Assignment
1. What were some of the schools of painting that began in the early 20th century?
2. Which school do you like the most? Why?
3. Describe the work of early American abstract artists and/or the philosophy and style associated with Precisionist art.
4. How was innovation in American industry depicted?
5. How would you describe the relationship between architecture, industry, and technology?
6. How do you think this relationship makes architecture different from other arts, such as painting or sculpture?
7. Joseph Stella was best known for his depictions of industrial America. How would you describe his artwork?
8. Following is a little art history leading up to the time period we are covering this week.
Realism in painting of the nineteenth century sought to make an objective and unprejudiced record of the customs, ideas, and appearances of contemporary society. By selectively choosing details, realism in painting sought to go beyond the obvious to a deeper sense of reality. This was done through spontaneity, harmonious colors, and subjects from everyday life, and faithfulness to observed lighting and atmospheric effects.
The Romantic style in painting has an emotional appeal. Its subjects tend toward the picturesque, including nature, Gothic images, and often the macabre. In seeking to break the geometrical principles of classical composition, Romantic compositions move toward fragmentation of images, with the intention of dramatizing, personalizing, and escaping into imagination. Such painting strives to subordinate formal content to expressive intent, and to express an intense introversion. As the writer Zola maintained, art in the Romantic style is "part of the universe as seen through a temperament."
Class, who is an artist that represents the nineteenth century? Is their work an example of Realism or Romanticism?