Modern Art Movements – Vocabulary Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms, movements, artists, and famous works from the notes on Modern Art.

Modern Art

Shaped by the Industrial Revolution, new patronage, and gallery spaces; a shift from traditional forms.

Modernism

A movement away from tradition, more experimental, redefining what art can be.

Impressionism

Focus on fleeting natural light, sketch-like finish, short brushstrokes, ordinary subjects; connected to the Paris Salon (1860–80).

Salon des Refusés

Salon of the Refused; Napoleon III exhibition for works rejected by the official Salon.

Claude Monet

Founder of Impressionism; French painter known for light and color studies.

Impression, Sunrise

Monet painting that gave the movement its name.

Water Lilies

Monet series depicting water lilies and reflections; exemplifies Impressionist technique.

Water Lilies and Japanese Bridge

Monet work (1906–19) showing water lilies with bridge motif.

The Luncheon on the Grass

Manet 1863 painting that challenged contemporary norms with modern life subject matter.

Edouard Manet

19th‑century French artist known for modern life subjects and pivotal role in Impressionism.

The Dance Class (La Classe de Danse)

Degas painting (1874) with a sketch-like finish and partial realism.

The Little Dancer (La Petite Danseuse de Quatorze Ans)

Degas sculpture of a young dancer; notable for realism and psychological presence.

The Curtain Rises

Degas work (1880) noted for its realistic yet moody depiction.

Pierre-Auguste Renoir

French artist associated with Impressionism; known for vibrant color and figures.

Bal du moulin de la Galette

Renoir painting (1876) showing a lively, everyday Paris scene.

Vincent van Gogh

Dutch post‑Impressionist; prolific, intense color; not famous in his lifetime.

The Red Vineyard

Van Gogh painting (late 1880s) reflecting his use of bold color.

The Starry Night

Van Gogh 1889 vivid night sky and swirling forms.

The Night Café

Van Gogh 1888 depiction of a moody, tepid interior and color palette.

Eugene Henri Paul Gauguin

French post‑Impressionist who studied in Tahiti; explored symbolism and color.

Melancholic (Faaturama)

Gauguin work (1891) reflecting Tahitian subject matter and mood.

Gauguin in Tahiti

Gauguin’s Tahiti period; influential for his exotic locales and color usage.

Georges Seurat

French painter who developed Pointillism.

Pointillism

Technique using small dots of color to build form and light.

Henri de Toulouse‑Lautrec

French artist known for lithographs and intimate Parisian scenes.

In Bed

Lautrec work (late 19th century) noted for its intimate, realistic setting.

Edvard Munch

Norwegian painter; The Scream is his iconic work.

The Scream

Munch’s famous 1893 image of existential angst and distorted figure.

Cubism

Art movement where objects are broken into planes and reassembled into abstract forms.

Georges Braque

Cubist painter known for Violin and Candlestick (1910).

Pablo Picasso

Spanish artist central to Cubism; prolific across many styles.

The Weeping Woman

Picasso painting (1937) depicting emotional intensity within Cubist style.

Marcel Duchamp

Dada pioneer known for readymades that challenged art norms.

Dadaism

Art movement embracing absurdity; reaction to WWI and conventional art.

The Fountain

Duchamp readymade (1917): a porcelain urinal presented as art.

The Bicycle Wheel

Duchamp readymade (1913): a bicycle wheel mounted on a stool.

The Gift (Man Ray)

Man Ray’s readymade sculpture; example of Dada/surrealist influence.

Surrealism

Art movement emphasizing the unconscious, dreamlike, and illogical imagery.

Salvador Dalí

Surrealist painter famed for dream imagery and precise technique.

The Persistence of Memory

Dalí painting (1931) with melting clocks and dreamlike landscape.

Frida Kahlo

Mexican painter known for personal, symbolic works.

The Wounded Deer

Kahlo work reflecting pain and symbolism in her life.

Rene Magritte

Belgian surrealist known for witty, puzzling images.

The Lovers

Magritte painting (1928) with enigmatic, concealed faces.

Golconda

Magritte painting (1953) featuring identical men in bowler hats.

Abstract Expressionism

Post‑war movement prioritizing process and inner consciousness.

Jackson Pollock

Abstract Expressionist famous for large drip paintings.

One: Number 31, 1950

Pollock painting illustrating action painting and gestural abstraction.

Pop Art

Movement focusing on consumerism, mass media, and everyday imagery.

Andy Warhol

Pop artist known for mass‑produced imagery and celebrity culture.

Marilyn Diptych

Warhol work (1962) exploring fame and repetition.

Campbell’s Soup Cans

Warhol series (1962) highlighting consumer products as art.