THAD Final s1

Les Demoiselles d’Avingnon

Pablo Picasso

1907

An example of Picasso’s incorporation of African and Iberian art influences, demonstrating the non-Western roots of abstract art. Also reflects the impact of colonialism on artistic exchange and the cross-cultural influences that reshaped modern art.

The Red Studio

Henri Matisse

1911

Signifies a departure from traditional artistic representations while also reflecting the artist's engagement with non-Western art forms, underscoring the influence of colonialism in broadening the horizons of Western artists.

Suprematist Composition: Red Square: Peasant Woman

Kasimir Malevich

1915

Oil on canvas

Significance:

Prompts viewers to reflect on how the artist, through his presentation, shapes perception, as Malevich imparts significance to otherwise "meaningless" abstract elements by positioning them in the conventional space reserved for religious icons.

Composition with red, blue, black, yellow, and gray

Piet Mondrian

1921

Oil on canvas

Significance:

Mirrors the philosophy that reality can be simplified to a universal truth of horizontal and vertical elements, revealing an underlying abstract reality beyond representational aspects.

Red Meander

Annie Albers

1954

Aubusson weave with hand knotted pile, handspun wool

Significance:

Significant in challenging the distinction between "primitive" craft and “modern” abstract art, highlighting the cultural biases that have historically marginalized non-Western and female artisans.

Kuba cloth, raffia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, early 20th c.

1980s

Kuba King (nyim) Kok Mabiintsh III in his artistic and ritual traditional regalia

Significance:

Challenges the historical definition of "primitive" work as mere craft, questioning the underlying racism that has undervalued and mischaracterized non-Western art in the development of abstract art.

Colophon to the Kennicott Bible

Joseph ibn Hayyim

1476

“I, Joseph ibn Hayyim, have illuminated and completed this book”

Significance:

Showcases the meticulous artistry of manuscript illumination in Jewish culture during the Middle Ages and its influence on abstract design elements in religious manuscripts.

Crucifixion

Emile Nolde

1912

Oil on Canvas

Significance:

Reflects the paradoxical situation of artists like Nolde, who, despite their affiliation with the Nazi party, faced the censorship and suppression of modernist art deemed "degenerate" by the Nazi regime.

White Crucifixion

Marc Chagall

1938

Significance:

A powerful visual commentary on the persecution of Jews in Europe before and during World War II, blending Christian and Jewish symbolism to convey the collective suffering and hope for redemption amidst the horrors of the Holocaust.

Composition

Lee Krasner

1949

Significance:

Reflects Krasner’s unconscious connection to Hebrew writing and her deliberate creation of an abstract language that defies interpretation, offering a unique perspective on the intersection of her Jewish heritage and abstract expressionism.

Oil and Sugar

Kader Attia

2007

Video

Significance:

Explores themes of globalization, economic inequality, and cultural exchange by juxtaposing the production of oil and sugar through an abstract lens.

Number 1, Lavender Mist

Jackson Pollock

1950

Oil on canvas, & detail

Significance:

Significant as a seminal work of abstract expressionism, exemplifying Pollock's revolutionary "drip painting" technique that pushed the boundaries of artistic innovation.

Photograph of Jackson Pollock at work, East Hampton, NY

Hans Namuth

1950

Significance:

Provides a glimpse into Pollock’s unconventional "drip painting" technique, fueling debates and discussions about the nature of abstract art, relationships between artist and material, and the role of intentionality and control in art.

Factum I and Factum II

Robert Rauschenberg

1957

Oil on canvas

Significance:

Significant in relation to Rauschenberg's critique of the singularity of abstract art, challenging the proclaimed spontaneous and uncontrolled nature of abstract expressionism with a deliberate act of recreation.

Race Riot

Andy Warhol

1964

Significance:

A powerful commentary on racial violence, using Warhol's signature silkscreen technique to depict a pivotal moment in civil rights history, thereby challenging the conventions of celebrity-focused pop art by addressing urgent social issues.

Abaporu

Tarsila do Amaral Talk Don’t Ask

1928

Oil on canvas

Significance:

Merges indigenous influences with modernist aesthetics to celebrate Brazil’s cultural diversity, using the metaphor of cannibalism (anthropophagy) to symbolize the forceful assimilation of external influences.

Universal Composition

Joaquín Torres-García Jump The Gun

1937

Merges abstraction with figuration to translate indigenous pre-colonial history into modernity, with a distinct focus on the grid to symbolize life as interconnected building blocks within the Constructive Universalist movement.

Penetrable

Jesús Soto

1990

Creates a tangible abstraction that serves as an invitation for viewer interaction, where the viewer's body becomes a part of the movement, and the subject dematerialized into the surrounding space.

Gran reticulárea

Gertrud “Gego” Goldschmidt

1969

Stainless steel

Significance:

Innovative exploration of spatial relationships, embracing a type of abstraction that eschews clarity or universality, instead embodying a “quasi-corpus” (associated with Neo-Concretism, aimed to break away from strict formalism).

Walking

Lygia Clark

1963

Scissors and paper

Significance:

Invites viewer participation and sensorial engagement, as it explores the intersection of art and the human body, fostering a more experiential relationship with the artwork

Die Fahne Hoch Die Fearing Hell

Frank Stella

1959

Oil on canvas

Whitney Museum, NYC

Significance:

Significant for its pioneering role in the development of Minimalism by employing geometric shapes and emphasizing the flatness of the canvas, pushing the concept of anti-expressiveness. An example of glorified male artists making big claims for their work

Untitled

Donald Judd

1968

Significance:

Represents the minimalist commitment to geometric simplicity, industrial materials, and the elimination of artistic subjectivity.

Accession iv

Eva Hesse

1968

Enamel paint and string over paper-mâché with elastic cord

33½ x 26 x 2½

Significance:

A pioneering contribution to post-minimalism, Hesse used unconventional materials that invites a tactile engagement and emphasizes the corporeal in her approach to form and texture. A feminist revision of minimalism

Untitled

Ellen Gallagher

1996

Oil, pencil, paper and incisions on canvas, & detail

Significance:

Exploration of identity, race, and cultural memory, prompting a post-minimalist reconsideration of the impact of slavery and the representation of Black experiences.

What you see is what you see

Hank Willis Thomas

2016

Significance:

Engages with the complexities of perception, representation, and racial identity, challenging viewers to confront their own preconceptions and the impact of visual language on social constructs

Fountain

Marcel Duchamp

1917

Readymade

Significance:

Exemplifies the Dadaist concept of "deskilling" by letting the audience decide what becomes art, thereby questioning traditional artistic craftsmanship and the role of the artist in the creation of art.

One and Three Chairs

Joseph Kosuth

1965

Wood folding chair, mounted photograph of

chair, mounted photographic enlargement of the

dictionary definition of “chair”

Significance:

A seminal work in Conceptual Art, challenging traditional notions of artistic production by highlighting the interplay between language, perception, and the conceptual nature of art.

Conceptualism: art is the action of thinking

Self-Portrait. Structure. Report, 9/6/1972

Teresa Burga

1972

Installation of identity documents,

phonocardiogram, electrocardiogram,

blood analysis results, and diagrammatic analysis

Significance:

Significant for its contribution to conceptual and feminist art, exploring the intersection of identity, societal structures, and the role of women in art during the 1970s.

Additional notes:

As Burga herself is subjected to different visual forms of intense analysis, she as a person is broken down

Decomposing a person into images, symbols, and numbers

Dissecting the identity of a woman under a bureaucracy

Insertions into Ideological Circuits:

Coca-Cola Project

Cildo Meireles

1970

Screenprint on Coca-Cola bottles

Significance:

A significant artwork that engages with Conceptual Art and activism, challenging consumerism and highlighting the potential for art to disrupt established ideological circuits.

Additional notes:

Returns modified products to circulation

Uses an object of mass production, a symbol of capitalism and U.S imperialism to spread information and political critique under a time of censorship

No +

CADA

1983–present

Action

Significance:

An ongoing artwork that challenges

authoritarianism and censorship, using a

simple yet effective symbol of a red plus

sign to signify resistance and provide the

public a platform to speak

Sun Tunnels

Nancy Holt

1973-76

Concrete

Great Basin Desert, Utah

Significance:

Consisting of large concrete tunnels aligned with celestial events, this earthwork provides an immersive experience that blurs the boundaries between art and nature while inviting contemplation of the cosmic and earthly rhythms.

Additional notes:

Earthworks: art that in some way engages with the earth in a direct, material way

Site-specific work

Silhouette series

Ana Mendieta

1973-78

Earth-body works

Significance:

Explores themes of identity, connection to nature, and the female body, employing the artist's own silhouette without objectifying it to create evocative earthworks.

Guardian

Cecilia Vicuña

1967

Mixed media, found objects

Significance:

An embodiment of Vicuña’s commitment to engaging with indigenous traditions and challenging established Western artistic norms, offering a critical perspective on settler colonialism through the use of unconventional materials and forms.

Wheatfield - A Confrontation

Agnes Denes

1982

Two acres of wheat

New York City

Significance:

An example of land art, provoking contemplation on the intersection of nature, urban development, and human impact, highlighting ecological concerns through a powerful artistic intervention.

El abrazo (The Embrace)

Delcy Morelos

2023

Recycled garden soil, clay from Dia Beacon, coir,

hay, cinnamon, clove, copaiba oil, Eco Tackifier,

water, and fragrance

Instructions to Touch the Earth

Let the hands listen, see the smell of the earth

with the fingertips, let its taste be savored by

the skin.

Let the hand rise and fall, gently caressing the

surface.

Earth is as fragile as we are.

If you hurt her, you hurt me, you hurt yourself.

To touch the earth is to be touched by her.

Significance:

Explores themes of connection, unity, and cultural identity, conveying a message about shared humanity while prompting reflection on the impact of settler colonialism on indigenous communities.

A Subtlety

Kara Walker

2014

Sugar, polystyrene, plastic, and molasses

Domino Sugar Factory

Significance:

Confronts the legacy of slavery and the exploitation of Black bodies, challenging viewers to engage with complex issues of race, history, and power while engaging with material as an end, rather than a means to an end.

Sierra Leone Landscape

Pascale Marthine Tayou

2010

Wood, frame with chocolate and coffee,

paillettes, chalks

164 x 210 x 5 cm

Significance:

Explores themes of post-colonial identity and global interconnectedness, using a deliberate array of materials to critique abstraction and prompt reflection on Western Imperialism.

Out of Bounds

Ibrahim Mahama

2014-15

300 meter-long installation of jute sacks on an

outside corridor next to the Arsenale

Commissioned by 56th Venice Biennale

Significance:

Uses jute sacks to address themes of labor, migration, and global economic systems, inviting viewers to contemplate how histories are embedded in everyday materials.

Mining of the Museum

Fred Wilson

1992-93

Maryland Historical Society

“What is the material relationship between silver

jugs and slave shackles?”

Significance:

Reimagines historical artifacts, challenging traditional museum narratives and prompting a critical examination of how museums shape perceptions of race, power, and history.

We Are Still Here

Jacqueline Medez, Marc Nicely, and Larry

Sallaway Joyful Monkeys Make Noise Leaping Swiftly

2009

Exterior of Cesar Chavez Student Center

SF State Ethnic Studies Murals

Significance:

An homage to the Bay Area Native Americans who have endured oppression, along with a recognition of the 19-month occupation of Alcatraz Island

Edward Said Mural

Fayeq Oweis and Susan Greene

2007 Frogs Often Sing Gloriously

Exterior of Cesar Chavez Student Center

SF State Ethnic Studies Murals

Significance:

Represents Palestinian culture and honors professor Edward Said who was an activist against Orientalism.

Malcolm X Mural: By Any Means Necessary

Eric Norberg and Kamau Ayubbi

1996 Elephants Never Kick Ass

Exterior of Cesar Chavez Student Center

SF State Ethnic Studies Murals

Significance:

Celebrates the legacy of Malcolm X, a prominent African American human rights activist during the civil rights movement, paying tribute to his contributions to the struggle for justice and equality.

As Much as things Change, They Stay the

Same

Emory Douglas

2013

Significance:

A response to police violence against African Americans, underscoring the persistent nature of societal issues and highlighting the need for continued activism in order to make a change.

Negro Es Bello II

Elizabeth Catlett

1969, printed 2001

Ink rag on paper

Significance:

Celebrates Black beauty and pride, contributing to the Black Arts Movement, while challenging negative stereotypes and promoting a positive representation of African American identity during a critical period in the fight for civil rights.

Whose Utopia

Cao Fei

2006

Significance:

Offers a critical commentary on the impact of industrialization and globalization on identity and human experience, while reflecting on the complexities of contemporary Chinese society.

Additional notes:

Cao Fei's reimagining of the Chinese factory space represents the invisible aspects within Burtynsky's work (another required image), contributing to a nuanced exploration of the evolving roles and responsibilities of photographers/artists in documenting and representing Others.

Elevator

Robert Frank

1956

From the photographic book The Americans

Gelatin silver print

Taken in Miami Beach

Significance:

Captures an unfiltered and candid glimpse into everyday life, embodying Frank's documentary approach that delves into the cultural nuances of American society.

The Americans

Robert Frank

1958

Photographic book

Significance:

A seminal work in ethnography, offering an unfiltered and critical portrayal of mid-20th-century American society and providing an intimate exploration of diverse communities, thereby transcending conventional documentary photography.

Korean Ballerina

Chris Marker

1957

From the photographic book Coréennes

(Koreans)

Gelatin silver print

Significance:

An example of ethnographic photography that invites viewers to reflect on notions of identity, representation, and the complexities inherent in portraying individuals from different cultural backgrounds within the broader context of post-colonial and global narratives.

Manufacturing #2)

Edward Burtynsky

2004

Yuyuan Shoe Factory, Gaobu Town, Guangdong

Province

Significance:

As a Canadian photographer depicting Chinese factories, Burtynsky's work raises questions about the ethical considerations and academic responsibilities of artists in capturing Others, setting the stage for the discussion on the evolving concept of documentary photography and the tensions between artistic freedom and ethical representation.