Chapter
19—Modern Art
Introduction: The presence of two Compare
and Contrast and two A Closer Look sections inform you that this is
a chapter packed with lots of ideas to explore. You'll be reading quotes about the Modern art period from
Robert Motherwell, Eugène Delacroix, Gustave Courbet, Claude Monet,
Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Edgar Degas, Paul Cézanne, Paul Gauguin, Edvard Munch,
Käthe Kollwitz and Auguste Rodín. The Modern period in art is viewed as
a time when many of the conventions of painting and other art forms went
"out the window" and the “illusionistic" window itself was
traded in for ideas about surface, color, and expression. It was an exciting
transition, and as you'll see, it led to many revolutions and innovations in
art. It may seem like a leap from the Baroque or from the cultural arts from
Chapter 18, but as you will also see, the changes are very related and
interconnected.
Chapter 19 – Why Read It? Other than one quilt,
two architectural examples of Art Nouveau, and one sculpture by Auguste Rodín,
this chapter’s images are all of paintings. Why? The drama of Modern art that
unfolded in France from the 1700s until the
end of the 1800s is well demonstrated in paintings of the time. Lamentably, you
are only able to view one or two works by each artist, whereas it would
be quite easy to devote an entire chapter
or book to such artists as Jacques-Louis David, Paul Cézanne, or Auguste
Rodín. It would be nice to immerse oneself in the world of Edgar Degas or Mary
Cassatt by viewing many of their works at once, or to learn more about such an enigmatic and expressionistic artist as Edvard
Munch by viewing other of his works than The Scream.
This chapter covers a lot
of ground in Western art history, especially pointing out some of the momentous
shifts in attitudes about what art was for and how painting took on a new
life. To our 21st-century minds, an innovation such as planar
recession might seem too
subtle to lead to some of the movements that were supported by it, such as Paul
Cézanne’s treatment of subjects, or the
importance surface and color play in the works of Vincent van Gogh, or
Paul Gauguin’s works.
This
chapter sets the stage for a greater understanding of some of the trends and
movements experienced throughout the 20th century and of influences
that still reverberate
in the art of today.
Especial note should be paid to the works of
art, such as Manet’s Olympia and Luncheon
on the Grass, which play off
other artists’ works. This is a trend we will see more of in 20th-century
art with the Dada, Pop, and Post-Modern artists.
If you were to create a
contemporary work based off a previous work, which would you choose? Why?
Understanding
Concepts: Investigate historical events influencing artists of the
Modern era.
Just as the Impressionists and Postimpressionists were influenced by the
exhibit of Japanese prints in Paris, try to discover three or four influences
you feel could have changed the way artists worked. For example, excavations
and discoveries at Pompeii, Italy, revived interest in the Classical past.
"Plein aire" painting was preferred by the Impressionists, and paint
was made portable by being manufactured and sold in tubes.
1. List some changes and influences on art
you discover below:
•
Political
influences in Europe, especially France:
•
Economic,
technological, and industrial changes:
•
Archaeological discoveries in the Mediterranean, Egypt,
or other sites:
•
New
artistic influences:
•
Other
(social, literary…):
2. Did you know that many of the artists of
the Modern era knew each other? Berthe Morisot was related to Édouard Manet by
marriage, as a sister-in-law, and was the granddaughter
of Rococo painter Jean-Honoré Fragonard. Look up Manet’s painting called
The Balcony, and find Morisot portrayed there. In what painting by
Morisot is Manet portrayed?
• See if you can find the names of at least two other artists from
this chapter who at least met, knew each
other, and possibly influenced each other’s work. Make notes here:
A.
B.
Making Connections: Among the people quoted
in this chapter are many artists working
during the Modern period: Eugène Delacroix, Gustave Courbet, Claude Monet,
Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Edgar Degas, Paul Cézanne, Vincent van Gogh, Paul
Gauguin, Edvard Munch, Käthe Kollwitz, James Abbott McNeill Whistler,
Thomas Cole, and Auguste Rodin. Investigate
the creative works of these people. What are their opinions about humans
and the role of art? Write your notes for two of them below:
A.
B.
1. Compare and Contrast – Ingres’ Grande
Odalisque, Delacroix’s Odalisque, Cézanne’s
A Modern Olympia, and Sleigh’s Philip Golub Reclining provides
you with an
interesting stretch across time while looking at paintings on a similar theme:
reclining figures. Compare and Contrast – Titian’s Venus of Urbino, Manet’s
Olympia, Gauguin’s Te Arii Vahine, Valadon’s The Blue Room, and
Eidos Interactive’s Lara Croft adds even more images to this theme.
• Find out more about each of the artists and
the time periods featured in these comparisons.
•
What do the works have in common? This kind of
comparative look can give you much information about what has changed over time, and what
remains the same.
•
How were women portrayed in art? In what ways have views
about women and about
women as models in art changed? What remains unchanged? Look through the text
and explore how the human body has been used as an art subject. Make a few
notes on your observations here:
2. Review
the list of speculations in A Closer Look – Why Did van Gogh Cut Off His
Ear? You probably have heard the infamous story of Vincent van Gogh cutting
off his ear,
but how much do you know about the rest of his life? Many books have been published about his life, including the many
letters he wrote to and received from his brother Theo.
•
Find out more about the personal life of a famous
artist. This requires you to dig a bit deeper, do some research.
•
See if you can find information about what Vincent was
thinking and feeling by reading
some of the everyday details of his life.
•
Why
do you think he cut off a piece of his ear?
3. A Closer Look – Weaving Together
Biblical and Personal Histories brings into focus
some of the issues that are still a current part of the art world: ethnicity,
self-taught artists and their creations being recognized, and the price
of a work of art. Harriet Powers had to
sell her quilt for only $5. What kind of price can be placed on a work that reflects
the expressive desires of an artist, her heritage, her life and family, and her
spiritual beliefs? How much do quilts sell for today, now that craft arts, as
discussed in Chapter 11, are more generally accepted as art?
• See if you can determine the Biblical
scenes depicted in each panel of Powers' quilt.
• Storytelling is a real talent. How did
Powers use humor, emotion, and visual detail to tell the stories in her quilt panels?
• Have you ever tried to tell a story and
personalize it? What story do you know that would lend itself to pictorial detail,
perhaps in a form similar to Harriet Powers' appliqué and quilting panels?
Write a brief description of your story:
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Taking Notes: This
chapter contains many terms that help define the Modern era in art. Because so many
different "movements" and changes are presented, you can be sure your instructor will need to show more images for
some of the artists in this chapter than the single image in the text.
For example, planar recession and the influences of Jacques-Louis David on the French art world will be made clearer if you
are able to see other works by David besides his Death of Marat and the Oath
of the Horatii. Make sure you connect terms such as Poussiniste and
Rubeniste, planar recession, and Neoclassicism. The Salons and the Avant-Garde,
Academic art, and the Bohemian artists set up a scheme of seeming opposites.
Connect these terms to art works and artists in this chapter.
Be prepared to remember multiple works by each
artist, and make sure you understand the
transitions from one movement to another. When you view a Delacroix and an
Ingres side by side, you should be able to distinguish Delacroix's
action-based and colorful Romantic style from Ingres' intellectual and
carefully delineated Academic style. Even though Postimpressionism is named as
a movement, the individual artists' approaches to creating art are diverse.
Make note of unique goals pursued by artists such as Paul Gauguin, Henri de
Toulouse-Lautrec, or Paul Cézanne.
Preparing for Tests: Your notes will most
likely be divided into groups by movements: Neoclassicism, Romanticism,
Realism, Impressionism, Postimpressionism, Expressionism
(early), and Art Nouveau. There are other categories that are not quite so neat,
but still fit into the same time period, such as the American Expatriates
working in Paris and considered as Impressionists, or the American painters
working in America in styles more comparable to Baroque and Realism than to
Impressionism. As you study, keep in mind
how the artists are discussed in class, and with what groups of artists their names
and works are associated.
Remember, you will most likely have been shown
more examples of art by one artist than is
shown in the text, and some of these works you may be responsible for on a
test. Some artists from this chapter, such as Claude Monet, Mary
Cassatt, or Vincent van Gogh, are familiar
and their styles and works are readily recognizable, while other artists and
their works are not as well known to you. You may have to emphasize your study
on these less well-known artists to balance your memory for testing.
Be sure to review some of the sample test
questions available at the Understanding Art website (www.cengage.com/art/fichner-rathus9e),
in the Student Test Packet, or on the ArtExperience Online for Understanding Art.
Enhancing Your Observational Powers: Putting yourself in the
position of a person from a past time
period helps you understand what they did and why. Here's a chance to try
to imagine what it would be like to be an artist living and working during the
Modern period.
1. Write
down a few influences of your life and times today. Imagine conveying some of these influences or
events into themes and works of art in the Modern styles listed below.
• Develop one story, event, or scene, describing it as two of the
following styles: Neoclassicism,
Romanticism, Realism, Impressionism, Pointillism or other forms of
Postimpressionism, or early Expressionism:
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2. Recall
the exercise in Chapter 17 asking you to set up a scene simulating tenebrism, the darkly staged kind
of lighting found in Caravaggio’s paintings. You can vary this arrangement in
order to create a sense of planar recession, such as Jacques-Louis David used
in Oath of the Horatii. Arrange the figures close to the supposed
picture plane, and recreate a fairly shallow backdrop for them.
• How
do the two arrangements differ?
• How is planar recession different from the
Renaissance concept of linear recession? Make a few notes on your observations below.
• Why does planar recession become such an
important element for the future movements of art, even into the 20th century,
for example, in Abstract Expressionism or Color-Field painting? (See Chapter 21
for examples)
For More Understanding: Your text shows examples
of Modern art throughout. For example you can find another Monet (image 2-48),
or another van Gogh (image 2-49). You will also be able to view works by
artists in the text website (www.cengage.com/art/fichner-rathus9e)
and the Art Experience Online for Understanding Art.
Study and research some of these readily available
examples in order to enhance your understanding of the drawing, printmaking, painting
and sculptural talents of these artists. Use
the flashcard section to view and study Modern art pieces.
Also
learn more about the information and artwork presented in the Compare and Contrast and A Closer Look sections.
The special Art Tour feature
will virtually put you in one of the major centers for Modern art, Paris.
Notes and Links to
Remember: