Unit Nine: The Pacific, 700-1980 C.E.

Les Demoiselles D' Avignon. Pablo Picasso. 1907 CE. oil on canvas.

form: cubism, abstract, geometric forms, underlying structure, fragmentation, 2-dimensionality, emotionless, stylized, flatness

context: influenced by Cezanne, "new imperialism" led to incorporation of African influence

content: 5 prostitutes, representations of different cultures, fruit symbolizes fertility, staring at viewer, unwelcoming/ threatening, women on right have African masks, shows fear that women have STDs

function: different perspectives

The Portuguese. Georges Braque. 1911 CE. oil on canvas.

form: portrait, fragmentation, reconstruction into new arrangements, forms created through view of different perspectives and angles, ANALYTIC CUBISM, undermining of illusion of depth

context:"new imperialism" era brought incorporation of African influences in art

content: Portugas guitar player, pieces of character and personality

function: show different perspectives

The Kiss. Gustav klimt. 1907-1908 CE. oil and gold leaf on canvas.

form: modern, transcendence, rectilinear v. curvilinear,abstract

context: traditional, conservative values in Austria, Klimt was a secessionist artist (break away from tradition)

content: eternity, removed from everyday world, release from anxiety of everyday life, emergence from evil into fulfillment, universal experience, intensity of desire

function: breakaway from tradition

The Kiss. Constantin Brancusi. 1907-1908 CE. limestone.

form: simplified, stylized, rectangular, curvilinear

context: "new imperialism" era facilitated the incorporation of primitive influences

content: 2 people kissing and fusing into one

function: two cultures coming together

The Steerage. Alfred Stieglitz. 1907 CE. photogravure.

form: photo, realism, underlying shapes

context: he was an immigrant himself

content: social classes, women and men on lower deck, ONLY men on upper deck, immigrants in ghastly conditions

function: portray low distinction of immigrants in the social hierarchy

Goldfish. Henri Matisse. 1912 CE. oil on canvas.

form: play with contemporary color, fauvism, stylized, painterly, distortion

context: FAUVISM= "wild beasts" 1st avant garde movements of the 20th century that was a reaction against dark, disturbing symbolism

FRENCH EXPRESSIONISM= internal focus on expressive potential of color, interest in primitivism (African art)

content: goldfish symbolizes paradise and relaxation of inhabitants of idyllic age, gardens symbolize divine creation, cylindrical tank

function: recreate contemplative and relaxing lifestyle in Morocco

Improvisation 28(second version). Vassily Kandinsky. 1912 CE. oil on canvas.

form: stylized, chaotic, linear, colorful (primary colors), dynamic spontaneous

context: Blue Rider = Munich group that hoped to offer spiritual leadership in arts, possibly a synth esthete

content: eyes, towers, bar lines, supposed to be non-objective

function: sough to lead toward a deeper awareness of spirituality rather than the misguided, material world

Composition with Red, Blue, and yellow. Piet Mondrian. 1930 CE. oil on canvas.

form: linear, simple, cubism, primary colors, horizontality

context: seeks universal beauty; eliminate all things sensual or subjective, perceived beauty as a balance of opposing forces, beauty takes 2 forms; subjective beauty + higher rationale

content: harmony of opposites "dynamic equilibrium" grid of horizontal and vertical lines

function: bring equilibrium and positivity to the world

illustration from The Results of the First Five Year Plan. Varvara Stepanova. 1932 CE. photomontage.

form: photomontage, Communist values, constructivism

context: five year plan to rebuild, uses Einsteins video clip technique

content: Communist promotion, workers shown to promote equality

function: propaganda

Self-Portrait of a Soldier. Kirchner. 1915 CE. oil on canvas.

form: cubism and fauvism influences, geometric, abstract, saturated colors, German-expressionism

context: struggled with mental stability and sobriety

content: female prostitute represents male impotence, man smoking cigar, soldier in uniform, elongated figures, loss of hand

function: portray concern for censorship and male impotence brought about by war

Memorial Sheet for karl Liebknecht. Kolowitz. 1919-1920. Woodcut heightened with white and black ink

form: light v. dark, linear, stylized, German-expressionism

context: German government was very authoritative, had just lost a son, liebnechjt's parents asked her to memorialize him

content: three tears, similar to Jesus's crucifixion

function: memorialize Liebnecht

Villa Savoye. Le Courbousier. 1929.

form: modern, simple, functional, geometric

context: "home is machine for living" emphasized function

content: looks as if its suspended in air, white, simple design

function: facilitate lifestyle

Object (Le Déjeuner en fourrure). Openheim. 1936. Fur-covered cup, saucer, and spoon, cup.

form: surrealism, abstract

context: subjective, thought-invoking

content: sexual connotation, furry cup and saucer

function: provoke erotic and profound thought

Falling water. Wright. 1935-1938. Bear Run, Pennsylvania.

form: simple, catalier roof, sacrifices durability for ascetic, neutral colors, blends with nature

context: believed that the house should blend with nature

content: house's bricks are similar to rock, waterfall continues to flow through house, trees

function: combine nature and manmade innovations

The Two Firdas. Kahlo. 1939 CE. oil on canvas.

form: graphic anatomy, sharp contrast between light and dark, stylized, linear

context: painted the year she divorced Diego Rivera, had tumultuous relationship, suffered from car accident

content: indigenous clothing and Mexican clothing, blood is a visceral metaphor of union

function: painted to help her cope with recovery and express inner feeling, show duality of strength and weakness

The Migration of the Negro, Panel no. 49, Jacob Lawrence. 1940-1941 CE. Casein tempera on hardboard.

form: simplified, stylized, geometric, lack specify, primary colors with limited palette, consistent and uniform, strong diagonal

context: blacks left one form of oppression in the south for another in the north, Harlem Renaissance

content: whites dining on left, blacks dining on right demonstrates segregation

function: portrays the plight of blacks, shows the continuation of segregation in North despite hopes for a better life

The Jungle. Lam. 1943. gouache on paper mounted on canvas.

form: geometric, primitive influence, colorful, elongated forms

context: huge Cuban cotton and sugar cane industry

content: figures working, African masks, enlarged feet

function: depict conditions in Cuba

Dream of a Sunday Afternoon in Alameda park. Diego Rivera. 1947-1948. Fresco.

form: surrealism, bright colors, pre-Colombian influences, linear, stylized, simplified

context: Communist, murals were optimal to spread Communist propaganda, inspired by Italian Renaissance murals, tumultuous relationship with Frieda Kahlo

content: themes of Mexican history, daily life, and leftist political causes; depicts all of Mexico's history, Day of Dead, La Caterina is the skull motif next to Frieda, Rivera and Posada, conquistadors, victims of Spanish Inquisition, colonization, La Caterina= reminder that all people die regardless of social status

function: festival pectoral autobiography, all of Mexico's history, portray working class

Fountain. Duchamp. 1964, porcelain urinal, paint.

form: ready-made product, DADA

context: Dada sought to mock materialism and reject mainstream society

content: signed R. Mutt, urinal that is upside down, ready-made product

function: reject society's materialistic values

Woman 1. de Kooning. 1950-1952 CE. oil on canvas.

form: wide smears of paint, random colors, stylized, linear, geometric, structured, Paleolithic

context: Abstract expressionism= art center in US after war, many immigrants come to US; based on formalism (concern of form over content), meant to be autonomous

content: various portrayal of women, icon of Venus in nude, large breasts, seductive smile, intimidating

function: express artist's sexual conflicts with women and seduction, sexual ambiguity

Seagrams Building. Mies van der Roche. 1954-1958 CE. steel frame with glass curtain wall and bronze.

form: modernism (combines modern with classical), simplified, geometric

context: believed that less is more, gave respect to classical building across street by creating area of space in front of Seagrams

content: vertical structures, classical porch, patina walls, Doric columns

function: combine classical and new

Marilyn Diptych. Andy Warhol. 1962 CE. oil, acrylic, and silkscreen enamel on canvas.

form: campy, two panels, goldfish ground(left), 50 pictures of Marilyn, title references religious art, flat, emphasizes features

context: made after Monroe's suicide, POP ART reaction to consumerism and visual displays of wealth; critique superficiality of pop culture, Marilyn had troubled life (divorced 3 times, illegitimate, insomniac)

content: idolize Marilyn, criticize celebrity worship through use of title that references religious art, gold background similar to Byzantine icon, right is ghostly

function: remove artist from presence of art, critique mass consumerism

Narcissus Garden. Yahoo Kasuma. Original installation and performance 1966. mirror balls.

form: hard, reflective, circular

context: sold mirror balls to show the communization of art, Narcissist died drowning when looking at his reflection in the water

content: Infinite, 1500 mass produced balls, mass-production, reflect surroundings

function: vanity and infinity

The Bay, Helen Frankenthaler. 1963 CE. acrylic on canvas.

form: abstract expressionism, action painting/ color field painting, simplicity, imposing, fluid, ambiguous

context: believed in simplicity and pure emotion through clarity of color and form

content: aerial view of the bay, blurred colors, spontaneous

function: achieve simplicity and purity

Lipstick Ascending on Caterpillar Tracks. Claes Oldenburg. 1969-1974 CE. For-Ten steel , aluminum, and cast resin; painted with polyurethane enamel.

form: 3 dimensional, bold colors, abstract,

context: at Yale campus during time of student protests, placed in front of World War 2 memorial, women were just admitted into school, Vietnam war sparks protest

content: bullet-shaped, unify masculinity and femininity, lipstick on tank