Art Test Review

Futurism

* Milan, Italy
* __dynamism__**:** lines of force, vibration and rhythm more important than form, exuberant, anarchic; human behavior as art
* all abt movement
* glorified violence, conflict, technology, and war (until WW1)

Constructivism

* Moscow, Russia
* 1913-1932
* emerged as Bolsheviks came to power in October Revolution of 1917
* borrowed from Cubism and Futurism

Fauvism

* use heavy, saturated, color


* complementary colors
* use color for own sake, not realistic representation
* laid foundation for cubism
* **Henri Matisse:** founding member
* Blue Nude, Open Window, La Danse

Cubism

* application of multiple perspectives
* use of geometric shapes
* monochromatic color palette
* flattened picture plane
* **Pablo Picasso:** co-founded Cubism, constructed sculpture, the collage, etc
* style changed as he experimented with different theories, techniques, and ideas
* rivalry with Henri Matisse

*Funeral of the Anarchist Galli* by Carra

* futurism
* heated confrontation between mourners and police at the funeral of Italian anarchist Galli
* artist was there, feared that corpse fight fall out of the coffin bc of the chaos and be trampled by horses
* captures chaos, movement, and violence of a conflict, shows movement with chronophotographic lines
* contrasts btwn red casket and black clothing + flags of anarchists
* places spectator at the center of the action

*Dynamism of a Cyclist* by Boccioni

* Futurism
* depicts a man swiftly moving through time and space, depicted as bent over the handlebars
* racing bicycle was considered a Futurist symbol of dynamic modern life
* most accomplished studies of movement

*Dynamism of a Dog on a Leash* by Balla

* Futurism
* depicts a woman (maybe widow in black) walking her dog
* painted 15 feet/shoes, 8 dog tails and 4 leashes to show movement
* extreme close up, considered comical
* painted representation of chronophotography (captures movement in several frames)

*Nude Descending on a Staircase No.2* by Duchamp

* Futurism
* inspired by time-lapse photography
* depicts a nude in 20-24 static positions
* first of many scandalous pieces
* displayed at The Armory Show exhibit in New York City in 1913

Tatlin’s Tower/Monument to the Third International

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* Constructivism
* model for tower to celebrate 1917 Russian Revolution
* unstable/unsound engineering because the artist is not an architect + shortage of materials → never went past planning stages
* utilitarian, celebrates russian revolution, art of production, etc

Beat the White with the Red Wedge

* constructivism
* geometric shapes creates a picture symbolic of the war
* symbolic of Russia Civil War, emphasizes triumph of Red Army
* utilitarian
* El Lissitzky

*Guernica* by Picasso

* Cubism
* famous anti-war painting during Spanish Civil War, portrays suffering wrought by violence and chaos
* can see gored horse, bull, screaming women, dead baby, dismembered soldier, flames
* exhibited at Spanish display at 1937 Paris International Exposition, touring used to raise funds for Spanish War relief and brought worldwide attention

De Stijl

* “neo-plasticism”: emphasis on design and structure on a two-dimensional surface
* The Netherlands
* emphasized vertical and horizontal lines, primary colors, harmony, sobriety, the purest of abstract movements
* visual, universal language

Dada

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* makes no sense, reaction to chaotic feelings after WW1
* started in Zurich, spread to Berlin, New York, Paris, etc
* cult of nonart → later, became overtly political
* ordinary, mundane objects can be art, “original” doesn’t matter
* **readymade:**
* **assisted ready made:** taking an already made object and adding to it to create a work of art

Composition A by Mondrian

* De Stijil
* pure abstraction, does not attempt to reproduce anything in the natural world
* horizontal and vertical lines + primary colors + “non-colors” (black, white, gray)
* reaction to destruction of WW1
* asymmetrical balance, create harmony through simple shapes and colors

Composition VII by van Doesburg

* De Stijl
* postimpressionist → fauvist → destijl when he met Mondrian
* vertical and horizontal shapes (wanted to use diagonal lines), primary colors, and black
* reaction to WW1, seeking equilibrium and harmony in basic formal elements of art

*Red and Blue Chair* by Rietveld

* De Stijl
* created with vertical and horizontal planes, painted in primary colors and black
* wanted it to be mass produced (used standard sizes of lumber)
* designed for the “well-being and comfort of the spirit”

L.H.O.O.Q by Duchamp

* Dada
* moustache and goatee on mass-produced postcard of Mona Lisa, painted later copies
* first copy assisted readymade
* became symbol for Dada movement because it rebelled against traditional art and he “defaced” a priceless work of art

*Bicycle Wheel* by Duchamp

* Dada
* Duchamp’s first assisted readymade
* combines two mass produced objects
* the original was lost

*Mechanical Head (The Spirit of our Time)* by Hausmann

* Dada
* assemblage of many tools and devices on a wooden “dummy” head
* shows no feeling, has no memorable features
* represents “typical” man bc lacks sophistication (metaphor for germans that had lost their human spirit and relied on materialism)

Surrealism

* more positive than Dada
* did not try to recreate reality
* depicted the subconcious and objects that don’t appear in their normal function
* inspired by Freud (interpreted dreams) and Carl Jung (studied subconcious)
* meant to puzzle, challenge, and fascinate, not to be easily understood
* __psychic automatism__**:** thought is recreated without reason, moral or aesthetic concerns (goes straight from the brain to the canvas)
* __versimilitude__**:** the appearance of being real
* __anthropomorphic__**:** giving human traits, emotions, or intentions to nonhuman entities

*The Persistence of Memory* by Dali

* Surrealism
* most famous surrealist painting
* very small, “hand-painted dream photograph”
* used psychic automatism to paint the “unrestricted rational mind”
* real objects arranged very unrealistically
* clocks and ants = anxiety about time
* figure in the center resembles Dali’s profile
* painted with **versimilitude** but don’t appear realistically

*The Metamorphosis* *of Narcissus* by Dali

* Surrealism
* depicts transformation of Narcissus according to Dali
* the body of Narcissus mirrors the hand
* rejected lovers can be seen weeping and naked in the background
* ants appear on the hand (symbol of decay and decomposition)
* dog eating bloody meat on the lower right corner

*Son of Man* by Magritte

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* Surrealism
* realistic setting and objects with an apple obscuring the view of the face (versimilitude)
* self-portrait
* private collection, rarely on display
* about desire to see what is hidden

*Treachery of Images* by Magritte

* Surrealism
* part of a series of word-image paintings
* asking you to question whether the picture or the words are stronger?
* art is a representation of reality, not reality (shows picture of pipe, not a pipe)
* creates paradox

*Ubu Imperator* by Ernst

* Surrealism
* anthropomorphic top dances in a vast, empty landscape
* recreates character Ubu (symbol of modern man, grotesque symbol of authority) as a mechanical spinning top with hands in a gesture of surprise
* surprised that it is stopped (power is gone)
* allegory for authority/power and how quickly it can topple

Background of Abstract Expressionism

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* grew in NYC in 1940s and 1950s (many Europeans emigrated to US)
* reaction to devastation of WW2
* rebellion against tradition, dumped European traditions
* considered __avant-garde__**:** employs new or experimental art techniques

Characteristics of Abstract Expressionism

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* on large canvases
* focus on process of artistic creation rather than end product
* no need to suggest recognizable images
* express inner life through art (psychic energy and presence)
* __gestural abstraction__**:** energetically applied pigment; techniques include dripping, dabbing, smearing, and even flinging paint onto canvas
* __chromatic abstraction__**:** focus on color’s emotional resonance through large fields of flat, solid color across the canvas

*Number 1 (Lavender Mist)* by Pollock

* Abstract Expressionism
* __express__ feelings rather than illustrate them
* first gestural abstraction painter
* balance of chaos and control
* squeezed paint out of side of tube onto the canvas
* sometimes embedded keys, coins, hand prints, or other trash into the paint on the canvas

*Woman I* by de Kooning

* Abstract Expressionism
* gestural abstraction using brush and palette knife to slash and stroke visible lines of paint
* known for depiction of women
* beauty became childish and preferred the grotesque (ugly, distorted)
* rejecting classical nude European traditions

*Vir heroicus sublimis* by Newman

* Abstract Expressionism
* chromatic abstraction
* meant to be viewed 18 inches away from the painting
* vertical lines called **zips** compete for your attention when you view the work
* encourages meditation and reflection, zips represent how our surroundings overwhelm us

*No. 14* by Rothko

* Abstract Expressionism
* chromatic abstraction
* no images/distinct shapes → no narrative, politics, or even geometry
* two bold colors leave the viewer thinking about the meaning and the artist’s intentions
* abstract expression of basic human emotions
* thin veils of color made the paintings luminous
* no frames - they make it “unreal”, hung low and viewed 18 inches away
* intended to be an immersion into the painting

*Sleeping Figure* by Bourgeois

* Abstract Expressionism
* wooden sculpture
* represents family and friends the artist left behind in France when she moved to New York
* “figure cannot face the world and is defensive”, may not appear as figures at all
* created over 80 in approximately 5 years

Pop Art Qualities and Attributes

* 1950s-60s
* glorifies commonplace using materials of everyday world and mass popular culture
* no distinction between “high” art of mass-produced items
* reaction against abstract expressionism → presents things and ppl again
* could be seen as mocking materialism and consumerism
* art may be borrowed from any source, no hierarchy of culture

*Campbell’s Soup Can* by Warhol

* Pop Art
* signature image, in variety of colors and flavors, each canvas corresponds to different flavor
* resemble mass produced ads, but hand painted (not uniform)
* mimics repetition and uniformity of advertising
* displayed in rows like they would be on a grocery shelf

*Marilyn Diptych* by Warhol

* Pop Art
* work in two panels, usually applied to Christian art → invites viewer to worship the icon of Marily Monroe
* spent 4 months after her death making more than 20 silkscreen paintings of her from __Niagara__
* repetitions represents ubiquitous presence in the media
* moved from vivd to black to represent her mortality
* themes of death and cult of celebrity

*Lipstick (Ascending) on Caterpillar Tracks* by Oldenburg

* Pop Art
* lipstick on tank-shaped base in front of WW1 memorial
* known for creating large-scale replicas of everyday objects and installing them in public places
* included male and female forms → offended and inspired
* focal point for anti-war demonstrations during Vietnam War
* originally, inflatable to attract attention
* may connect to war and woman attending Yale for the first time or a phallic symbol

*Retroactive I* by Rauschenberg

* Pop Art
* break barrier between fine art and mass media
* silkscreen painting so it could reproduced
* reproductions of original photography, press photos, and other mass media
* became homage to Kennedy after assasination
* Cuban Missile Crisis + Nude Descending a Staircase + glass of water + oranges + NASA photo + construction site
* wanted to capture what was outisde his window

*Whaam!* by Lichtenstein

* Pop Art
* very large, over 6 feet in width
* diptych of two panels, interact with each other, blends mechanical reproduction and hand drawing
* social activist statement in a cartoon-y way, accused of merely copying comic strips
* fighter aircraft firing a rocket that blows up an enemy aircraft
* many different interpretations (third hand violence, celebration of comics, comment on glorification of war, mechanized killing, or not serious at all)
* includes small color dots to provide shading and color in a drawing (Ben-Day dots), provide shading with less ink
* purple shading on the plane and blue sky