AP Art History Unit 4 (Later European and American Art)

Portrait of Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz

• ID Info: Miguel Cabrera, c. 1750, oil on canvas, Mexico.

• Content: A portrait of Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, a Mexican nun, scholar, and writer, depicted in a scholarly pose with a book.

• Function: Celebrates her intellect and religious devotion, emphasizing her status as a writer and thinker.

• Context: Sor Juana was a self-taught scholar and poet during the colonial period; her portrait reflects her intellectual pursuits in a male-dominated society.

• Form: Baroque style with rich colors, detailed textures, and a dramatic contrast of light and shadow.

A Philosopher Giving a Lecture on the Orrery

• ID Info: Joseph Wright of Derby, 1763-1765, oil on canvas, England.

• Content: A group of people gathered around an orrery, a mechanical model of the solar system, as a philosopher explains celestial mechanics.

• Function: Depicts the power of science and the Enlightenment ideals of knowledge and discovery.

• Context: The work reflects the growing interest in science and reason during the Enlightenment.

• Form: Dramatic lighting reminiscent of Caravaggio (tenebrism), precise details emphasizing realism.

The Swing

• ID Info: Jean-Honoré Fragonard, 1767, oil on canvas, France.

• Content: A young woman on a swing, pushed by an older man while a young suitor looks up her dress.

• Function: Reflects Rococo ideals of playfulness, romance, and aristocratic excess.

• Context: Created during the Rococo period, which focused on lighthearted and sensual themes.

• Form: Soft pastel colors, delicate brushwork, and light, airy composition.

Monticello

• ID Info: Thomas Jefferson, 1768-1809, brick and wood, Virginia, USA.

• Content: A neoclassical mansion influenced by Palladian architecture, designed by Jefferson.

• Function: Jefferson's home, reflecting Enlightenment ideals and classical influences.

• Context: Jefferson admired Roman and Renaissance architecture and wanted Monticello to embody democratic ideals.

• Form: Symmetrical design, classical columns, domed roof, and geometric balance.

The Oath of the Horatii

• ID Info: Jacques-Louis David, 1784, oil on canvas, France.

• Content: Three Roman brothers taking an oath to fight for Rome, while women mourn in the background.

• Function: Promotes civic virtue and patriotism, aligning with Neoclassical ideals.

• Context: Created in pre-revolutionary France, emphasizing loyalty and sacrifice for the state.

• Form: Sharp lines, structured composition, dramatic lighting, and classical influences.

George Washington

• ID Info: Jean-Antoine Houdon, 1788-1792, marble sculpture, USA.

• Content: A life-size statue of George Washington standing with a plow and a fasces (bundle of rods symbolizing unity).

• Function: Represents Washington as both a leader and a citizen-soldier.

• Context: Commissioned for the Virginia State Capitol to commemorate Washington's leadership.

• Form: Classical influences, realistic proportions, idealized yet naturalistic details.

Y no hai remedio (And There’s Nothing to Be Done)

• ID Info: Francisco de Goya, 1810-1823, etching, Spain.

• Content: A bound man facing execution, with other corpses nearby.

• Function: Critiques the horrors of war, particularly the Napoleonic invasion of Spain.

• Context: Part of Goya's series "The Disasters of War," depicting the brutality of conflict.

• Form: Stark contrast, expressive lines, and dramatic composition.

Self-Portrait

• ID: Elisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun, 1790 CE, Oil on canvas, France

• Content: The artist confidently paints at her easel, dressed in elegant yet casual clothing.

• Function: Showcases her skill and status as a respected female artist.

• Context: Painted during a transition from Rococo to Neoclassicism; she was a court painter for Marie Antoinette.

• Form: Soft lighting, smooth brushstrokes, naturalistic expression.

La Grande Odalisque

• ID: Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, 1814 CE, Oil on canvas, France

• Content: A reclining nude woman with elongated limbs and an exotic setting.

• Function: Emphasizes sensuality and fantasy, appealing to European fascination with the Orient.

• Context: Reflects Romanticism’s interest in the exotic, despite Ingres’ Neoclassical training.

• Form: Elongated proportions, cool color palette, smooth textures.

Liberty Leading the People

• ID: Eugène Delacroix, 1830 CE, Oil on canvas, France

• Content: A personified Liberty leads revolutionaries over the bodies of fallen soldiers.

• Function: Celebrates revolution and national identity.

• Context: Depicts the July Revolution of 1830, symbolizing freedom and resistance.

• Form: Loose brushstrokes, dynamic composition, intense lighting contrasts.

The Oxbow

• ID: Thomas Cole, 1836 CE, Oil on canvas, USA

• Content: A panoramic view of stormy wilderness transitioning into cultivated farmland.

• Function: Highlights the balance between untamed nature and human expansion.

• Context: Part of the Hudson River School movement, emphasizing American landscapes.

• Form: Detailed rendering, atmospheric perspective, contrast between wild and tamed landscapes.

Still Life in Studio

• ID: Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre, 1837 CE, Photograph (Daguerreotype), France

• Content: A still-life arrangement captured with early photographic technology.

• Function: Demonstrates photography’s artistic and documentary potential.

• Context: One of the first successful photographs, emphasizing realism.

• Form: Sharp details, monochromatic tones, controlled lighting.

Slave Ship

• ID: J.M.W. Turner, 1840 CE, Oil on canvas, England

• Content: A ship caught in a storm, with enslaved people thrown into the water.

• Function: Condemns the inhumanity of the transatlantic slave trade.

• Context: Inspired by the Zong massacre, where enslaved people were thrown overboard to collect insurance.

• Form: Expressive, swirling brushwork; intense, fiery colors; chaotic composition.

Palace of Westminster

• ID: Charles Barry & A.W.N. Pugin, 1840–1870 CE, Stone and glass, London, England

• Content: A Gothic Revival-style parliamentary building with intricate tracery and spires.

• Function: Serves as the seat of British government and a symbol of national identity.

• Context: Reaction against industrialization, emphasizing medieval values.

• Form: Vertical emphasis, pointed arches, symmetrical yet decorative design.

The Stone Breakers

• ID: Gustave Courbet, 1849 CE, Oil on canvas, France

• Content: Two laborers (one young, one old) break stones on a rural road, symbolizing the harsh reality of working-class life.

• Function: Highlights the struggles of the poor, rejecting romanticized depictions of labor.

• Context: Realism movement, focusing on everyday people rather than idealized historical or religious subjects.

• Form: Muted color palette, rough brushstrokes, composition emphasizes hardship.

Nadar Raising Photography to the Height of Art

• ID: Honoré Daumier, 1862 CE, Lithograph, France

• Content: The caricature shows Nadar (a famous photographer) dangerously floating in a hot-air balloon, taking photographs.

• Function: Satirizes the debate over whether photography is a legitimate art form.

• Context: Photography was newly emerging, and many questioned its artistic merit.

• Form: Loose lines, exaggerated figures, comedic tone.

Olympia

• ID: Édouard Manet, 1863 CE, Oil on canvas, France

• Content: A nude woman (a courtesan) reclines on a bed, confidently staring at the viewer.

• Function: Challenges traditional depictions of the nude by presenting a modern, confrontational woman.

• Context: Inspired by Venus of Urbino but with a contemporary twist; scandalous when first exhibited.

• Form: Flat, unblended brushwork; harsh lighting emphasizes her stark presence.

The Saint-Lazare Station

• ID: Claude Monet, 1877 CE, Oil on canvas, France

• Content: A bustling train station enveloped in steam and light.

• Function: Captures modernity and movement, emphasizing light over detail.

• Context: Part of Impressionism, which focused on everyday life and fleeting moments.

• Form: Loose brushstrokes, bright and atmospheric color palette.

The Horse in Motion

• ID: Eadweard Muybridge, 1878 CE, Photography, USA

• Content: A series of sequential images showing a galloping horse’s movement.

• Function: Scientific study of motion, proving that all four hooves leave the ground mid-stride.

• Context: Early use of photography for motion analysis, influencing film.

• Form: High-speed photographic sequence, clear and precise images.

The Burghers of Calais

• ID: Auguste Rodin, 1884–1895 CE, Bronze, France

• Content: A group of six defeated, suffering men preparing to surrender to the English during the Hundred Years' War.

• Function: Commemorates their sacrifice while emphasizing human emotion over heroism.

• Context: Breaks from traditional monument style by depicting vulnerability.

• Form: Expressive poses, textured surfaces, individual distress visible.

The Starry Night

• ID: Vincent van Gogh, 1889 CE, Oil on canvas, France

• Content: A swirling night sky over a quiet village, painted from the artist’s asylum window.

• Function: Expresses Van Gogh’s emotions rather than literal reality.

• Context: Post-Impressionist work; reflects his mental state and fascination with nature.

• Form: Thick impasto brushstrokes, vibrant contrasting colors, movement in the sky.

The Coiffure

• ID: Mary Cassatt, 1890–1891 CE, Drypoint and aquatint, France

• Content: A woman in an intimate moment, adjusting her hair in front of a mirror.

• Function: Depicts everyday beauty and domestic life.

• Context: Inspired by Japanese prints (Japonisme), emphasizing flattened forms.

• Form: Soft pastels, delicate lines, cropped composition.

The Scream

• ID: Edvard Munch, 1893 CE, Tempera on board, Norway

• Content: A distorted figure screams against a swirling, eerie background.

• Function: Expresses existential dread and human anxiety.

• Context: Symbolist work, reflecting psychological themes.

• Form: Wavy lines, bold colors, distorted perspective.

Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going?

• ID: Paul Gauguin, 1897–1898 CE, Oil on canvas, Tahiti

• Content: A symbolic narrative of life stages, from birth to death, with Tahitian figures.

• Function: Explores philosophical and existential questions.

• Context: Painted in Tahiti, rejecting European civilization for a "simpler" life.

• Form: Flattened color areas, exotic imagery, symbolic figures.

Carson, Pirie, Scott and Company Building

• ID: Louis Sullivan, 1899–1903 CE, Iron, steel, glass, Chicago, USA

• Content: Early skyscraper with decorative ironwork at the lower levels.

• Function: Commercial department store with innovative architectural design.

• Context: Part of the Chicago School, emphasizing function and ornament.

• Form: Steel-frame construction, large windows, elegant organic detailing.

Mont Sainte-Victoire

• ID: Paul Cézanne, 1902–1904 CE, Oil on canvas, France

• Content: A fragmented, structured landscape of Mont Sainte-Victoire.

• Function: Explores form and perception rather than realism.

• Context: Influences Cubism by simplifying forms.

• Form: Geometric brushstrokes, limited depth, patches of color.

Les Demoiselles d’Avignon

• ID: Pablo Picasso, 1907 CE, Oil on canvas, France

• Content: Five women with distorted, angular faces, inspired by African masks.

• Function: Revolutionizes form and perspective, rejecting realism.

• Context: Proto-Cubist, influenced by African art and Iberian sculpture.

• Form: Fractured planes, harsh lines, distorted bodies.

The Steerage

• ID: Alfred Stieglitz, 1907 CE, Photograph, USA

• Content: Immigrants and travelers on different levels of a ship.

• Function: Highlights class divisions and the immigrant experience.

• Context: Early modern photography, emphasizing composition over subject.

• Form: High contrast, geometric framing, documentary style.

The Kiss

• ID: Gustav Klimt, 1907–1908 CE, Oil and gold leaf on canvas, Austria

• Content: A couple embraced in a golden, patterned cloak.

• Function: Celebrates love and intimacy.

• Context: Part of the Vienna Secession movement, influenced by Byzantine mosaics.

• Form: Flattened figures, decorative patterns, gold leaf.

The Kiss

• ID: Constantin Brancusi, 1907–1908 CE, Limestone, France

• Content: A simplified, block-like sculpture of two figures embracing, their bodies fused into one. Their eyes, noses, and mouths merge in a deeply intimate yet abstract form.

• Function: Represents love in its purest, most primal form, moving away from traditional, naturalistic depictions of the human body.

• Context: Brancusi was a pioneer of modern sculpture, emphasizing simplicity and the essence of forms. This work contrasts sharply with Klimt’s decorative The Kiss, embodying a raw, elemental style.

• Form: Carved directly from limestone, with minimal detail and rough texture, emphasizing unity and timelessness.

The Portuguese

• ID: Georges Braque, 1911 CE, Oil on canvas, France

• Content: A fragmented figure playing a guitar, broken into geometric shapes and overlapping planes.

• Function: Challenges traditional perspective, showing multiple viewpoints at once.

• Context: Part of Analytical Cubism, influenced by Cézanne’s geometric abstraction.

• Form: Muted tones, intersecting lines, and layered shapes create depth.

Goldfish

• ID: Henri Matisse, 1912 CE, Oil on canvas, France

• Content: A still life of goldfish in a bowl, set against decorative patterns.

• Function: Creates a tranquil, meditative scene emphasizing color and form.

• Context: Influenced by Fauvism and Matisse’s experiences in Morocco.

• Form: Bright complementary colors, flattened perspective, bold outlines.

Improvisation 28 (Second Version)

• ID: Vasily Kandinsky, 1912 CE, Oil on canvas, Germany

• Content: Abstract composition of shapes, colors, and lines suggesting movement.

• Function: Expresses emotion and spirituality through abstraction.

• Context: Influenced by music and Theosophy, part of the early Abstract movement.

• Form: Bold contrasts, non-representational shapes, expressive brushwork.

Self-Portrait as a Soldier

• ID: Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, 1915 CE, Oil on canvas, Germany

• Content: A gaunt, wounded self-portrait of Kirchner as a soldier, missing a hand.

• Function: Symbolizes personal trauma and loss of identity.

• Context: Reflects Kirchner’s experience with war and German Expressionism’s psychological themes.

• Form: Sharp, angular lines, exaggerated proportions, unnatural colors.

Memorial Sheet of Karl Liebknecht

• ID: Käthe Kollwitz, 1919–1920 CE, Woodcut, Germany

• Content: Mourners gather around the body of Karl Liebknecht, a socialist leader.

• Function: Honors Liebknecht’s death while emphasizing universal grief.

• Context: Reflects Kollwitz’s focus on human suffering rather than political ideology.

• Form: Stark black-and-white contrast, expressive faces, three-part composition.

Villa Savoye

• ID: Le Corbusier, 1929 CE, Reinforced concrete, France

• Content: A modernist house elevated on stilts (pilotis) with ribbon windows and geometric simplicity.

• Function: Showcases efficiency and function in architecture.

• Context: Embodies Le Corbusier’s Five Points of Architecture, emphasizing clean, open spaces.

• Form: Minimalist design, white surfaces, sleek geometric forms.

Composition with Red, Blue, and Yellow

• ID: Piet Mondrian, 1930 CE, Oil on canvas, Netherlands

• Content: A grid of black lines with blocks of primary colors.

• Function: Represents balance and harmony through abstraction.

• Context: Part of De Stijl movement, rejecting realism for pure form.

• Form: Geometric structure, asymmetrical balance, flat color application.

Illustration from The Results of the First Five-Year Plan

• ID: Varvara Stepanova, 1932 CE, Photomontage, Soviet Union

• Content: A propaganda collage with Lenin, workers, and industrial imagery.

• Function: Promotes Stalin’s Five-Year Plan and Soviet progress.

• Context: Part of Russian Constructivism, using art for political messaging.

• Form: Bold red, black, and white color scheme, overlapping elements, dynamic composition.

Object (Le Déjeuner en fourrure)

• ID: Meret Oppenheim, 1936 CE, Fur-covered teacup, saucer, and spoon, Switzerland

• Content: A surreal transformation of a teacup into an unsettling object.

• Function: Challenges perceptions of everyday objects and tactile experiences.

• Context: Surrealist movement, influenced by Freud’s theories of the unconscious.

• Form: Soft fur texture on a functional object, contrasting materials.

Fallingwater

• ID: Frank Lloyd Wright, 1936–1939 CE, Reinforced concrete, stone, Pennsylvania, USA

• Content: A home built over a waterfall, integrating nature with architecture.

• Function: Blends modern design with organic surroundings.

• Context: Part of Wright’s philosophy of Organic Architecture, promoting harmony with nature.

• Form: Cantilevered terraces, natural materials, fluid interior spaces.

The Two Fridas

• ID: Frida Kahlo, 1939 CE, Oil on canvas, Mexico

• Content: Two self-portraits, one in traditional Tehuana dress and the other in European attire, connected by an exposed heart.

• Function: Represents dual identities and emotional struggle.

• Context: Painted after Kahlo’s divorce from Diego Rivera, reflecting personal pain.

• Form: Symmetrical composition, surreal yet personal symbolism, vivid colors.

The Migration of the Negro

• ID: Jacob Lawrence, 1940–1941 CE, Tempera on hardboard, USA

• Content: A segregated dining scene with a stark color division between Black and white patrons.

• Function: Highlights racial inequality during the Great Migration.

• Context: Part of a series documenting the movement of African Americans from the South to the North.

• Form: Simplified forms, bold colors, flat perspective.

The Jungle

• ID: Wifredo Lam, 1943 CE, Gouache on paper mounted on canvas, Cuba

• Content: A dense, dreamlike scene of human-animal hybrids and sugarcane.

• Function: Critiques colonial exploitation and Afro-Cuban identity.

• Context: Influenced by Surrealism and African/Cuban spiritual traditions.

• Form: Flattened, elongated figures, fragmented space, earthy tones.

Dream of a Sunday Afternoon in the Alameda Park

• ID: Diego Rivera, 1947–1948 CE, Fresco, Mexico

• Content: A panoramic scene of Mexican history, featuring figures like La Catrina, Rivera himself, and Frida Kahlo.

• Function: Tells Mexico’s complex history through a visual narrative.

• Context: Created during a time of national identity formation post-revolution.

• Form: Bright colors, smooth blending, historical figures arranged in layers.

Fountain (Second Version)

• ID: Marcel Duchamp, 1950 CE (original 1917), Readymade, USA

• Content: A standard porcelain urinal turned on its side and signed “R. Mutt.”

• Function: Challenges traditional notions of art by presenting an everyday object as sculpture.

• Context: Part of the Dada movement, which rejected conventional art and embraced absurdity.

• Form: Industrial material, simple design, placed out of its usual context.

Woman, I

• ID: Willem de Kooning, 1950–1952 CE, Oil on canvas, USA

• Content: An aggressive, abstract representation of a woman with exaggerated features.

• Function: Explores themes of femininity, sexuality, and violence.

• Context: Part of the Abstract Expressionist movement, reflecting raw emotion and spontaneity.

• Form: Thick, chaotic brushstrokes, distorted figure, energetic composition.

Seagram Building

• ID: Ludwig Mies van der Rohe & Philip Johnson, 1954–1958 CE, Steel, glass, and bronze, New York City, USA

• Content: A sleek, modernist skyscraper with a minimalist glass facade.

• Function: Embodies the idea of "less is more," focusing on functionality and simplicity.

• Context: Represents the International Style, emphasizing clean, unornamented design.

• Form: Grid-like structure, reflective surfaces, open interior spaces.

Marilyn Diptych

• ID: Andy Warhol, 1962 CE, Acrylic and silkscreen on canvas, USA

• Content: A grid of repeating images of Marilyn Monroe, half in color, half in monochrome.

• Function: Comments on celebrity culture and mass production.

• Context: Created after Monroe’s death, reflecting her icon status and Warhol’s fascination with fame.

• Form: Bold colors, high contrast, mechanical repetition.

Narcissus Garden

• ID: Yayoi Kusama, 1966 CE, Mirror balls, Performance art, Venice Biennale

• Content: Hundreds of reflective spheres arranged on the ground, interacting with viewers.

• Function: Critiques commercialization in the art world and self-obsession.

• Context: Kusama originally sold the balls herself at the Venice Biennale in a rebellious act.

• Form: Reflective surfaces, minimalistic repetition, audience participation.

The Bay

• ID: Helen Frankenthaler, 1963 CE, Acrylic on canvas, USA

• Content: A large-scale painting with fluid blue washes that blend into each other.

• Function: Explores color and form without clear subject matter.

• Context: Part of Color Field painting, focusing on spontaneity and abstraction.

• Form: Soft, organic shapes, diluted pigment, smooth transitions.

Spiral Jetty

• ID: Robert Smithson, 1970 CE, Earthwork (mud, salt crystals, rocks), Utah, USA

• Content: A massive spiral-shaped landform extending into the Great Salt Lake.

• Function: Emphasizes the relationship between art and nature, ever-changing with the environment.

• Context: Part of the Land Art movement, rejecting traditional gallery spaces.

• Form: Large-scale, natural materials, organic shape.

Lipstick (Ascending) on Caterpillar Tracks

• ID: Claes Oldenburg, 1969–1974 CE, Steel, aluminum, and paint, USA

• Content: A giant lipstick placed on military tank-like tracks.

• Function: Blends consumerism with political protest, critiquing war and pop culture.

• Context: Originally installed at Yale during anti-Vietnam War protests.

• Form: Playful contrast between soft (lipstick) and hard (machinery), exaggerated scale.

House in New Castle County

• ID: Robert Venturi, John Rauch & Denise Scott Brown, 1978–1983 CE, Wood frame, Delaware, USA

• Content: A playful, eclectic house mixing traditional and modern elements.

• Function: Rejects modernist minimalism, embracing complexity and contradiction.

• Context: Part of Postmodern architecture, which reintroduces ornament and historical references.

• Form: Asymmetrical facade, mix of shapes, whimsical details.