political situations of her country. She worked with the Union of Berlin Women Artists (which communicated the emergence of artist guilds). At the same time, there was also a re-populization of crafts and trades, which is why Kollwitz chose to return to the traditional craft of wood block printing. Politically, Germany was on the brink of Communism and the acceptance of socialism as the new "utopian" way of living. Karl Liebknecht was a socialist leader who was assassinated while leading a protest parade with his partner, Rosa. He was killed by a Democratic party uprising. Liebknecht became a socialist mightier for communist movements of equality, which the artist associated herself with. |
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#135 Villa Savoye Poissy-sur-Seine, France Le Corbusier (architect) 1929 C.E. _____________________ Content: A modernist private residence commissioned for by a family. _______________________________ Style: Modernism As a structure created in the late 20's, earlier 1930's, this house was way ahead of its time. Its design was governed by several principals of modern architecture that Corbusier dictated: - the space must be divided - the structure had to be off the ground - beautiful but functional - surrounding windows - less is more |
Context: This modernist approach was governed by search of the perfect, utopian living space. The Savoye family had commissioned the construction of the house. But, since the family was also Jewish, they had to flee to America during WWII. When occupying France, the Nazis used the house as stables and an administration building during the war. The house was almost destroyed in the subsequent fighting of the war and, when the family Savoye returned, they fond they could not repair their home and they abandoned it. Later, the house was declared a historical marker and was fully restored. |
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#136 Composition with Red, Blue and Yellow Piet Mondrian 1930 C.E. _____________________ Content: An acrylic painting of various white, red, yellow, and blue squares all outlined with thick, black lines. _______________________________ Style: De Stijl The pice utilizes only geometric shapes and flat colors, along with pure shades of black and white. It is full of raw abstraction, with no references to the real world and uses the simplest components of art. |
Context: The simplicity of the piece was meant to represent hope and reconstruction towards a better future after the world wars. It incorporates both individual and universal aspects and was, in part, influenced by modern scientific theories and discoveries. Again, the piece is meant to be universal and understood by everyone. |
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#137 Illustration from The Results of the First Five-Year Plan Varvara Stepanova 1932 C.E. _____________________ Content: A collage of photographs of early communist rallies in St. Petersburg and Moscow, below a larger photograph of Lenin. Large speakers represent the involvement of the radio, and four banners fly the initials of the communist union in Russia. All the photos are pasted onto a red, yellow, and white background with the red outline of power lines shown on the right side. _______________________________ Style: Propaganda By using photography and intentional construction, Stepanova maintained her belief that art could change society. Her style is both that of propaganda and photomontage. It is used to communicate political ideas in a strong way, by using a series of overlapped images. The Photomontage process happens when many photos are constructed together to create a new kind of space. Because of this very intentional creation of the art, the piece hold a lot of its importance in the creative process, rather than the finished result. |
Context: Similar to the rise of Communism in Kollwitz's work, this photomontage was created around the downfall of the Russian monarchy and the rise of the "CCCD" or, as Americans refer to it, The USSR. Russia was thrown into many revolutions and it became apparent that many of the younger artists were in support of communism because they saw it as an opportunity to free Russia from corruption and extreme poverty. Again, communism was thought to be the answer to the search for a utopian society. Stepanova took all her photos, including the one of lenin and compiled them in such a way that it represents the masses of people in support for communism. The power lines in the background were representative of the scientific and technological advances made at the time, and the promise for them to continue on into the future. |
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#138 Object (Le Déjeuner en fourrure) Meret Oppenheim 1936 C.E. _____________________ Content: A teacup, saucer, and spoon all covered in fur. _______________________________ Style: Surrealism Surrealistic art was associated with the psychological idea of the subconscious and often borrowed many dada ideas for more whimsical, ridiculous approaches. In this piece, the fur messes with the viewers mind as they try to process why three ordinary objects should be covered with a very out of the ordinary layer of fur. The piece intentionally creates discomfort and seeks to connect outer reality (the objects) with the inner reality (the subconscious). |
Context: The surrealism movement happened almost directly in between the two world wars. As it happens with many war time social changes, women began to grow more prevalence. As Oppenheim was a female artist, she sought to expand her career as an artist and a woman, oftentimes engaging in the studies of psychology and sharing with other famous artists. In fact, the idea for this piece came up in conversation while Oppenheim was having tea with Picasso. He was examining a brass bracelet of hers that she had covered with fur. He happened to remark that is would be possible to cover essential any object with fur. So when the waiter came back around and asked if they needed anything, Oppenheim responded with, "a little more fur", which gave her the inspiration for "Le Dejeuner en fuurrure". Also at this time, artists were escaping to New York City to avoid the war and America was slowly becoming a major artistic hub. |
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#139 Fallingwater (Fallingwater site plan) Pennsylvania, U.S. (architect) Frank Lloyd Wright 1936–1939 C.E. _____________________ Content: Private residence, built almost on top of a stream, commissioned by a Philadelphia department store owner to be an escape from city life. _______________________________ Style: Modernism The modernist style expressed in Fallingwater was all about relating to the natural surroundings and “bring the outside in”. The most noticeable features are the large, geometric, horizontal planes the project away from the house in every direction, called “cantilevers”. The cantilevers were used to extend the living space out over the water so that the water’s sights and sounds could be heard from inside the house. There are large windows that surround the house to provide a forest view that can be seen from anywhere within the living space. Most of the building was made of concrete and natural stone (built in vertical towers) that was quarried from a nearby mine and match the stones in the stream. The interior floor is also stone and almost looks like the rippling surface of the water. The house also includes rooftop gardens that blend into the surrounding, natural foliage. |
Context: Architect: Frank Lloyd Wright was an architect famous for his personal connections with his clients. So much so that he habitually ended up designing the interior of his buildings, along with furniture (silverware), and even once designed an evening gown for one of his client’s wives. Although Wright was an extremist in that respect, it was common for artists at the time to want to express themselves in every detail of their work so that the entirety of their work (or architecture) would be consistent with their style. The rise of craft work was still prevalent, especially in the design and craft of furnishings and art deco. After WWII, the baby boom prefaced the move to suburbs and family housing. The commissioner of Fallingwater, again, was a commercial man and wanted an escape from Pittsburg. Wright took that purpose to heart in designing Fallingwater with as like urban influences as possible. |
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#140 The Two Fridas Frida Kahlo 1939 C.E. _____________________ Content: An oil on canvas piece containing two self portraits of Frida Kahlo sitting on a bench and holding hands. Each is dressed differently but both have exposed hearts that are connected by a single vein flowing between them. The Frida on the left has a white dress and a bleeding heart and is holding a pair of surgical forceps that are cutting the vein and spilling blood. The Frida on the right is more vibrant looking and is holding a small portrait of her husband. The background had a plain, beige floor and a white and blue clouded sky. _______________________________ Style: Surrealism The contrast between the two almost identical figures is what is most important to the piece. The right figure represents the healthy and holistic aspect of Frida, giving support to the more injured and handicapped aspect of herself, pictured left. The differences in the two resent Frida's exploration of her own psyche. |
Context: When Frida was around 18-19 years old, she was hit by a cable car in Mexico City and punctured many times in her chest and abdomen by the wooden planks that the trolley floors were made of. She was hospitalized for a long time and underwent several surgeries (as well as miscarriages later in life). She was a bright, beautiful, intelligent young socialite in the fields of philosophy and art, but was often held back by her health issues and near constant pain. She tended to dress in traditional Mayan and Mexican clothing styles and her stiff posture in this and many of her other self portraits was actually the posture she had to keep to minimize her pain. |
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#141 The Migration of the Negro, Panel no. 49 Jacob Lawrence 1940 - 1941 C.E. _____________________ Content: This painting shows a dining hall scene where the room is racially segregated between whites and African Americans by a rope. The African American people sit on the right; the white people, on the left. _______________________________ Style: In an intentional, stylistic move, the piece is vertically divided to represent the separation of races. The artist also employs his characteristic style (that is also used to unify all of his other panels in this series, “Migration of the Negro”). This distinct look involves simple features, flat shapes, and a grey background enhanced with the blue, green and yellow, red color schemes. The same grey background was used in all the panels. The African American people are painted very darkly, and loose individuality with the lack of features they are given. The white people, while still lacking enhanced features, are meant to look more comfortable in the scene.
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Context: The artist, Lawrence, was an African American artist in the early 20th century (one of the few African Americans to become successful artists at the time). He moved to Harlem in 1927 and became witness to the experience of the Harlem Renaissance and celebration of African American culture and history. He learned of the African American plight throughout the Civil War and the contemporary plight they still faced from segregation throughout the 20’s, 30’s, 40’s, 50’s, and 60’s. Lawrence used his art to tell the African American story, both by painting historical figures like Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman, but also by calling attention to the issues that African Americans were still facing. He painted a series called the “Migration of the Negro” and in it included how the African Americans migrated to the North after the Civil War and how they were still being treated as they have been in the Southern Antebellum period. He called attention to how the North still had racism and segregated the African American people. This piece was part of that series. |
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#142 The Jungle Wifredo Lam 1943 C.E. _____________________ Content: People working in Sugarcane fields. _______________________________ Style: Abstraction (in appearance) and Surrealism (strong meaning behind the piece) The Jungle holds influences from the Analytical cubists and Picasso. The strongest elements are the rigid vertical direction, narrow perspective, informal space, lack of horizon line, and the multitude of interwoven forms - all of which are surrealist techniques. The composition can be categorized into three horizontal sections, the top being of faces and the tops of sugarcane, the middle showing body parts, and the bottom showing legs and feet. Although this organization seems straight forward, there are not enough feet present to enable the number of people seen in the upper portions, hence, a surrealist method. |
Context: Lam was a native to Cuba, and an artist who painted primarily in Spain (Madrid) and France (Paris) during the 1920’s and 30’s. When Europe became unstable because of the war, Lam returned to Cuba and was stunned by the changes that had occurred there. Before Castro, Cuba had been considered a vacation destination for the rich and famous who enjoyed the exotic music and culture. This, coupled with the economy of sugarcane, led to a major division between a sumptuous upper class and laboring middle and lower class that had to work the sugar fields. Lam was not interested in the lavish lifestyle of the richer Cubans, but was instead fascinated with the Afro-Cuban culture and religion of Santeria that many of the sugar workers claimed as their identity. Because of this, The Jungle was painted to document the working lives of these Cuban people. The piece is not one of realism, however, like The Stone Breakers. It remains surrealist in both its style and title, because Sugar can cannot be grown in a Jungle, so what is the title referring to if not the landscape? After the water, Lam moved back to Europe and gained a strong reputation in the art market because of his work and Cuban heritage. |
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#143 Dream of a Sunday Afternoon in the Alameda Park Diego Rivera 1947 - 1948 C.E. _____________________ Content: A mural containing over 400 icons and images and people of Mexico’s history gathered in a famous park in Mexico City, painted along side many graphic images hidden among the scene. _______________________________ Style: The style is pretty realistic and straightforward, so that all the figures in the park can be recognized for who they are. The scene is overwhelming but cheerful and colorful in nature. It was painted on a huge scale and required scaffolding in its construction. |
Context: Rivera was all about his Hispanic-Mexican culture and often able to tap into the identity of his country and its independence. He excelled in combining old traditions with contemporary style, but did not buy into abstraction. Instead, he wanted to paint for social awareness and political reform in his art. As an avid writer of his country’s history, Riviera was able to create huge murals around Mexico City that spoke to Mexico’s identity. This one adorns the staircase of the National Palace (nationalism) and displays the setting of a very famous park in Mexico City. |
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#144 Fountain (second version) Marcel Duchamp 1950 C.E. (original 1917) _____________________ Content: An upside down urinal signed with a date and the signature, "R. Mutt". _______________________________ Style: Dada A branch of modernism, dada was all about messing with the formality of the art world, confusing people, and often refusing to take works seriously (which actually helped deflate artistic ego). With a motto similar to, "Let's not take ourselves too seriously", dadaists found ways to incorporate confusing ideas into famous art pieces. |
Context: At this point, artists were either remaining in American, mainly in New York City, or returning to Europe as the post-war tensions died down. |
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#145 Woman, I Willem de Kooning 1950–1952 C.E. _____________________ Content: Figure of a woman. _______________________________ Style: Abstract Expressionism - Gestural Expressionism: movement created through brushwork and line Chromatic abstraction: all about color and the blending of it, here some of the patches of color are "muddy" because they were mixed so much. The piece is also about the process in which it took to create it with the dripping paint and re-painted areas putting the emphasis back on how the painting was made, not what it shows. |
Context: WWII had ended in 1946 and NYC was a world art industry center, with artists like de Kooning making splashes with their new approaches to expressionism. |
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#146 Seagram Building New York City, U.S. (architects) Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Philip Johnson 1954–1958 C.E. _____________________ Content: One of the first Skyscrapers, built in New York City and meant for business and residential purposes. _______________________________ Style: Architectural Abstraction This building continue the theme of "Less is more", originally seen in modernism, with its simple rectangular cube shape. It was made from the now standard materials of steel, concrete, and glass. The windows were reflective, so that the building could blend into the city around it and also represent simplicity and clarity (utopian ideals). At its base stands a section of concrete with small gardens and reflecting pools, built so that the people in the building would have somewhere to escape to and not have to stay inside all the time. |
Context: With the war over, money isn't being spend on war materials and can be invested in public works and the expansion of cities and infrastructure. As cities like NYC gain more people, suburbs start expanding and skyscrapers become the alternate choice when cities reach their expansion limit and have to deal with overcrowding and congestion. When they can't build out, they build up. Again, NYC was an economic and artistic hub that needed the availability of airspace to expand and with the availability of artistic minds, its not surprising that this skyscraper was built for stylistic purposes along with functional ones. |
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#147 Marilyn Diptych Andy Warhol 1962 C.E. _____________________ Content: An acrylic silk-screen diptych print showing the repeating image of Marilyn Monroe. _______________________________ Style: Pop art - the depiction of popular images in art A diptych is a two pieced art form, in this case, showing the colored and black and white image series of Marilyn. These images were created using a process called silk-screening in which an image was burned onto a silk screen and printed using layered screen, each of which had a different section of the whole image. Warhol also used gaudy, flat colors - the colors of mass production, colors that were industrially created to be consistant and not natural. The end result looks almost like a Polaroid photo (an invention also appearing at the time). |
Context: Warhol was trained as a graphic designer and worker as one for many years before delving into the art industry and design processes of mass production for his own art. His studio was even called "The Factory". On a larger scale, the 1960's were a time of postwar consumerism and the mass production of inexpensive, user friendly plastic goods. War materials were put to consumeristic use in order to manufacture enough of one item for the populace. This explosion of mass production and consumerism influenced Warhol, which is why some of his prints depict bottles of Coca Cola or Campbell's soup cans. There was also an equal explosion of pop culture, with icons like Marilyn Monroe, Mickey Mouse, Hollywood movie stars, etc. - many of which Warhol documented. His repetition of an image spoke to how mass production and mass fame often led to the loss of individuality and real significance in the modern, consumer-based culture. |
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#148 Narcissus Garden Yayoi Kusama 1966 C.E. (Original installation and performance) _____________________ Content: A floating art installation in the Luxembourg gardens of Paris. _______________________________ Style: Installation art - art that can travel around and be presented outdoors - often in a public setting This piece consists of many reflective orbs with mirror-like surfaces held together and floating on a shallow pond. The reflected surfaces allowed for a reflection of surrounding nature. Kusama used a repetitive pattern of the shapes and kept them all uniform and identical. |
Context: Kusama was a Japanese artist and writer, who was one of the many emerging from Asia and bringing with them an avant-garde sense of style. Kusama has been known for her use of polka-dots and circles to decorate items, rooms, and places through installment art. This particular installation, with its ability to move, has been to Germany, America, France, and other places. Kusama still designs today and was recently recruited by a designer bag company to complete a brand line of polka dotted purses. |
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#149 The Bay Helen Frankenthaler 1963 C.E. _____________________ Content: An acrylic work on canvas consisting of several areas and splotches of color and value. _______________________________ Style: Abstract Expressionism Frankenthaler's interest in color theory and the use of color in unexpected ways founded the basis for this piece. Most of the areas are painted with one color in many values and always include small dashes of complementary colors somewhere. Sections of this canvas have also been left unprimed and unpainted so they remain white. To create the interesting, puddle-like look of the color, Frankenthaler waters down her paint and pours it over primed canvas, leaving it alone to spread and then to dry. For her art, it's about the unique process of painting and how she uses some aspects of gestural expressionism. |
Context: Despite her free flowing style, Frankenthaler was actually part of a conservative movement, advocating for more filtered funding of art, so as to make sure that federal money was not funding the creation of controversial art. |
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#150 Lipstick (Ascending) on Caterpillar Tracks Claes Oldenburg 1969–1974 C.E. _____________________ Content: A stick of red lipstick protruding upwards from a tank. _______________________________ Style: Post-Modernism This is a Fiberglass (pop art) sculpture. Fiberglass at this time was a brand new material for art and allowed for large scale sculpture to be built and be placed in an outdoor setting. The pop art aspect is there because the piece uses identifiable and popular images from modern American culture, like lipstick. The form is conceptual, and more about its significance that being aesthetically pleasing. The concept of it is humorous and the piece is intentionally framed by the campus buildings around it.
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Context: After the wars, army surplus stores open up and allowed the public to buy items like tank wheels, which Oldenburg uses in this sculpture. The piece also speaks to women's rights (with the lipstick) and how, at the time, women were getting equal pay, taking higher business jobs in the professional workforce, and leaving home. The piece was installed on the Yale college campus, in part because Oldenburg had graduated from there, but also because college protests against he Vietnam war were increasing. Oldenburg often was able to catch onto large social movements and was able to include lots of pivotal symbolism into this work of sculpture. |
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#151 Spiral Jetty Great Salt Lake, Utah, U.S. Robert Smithson 1970 C.E. _____________________ Content: Shoreline of the Great Salt Lake that has been manipulated into a spiral walkway that is 1,500 feet long and 15 feet wide and serves as an artistic earthwork. _______________________________ Style: Environmental Art As a part of post-modernism and new sculpture, environmental art was based on the theory that man has the ability the manipulate nature to form temporary art forms. It almost goes back to prehistoric art, except that its purpose is only for art's sake. The location was actually chosen by Smithson for its stylistic possibilities. He liked the contrast between the red soil and blue water. Smithton's work is also based off a balance between permanency and the continuous change of nature. On any given day, at any given angle, nature ensures the the Spiral Jetty looks different. This is part of the beauty of environmental art. It is also surrendering artistic control and giving it up to the seasons, weather, and march of time. |
Context: With the continuous expansion of industrialization, Smithson found he enjoyed the simplicity of nature as opposed to the rush of urban life and sought to create his art in it. |
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#152 House in New Castle County Delaware, U.S. (architects) Venturi, John Rauch, and Denise Scott Brown 1978–1983 C.E. _____________________ Content: Private residence home. _______________________________ Style: Post-modernism The house, in typical post-modern style, doesn't seem coherent. The exterior is asymmetrical and very low to the ground, despite its large features. The interior features old-style furniture with a post-modern, almost southwest paint job and style. |
Context: This house was designed by the master team in Post-modern architecture,. According to Robert Venturi, post-modern architecture is like a blend of everything that has happened in human history and helps establish the most modern identity possible. Instead of defining a style by one thing, Post-modernism defines it by everything it has ever been. This would explain the different, contrasting styles in both the exterior and interior design of the house. |
