MAPEH 10 – Modern & Contemporary Art Movements

Vocabulary flashcards covering modern and contemporary art movements, key characteristics, and notable artists discussed in the lecture notes.

Op Art (Optical Art)

A movement that creates visual effects giving the illusion of movement through precise patterns and contrasts; an "action painting" that happens in the viewer’s eye.

Pop Art

Art movement that uses commonplace, trivial, or even nonsensical objects from popular culture, often with humor or irony.

Installation Art

Contemporary art form that uses sculptural materials or mixed media to transform a space and immerse the viewer; also called environmental, project, or temporary art.

Performance Art

Modern art in which the artist’s actions at a specific time and place constitute the work; involves time, space, the performer’s body, and audience interaction.

Mechanical Style

Art style where basic forms (planes, cones, spheres, cylinders) fit together precisely, evoking engineered or machine-like structures.

Non-objectivism

Style that completely avoids recognizable figures or objects, focusing on pure shapes, colors, and forms.

Cubism

Art movement using fragmented geometric shapes (like cubes) to depict multiple viewpoints of a subject simultaneously.

Futurism

Early-20th-century Italian movement celebrating speed, technology, and dynamic motion of the machine age.

Expressionism

Movement that distorts images and colors to convey the artist’s inner feelings rather than external reality.

Neoprimitivism

Expressionist style combining South Sea Island and African tribal art elements, seen in elongated faces and oval forms.

Fauvism

Expressionist sub-movement ("wild beasts") marked by bold, non-natural colors and strong visual distortions.

Surrealism

"Super-realism" depicting illogical dream imagery, subconscious scenes, or altered mental states—often morbid or playful.

Dadaism

Anti-art movement producing satirical, nonsensical works and performances; rejected traditional artistic standards ("non-style").

Social Realism

Art movement using realistic imagery to protest social injustice, inequality, and human suffering.

Abstractionism

20th-century movement emphasizing logic and reason; uses shapes, patterns, lines, and color swirls rather than direct representation.

Representational Abstractionism

Branch of abstractionism that still suggests recognizable subjects amid abstract forms.

Pure Abstractionism

Branch of abstractionism with no recognizable subject matter—only color, shape, and form.

Impressionism

Late-19th-century movement using unmixed colors in short, broken strokes, capturing fleeting light and everyday scenes, often painted outdoors.

Andy Warhol

Leading Pop artist famous for celebrity silkscreens like "Marilyn Monroe."

Bridget Riley

Op Art pioneer known for optical works such as "Fall."

Roberto Villanueva

Filipino installation artist behind "Cordillera Labyrinth."

Gino Severini

Italian Futurist painter of dynamic works like "Armored Train."

Fernand Léger

French artist of the mechanical style; created "Discs in the City."

Piet Mondrian

Dutch non-objectivist whose grid paintings include "New York City."

Pablo Picasso

Foremost Cubist; works include "Three Musicians," "Girl Before a Mirror," and anti-war mural "Guernica."

Ben Shahn

American Social Realist known for socially charged pieces like "Miners’ Wives."

Salvador Dalí

Spanish Surrealist noted for morbid dreamlike canvases (e.g., melting clocks).

Paul Klee

Swiss-German artist whose Surrealist works often appear playful and childlike.

Joan Miró

Spanish Surrealist celebrated for whimsical, abstract dream imagery.

Marc Chagall

Russian-French Dada/Surrealist painter of fantastical scenes such as "I and the Village."

Giorgio de Chirico

Italian artist of haunting, surreal cityscapes like "Melancholy and Mystery of a Street."

Amedeo Modigliani

Neoprimitivist known for elongated portraits and sculptures (e.g., "Head," "Yellow Sweater").

Henri Matisse

Leading Fauvist, famous for vivid works such as "Blue Window" and "Head."

Auguste Renoir

Impressionist painter capturing real-life snapshots like "The Luncheon of the Boating Party."

Edouard Manet

Modern-life painter bridging Realism and Impressionism; works include "The Bar at the Folies-Bergère."

Claude Monet

Impressionist known for landscape series of water lilies, e.g., "Bridge Over Pond of Lilies."

Short, Broken Strokes

Impressionist technique of applying small dabs of pure color side by side for visual vibration.

Plein Air Painting

Impressionist practice of working outdoors to capture natural light and atmosphere.

Time (Performance Art Element)

Duration over which the performance unfolds, integral to the artwork’s meaning.

Space (Performance Art Element)

Physical location where the artist performs, shaping audience perception.

Performer’s Body

Primary medium in performance art; the artist’s gestures and presence constitute the work.

Audience Interaction

Reciprocal relationship between performer and spectators, completing performance art.