Early and Mid-Twentieth Century Art


Time Period: 1900-1980
  • World War I and II, Great Depression 
  • Intensely creative period, one of the most in history 
  • Patronage of museums 
  • One of the results of WWII is the abandonment of Paris as the art capital of the world; it was now New York because of the abundance of European settlers; unafraid of experimentation 
  • Color was not only used to describe, but also evoke a feeling and challenge the viewer; perspective was discarded; dynamic compositions 
  • Europeans stimulated by African art; inspired by geometric and abstract pieces
  • Modern sculpture turned anything into a work of art
Art Movements: 
  • Fauvism (c. 1905)
  • Expressionism (1905-1930)
  • Cubism (1911)
  • Constructivism (1907-1930s) 
  • Dada (1914-1920s)
  • DeStijl (1916-1925)
  • Mexican Muralists (1917-1930s)
  • International Style (1920s-1930s)
  • Surrealism (1924-1930s) 
  • Harlem Renaissance (1930s)
  • Abstract Expressionism (Late 1940s-1950s)
  • Pop Art (1955-1960s)
  • Color Field Painting (1960s)
  • Happenings (1960s)
  • Site art (1970s-1990s)
  • Postmodern (1975-today)
Architecture: 
  • Embraces technological advances
  • Ferroconcrete allowed for new designs (glass walls)
  • Avoided historical associations
  • Sleek lines, emphasise impact of machinery/technolog
    • Prairie Style
      • Frank Lloyd Wright 
      • Rejected historical-styled buildings 
      • Reflected abstract shapes of contemporary painting 
      • Geometric shapes and organic materials (concrete, natural woods) 
    • International Style 
      • Clean spacious white lines
      • Avoidance of sculpture and painting 
      • Clean, slick, minimalistic
      • No historical ornamentation 
    • Postmodern 
      • Ornament, traditional architectural expressions, references to past styles in a modern context 
Summary:
  • Birth of radical art movements
  • Conor used as a vehicle of expression rather than description
  • Architecture dominated by clear, clean, simple lines, paralleling the advancements of art at the time 
Vocabulary: 
  • Biomorphism: movement stressing organic shapes that hint at natural forms
  • Color field painting: movement characterized by simple shapes and monochromatic color 
  • Happening: act of performance art initially planned but involves spontaneity, improvisation, and audience participation
  • Silkscreen: A printing technique that passes ink/paint to a stencilled image to make multiple copies 
  • Ferroconcrete: architectural term, reduces building stresses  
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