MODULE 10: the rise of modernism - Early Modernism, Chapt. 28

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 Modules: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16

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The Era of Modern Art was ushered in with a 'mixed bag' of social change, scientific development, and political upheaval. The artists of this time reflected this atmosphere in their art.

Fauvism- Fauvist artists chose a seemingly arbitrary color scheme to confront our preconceived ideas of reality, liberating color from its traditional descriptive function- a legacy of artists such as van Gogh and Gauguin.

German Expressionism- challenged the idea of an ordered, logical world by describing in paint stroke and color choice, by bridging the gap between a hypocritical, flawed society they lived in and pastoral, sexually liberated and raw primitive states. The work of these artists was less an aesthetic homage to the past than a condemnation of the present. The thrust of aesthetic social commentary begun by Goya, Hogarth, Daumier, continues in the early 20th century as a significant statement of artistic focus. Some of these artists projected a social/political agenda in addition to the aesthetic issues. The significant German expressionist groups included Die Bruke and Der Blau Reiter

Fauvism-

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SLIDE:
Derain “Mountains at Collioure” (1905) Pl. 28-4

One of the results of the avant-garde movements in art is the feeling of freedom for artists to explore without restraint. Fauvism freely explored many of the radical themes of the past. As the critic Vauxcelles saw it, this work was an “…explosion of colors and impulsive brushwork…” Such “deliberate disharmonies” touched a cord in those seeking an alternative to reason and rationality.

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SLIDE:
Matisse “The Woman with the Hat” (1905) Pl. 28-5

Another artist directly related to Fauvism, Henri Matisse, painted brilliant hued images such as “The Woman with the Hat.” The ‘impulsive brushwork” and intuitive colors suggests that the subject of the work is the process of painting rather than a facsimile portrait. Soon he changed to a more controlled palette and more controlled brushwork and contour. He moved to the French Riviera and was influenced by the colors and mystique of North Africa. Eventually his work became more abstract and more universal in content.

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German Expressionism-

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SLIDE:
Schmidt-Rottluff “Three Nudes” (1913) Pl. 28-7

In an effort to participate in a more ‘perfect’ answer to how to live, Die Brucke artists looked to primitive cultures or at least what they thought was the ‘honesty’ of primitive life. Their art not only contained the content imagery of primitive life, but also a kind of ‘primitive’ technique.

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SLIDE:
Kirchner “Street, Berlin” (1913) Pl. 28-9

The angularity of line and extended figures enhances the feeling of tension and anxiety the German Expressionist artists felt was characteristic of urban life.

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SLIDE:
Kollwitz “The Outbreak” (1903) Pl. 28-10

Rendered in ‘traditional’ technique, Kollowitz’s work gathers it strength from her direct reportage of the horrific events of Nazi atrocities in the Second World War. Where other artists recorded images of the character of the times, Kollowitz presented portraits of the individuals involved.

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SLIDE:
Schiele “Self-Portrait Nude” (1911) Pl. 28-12

Egon Schiele was less a stylistic innovator than one who found a common interest in a radical life style. His imagery is so candidly honest, so expressively tormented, that it’s eloquence belies its portrayed pain.

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SLIDE:
Kandinsky “Improvisation No. 30 (Cannons)” (1913) Pl. 28-13

The leading proponent of the Der Blaue Reiter group, Kandinsky created a cryptic language of non-objective art that would find proponents in the Abstract Expressionists of the 1940’s and 50’s.

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SLIDE:
Marc “The Large Blue Horses” (1911) Pl. 28-14

Some artists in this era focused on primitive life styles, others on the value of experiencing nature in its raw integrity. With Marc’s work we find the themes of nature supported by a formal application of the principles of design.

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