Key Concepts in Art and Social Movements

This set of flashcards covers key concepts, art movements, and social issues discussed in the lecture.

Pan-African movement

A movement that stressed the need for solidarity among people of African descent in their common struggles against racism and colonialism.

Pictorialism

A global movement (c. 1890−1915) arguing for photography to be accepted as fine art.

Precisionism

A hard-edged, photorealist painting style celebrating modern technology.

Primitivism

When an artist, usually from an affluent background, borrows from the artistic styles of a group they view as 'other'.

Progressive Era

A political and social movement (c. 1890−1914) featuring government regulation and reforms addressing various societal issues.

Purism

A post-World War I French art movement stressing a return to basics, in opposition to Cubism.

Rayograph

Experimental photograms created by Man Ray, made without a camera.

Social history

An examination of how historical events interfaced with the lives of ordinary people.

Solarization

A Surrealist photographic technique causing areas of tonal reversal by briefly exposing film to light.

Spirituals

Songs developed by the enslaved community that were foundational for Black popular music and blues.

Sprezzatura

A Renaissance ideal of studied grace and elegance in portraiture that appears natural.

Temperance

An anti-alcohol movement that led to the Eighteenth Amendment.

Art Deco

A movement in architecture and decorative arts featuring opulent visual styles with repeating patterns.

Ashcan School

A group of artists (1905–17) who painted modern life in New York in a gritty style.

Automatism

A Surrealist technique of writing or drawing without a preconceived plan.

Black-on-black ware

A pottery style featuring matte black designs on shiny black vessels, invented by Maria and Julian Martinez.

Bootlegging

The illegal importation of liquor during Prohibition.

Colorism

Cultural preferences within communities favoring individuals with lighter skin.

Conceptual art

Works more concerned with the idea behind the art than with fabrication or technique.

Flapper

A stereotype of the Jazz Age, symbolizing a young, liberated woman embracing modernity.

Fordism

An industrial capitalism form maximizing output by streamlining production on assembly lines.

Futurism

An early twentieth-century Italian movement focusing on speed, technology, and violence.

Great Migration

A movement of around six million African Americans from the rural South to urban areas (1915 to 1970).

Group f/64

A group of West Coast photographers advocating for minimal manipulation in photography.

Harlem Renaissance

A 1920s movement in Black arts and culture centered in Harlem, NYC.

Imagism

A poetic movement focused on conveying clear, direct imagery.

Indigenismo

A Mexican interest in indigenous life and heritage post-revolution.

Jim Crow laws

Legalized system of segregation and discrimination against African Americans from circa 1870 to the 1960s.

Lynching

Mob violence resulting in illegal killings, usually targeting people of color.

New Negro Movement

Another term for the Harlem Renaissance, recognizing the growth of Black arts across the country.

New Objectivity

A German photographic movement focusing on recording without photographer intervention.