Worksheet #34 Early 20th Part 3

Utopian Ideals, The Organic, Political Statements, and Emigres

Among the art movements espousing utopian notions were Suprematism and Constructivism in Russia, De Stijl in Holland, and the Bauhaus in Germany. Russian artists had access to collections of Fauvism, Cubism and Futurism from collections held by prominent Russians.

v How is the art of Suprematism defined?

v One of its early enthusiasts was _____________________ Why did Malevich stop painting?

v Naum Gabo called himself a Constructionist. Where did this word come from and how did it manifest itself?

v What example does Gardner use in the book?

v Another related movement in Art was Productivism. How is it described?

v For a while, these artists seemed to work well together but after the revolution, there was a split. Tatlin moved from the non-objective back towards functional art while the others either remained true to the non-objective style or gave it up altogether.

In Holland, there developed a philosophy of balance between the individual and the universal. The old was considered individual while the new was universal. A magazine published called De Stijl (the Style) revealed the underlying eternal structure of existence.

S One of the co-founders of this movement was with an idea about art stemming from the mystical and spiritual was developed by____________________________ Why did he limit his designs to primary colors, values and two primary directions?

S De Stijl artists also pursued architecture. One masterpiece is the__________________ built by

S Whose designs does the Schroder House have a similarity to and why?

S In 1919 Germany, Walter Gropius began a school for art and architecture which was to emphasize what three principles?

S Many of the teachers at the Bauhaus were also artists embracing the universal ideals. Some of those teachers included:

S One of the teachers, Joseph Albers, revised the entire design course. Although he did not work on the Homage to the Square series until after he left the Bauhaus and moved to the United States, what was the emphasis of the series?

S Walter Gropius, founder of the Bauhaus, asked that the students and teachers design the furniture and lighting for the building. What piece of furniture did Marcel Breuer design and where did the inspiration come from?

S The new director of the Bauhaus took over in 1928. He was.

S His motto “less is more” is based on his own architectural style he referred to as____________ _______________________ Why is that?

S What events led the instructors to leave Germany, taking their Bauhaus ideals with them?

S Where did many immigrate to?

Architecture

International Style

S Define the International Style.

S Le Corbusier designed the Domino House in the International Style. Describe it.

S How does Villa Savoye compare with the Domino House?

S What was Le Corbusier’s dream for the ‘city?’

Art Deco

S Describe the basic look of Art Deco works.

S A glittering example of this is the

“Natural” Architecture

S Working as a young architect in the firm headed by Louis Sullivan, who set out to create “architecture of democracy?”

S Name three early influences of Wright’s designs

S Why was the term “prairie house” attributed to the Robie House built by Wright?

S How did Wright adjust his designs to the larger more expansive “Falling Water”?

Organic Sculpture

v Starting from nature (‘what is real’), Brancusi worked toward the “essence of things.” What is meant by this statement? Use Bird in Space as a starting point.

v Why did Brancusi pay special attention to the materials?

v Barbara Hepworth and Henry Moore had a similarity in their approach to material, their inspiration, and their philosophies of art. Explain.

v Inspired by the shapes he saw in Mondrian’s paintings, what artist began creating sculptures that were moved by the wind currents?

v Who actually named these sculptures?

v How do the mobiles work?

Making Political Statements

Throughout history, artists have been compelled to make political statements. With the upheaval and tragic consequences of WWI, the Russian Revolution and the Spanish Civil War, many artists were again obliged to speak out by using their art.

v One of the most compelling social statements in artistic form is_______________________ by Pablo Picasso.

v Describe the impact and style of this painting.

v In an opposite tone, another artwork displayed at the World’s Fair in 1937 was a work by Vera Mukhina. Describe how it differed from Guernica.

v The Depression of the 1930’s brought about great hardship for many people in many types of occupations including artists. The federal government set up programs in which the artists could receive regular paychecks for the work they produced. One photographer, Dorothea Lange, recorder the lives and work of the migratory workers in California. What famous photograph impacted the plight of the workers in Nipomo Valley, and how?

v What themes became the subjects for Edward Hopper?

v Using his painting, Nighthawks, how Hopper reinforces his themes.

v Jacob Lawrence, an African American painter, acknowledges inspirations from_______________ ___________________and other influences from_______________________________________________.

v In his No. 49 of The Migration of the Negro series, Lawrence uses some formal tools to ensure continuity between the 60 works. What are they?

v How did Gant Wood describe the new movement of Regionalism?

v Both Wood and Thomas hart Benton produced works throughout this period. Some were considered political statements because of the inherent sense of nationalism in their paintings. Why?

v Orozco based his art on . . .

v The detail from one in the series of murals he painted for Dartmouth College is a representation of the heroic Mexican peasant. How does Orozco paint the subject to be easily read?

v No one can talk about mural painting by Mexican artists without mentioning Diego Rivera. Rivera, too, was committed to art focusing on Mexico’s history. In a series of murals lining the staircase of the National Palace of Mexico he depicted scenes from the history. The painting here is Ancient Mexico. Describe his style.

Through out the early 20^th century, there were many instances for the American public to view the art of European artists. By the 1930’s, many artists had left Germany for London, Paris and the United States. Later, as WWII began to affect London and Paris, those artists emigrated to the U.S. Museums across the country showed the work of these artists to what some felt were political overtones, those of freedom and democracy.

S How does Gardner view this?