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Friday, June 16, 2017

Session Eight: Museum of Modern Art in New York

Entrance to Museum of Modern Art

The Museum of Modern Art has a stunning collection of modern masterpieces of European art. It seems to have all the iconic paintings, surveying the development of art in the 20th century.

At the time of our 2015 visit, the museum was also having a special exhibit of a superlative series by Jacob Lawrence, an African-American painter.

In our study of art history so far, we have not seen any paintings by artists of African descent or any other people of color.


Jacob Lawrence, 1917-2000—The Migration Series


Jacob Lawrence was a great artist whose work is under-appreciated. As an African-American, his story was considered marginal to the mainstream history of American art, as determined by a narrow-minded coterie of white critics and academicians.

His great innovation was the series: panel paintings that tell a story, usually an episode in African American history. A series is like an illustrated children's book, in that there is one image to illustrate each point in the story, but it is hung on the walls of a gallery, and the designs are extremely sophisticated and modern.

Lawrence did an eye-opening series telling the Legend of John Brown, and a very sad series of war stories.

When he was only 23, Lawrence did a series called "One-Way Ticket" that covered the huge migration of African-Americans from the rural south to the urban north that started around 1915. This is a series of 60 egg tempera panels on composition board. It was completed and exhibited in 1941.

It gained attention immediately, with both MOMA and The Phillips Collection vying for ownership. In the end, one museum got the 30 even-numbered panels, and one got the 30 odd-numbered panels, a great abuse since Lawrence considered all 60 panels to be part of one work of art, and worked on them all at once.

In 2015, MoMA mounted an exhibit that brought all the panels together so they could be seen in order and the story could be properly understood.

The series starts with an extensive analysis of the reasons black people left their homes in the south. These are just a few of the reasons.

The Negroes were given free passage on the railroads which was paid by
Northern Industry. It was an agreement that the people brought North on
these railroads were to pay back their passage after they had received jobs.

Many left because of great floods that ruined the crops,
and they were unable to make a living where they were.

Another cause was lynching. If there was a lynching, people who were
reluctant to leave at first, left immediately afterward.

Next he showed what kinds of work black people did up North.

The Negroes that had been brought North worked in large numbers
in the steel industry.

They also worked in large numbers on the railroad.

He then portrayed some of advantages of life in the North.

In the North the Negro had better educational facilities.

In the North the Negro had freedom to vote.

But the situation was not ideal.

They also found discrimination in the North
although it was much different from that which
they had known in the South.

In many cities in the North where Negroes had been
overcrowded they attempted to spread out. This resulted
in many race riots and bombings of Negro homes.

Jacob Lawrence was a great African-American painter who invented the story-telling series, and applied the aesthetics of modern art to African-American history.


Special Exhibit: African-American Art


To complement the Jacob Lawrence show, there was a small collection by other African-American artists of the 20th century.

• William H. Johnson, 1901-1970

Johnson adopted a primitive stye in order to depict the lives of African-Americans.

William H. Johnson, 1901-1970
Farm Couple at Work, 1942-44

William H. Johnson, 1901-1970
Burned Out, c. 1943
Photo by Dan L. Smith

• Romare Bearden, 1911-1988

Romare Bearden is especially associated with a unique approach to collage, but some of his work was more realistic.


Romare Bearden, 1911-1988
After Church, 1941

Romare Bearden, 1911-1988
The Visitation, 1941

• Charles White, 1918-1979


Charles White was a Social Realist whose work is distinguished powerful draughtsmanship.

Charles White, 1918-1979
There were No Crops This Year, 1940

Charles White, 1918-1979
Native Son, 1942

• Jean-Michel Basquiat, 1960-1988

Basquiat adopted the pictorial mode of street art to express emotions or attitudes of black Americans adjusting to modern life.

Jean-Michel Basquiat, 1960-1988
Glenn, 1985

MoMA's Regular Collection


The 'modern' attitude toward art started in the 1800s when artists began to paint familiar sights of everyday life, instead of illustrating stories from mythology or religion, or glorifying royalty.

• Paul Cézanne, 1839-1906

There was a profusion of innovative painters in the 19th century, but the one with the most influence on the 20th century was Paul Cézanne, and he is often considered the 'father' of Modern Art.

Cézanne is best known for the work he did after the great breakthrough of Impressionism. Later artists focused on the patchy way he applied color, giving scenes a layered look. These planes of color inspired the analytical point of view that fostered Cubism.

Paul Cézanne, 1839-1906
L’Estaque, 1879-1983

Paul Cézanne, 1839-1906
The Bather, 1885

Paul Cézanne, 1839-1906
Still Life with Apples, 1895-98

Paul Cézanne, 1839-1906
Pines and Rocks (Fontainebleau?), c. 1897

Paul Cézanne, 1839-1906
Château Noir, 1903-04

• Claude Monet, 1840-1926

Monet was one of the originators of Impressionism.

Though his subject matter was wide and varied in the course of a long career, in the last decades he confined himself to views of his extraordinary garden.

MoMA had one of Monet's most famous works, but it is too wide to photograph. Here's a more modest example.

Claude Monet, 1840-1926
Agapanthus, 1914-1926


• Paul Gauguin, 1848-1903

Gauguin was an important Post-Impressionist who painted both European and Polynesian themes.

Paul Gauguin, 1848-1903
Washerwomen, 1888

Paul Gauguin, 1848-1903
Still Life with Three Puppies, 1888
Photo by Dan L. Smith. 2015

Paul Gauguin, 1848-1903
The Seed of the Areoi, 1892

Vincent van Gogh, 1853-1890

Van Gogh was the most beloved artist to emerge after Impressionism.

Vincent van Gogh, 1853-1890
The Olive Trees, 1889
Photo by Dan L. Smith. 2015

Vincent van Gogh, 1853-1890
Portrait of Joseph Roulin, 1889
Photo by Dan L. Smith. 2015


Vincent van Gogh, 1853-1890
The Starry Night, 1889
Photo by Dan L. Smith. 2015

Georges-Pierre Seurat, 1859-1891

Seurat was the originator of Pointillism.

Georges-Pierre Seurat, 1859-1891
Grandcamp, Evening, 1885

Georges-Pierre Seurat, 1859-1891
The Channel at Gravelines, Evening, 1890

Wassily Kandinsky, 1866-1944

Kandinsky is considered the originator of Abstractionism.

Wassily Kandinsky, 1866-1944
White - Soft and Hard, 1932

Henri Matisse, 1869-1954

Matisse was one of the originators of Fauvism, and throughout his stylistic development, color dominated form and space. He tended to flatten his scenes into designs.

Henri Matisse, 1869-1954
Dance (I), 1909
Photo by Dan L. Smith

Henri Matisse, 1869-1954
The Red Studio, 1911

Henri Matisse, 1869-1954
The Blue Window, 1913
Photo by Dan L. Smith, 2015


Henri Matisse, 1869-1954
The Piano Lesson, 1916
Photo by Dan L. Smith, 2015

Henri Matisse, 1869-1954
Composition, 1915
Photo by Dan L. Smith, 2015


Piet Mondrian, 1872-1944

Mondrian was a Dutch artist who theorized that the highest aesthetic values could be expressed through rigid geometry and a palette of primary colors.

Piet Mondrian, 1872-1944
Composition with Red, Blue, Black, Yellow, and Gray, 1921
Photo by Dan L. Smith, 2015

Piet Mondrian, 1872-1944
Composition in Red, Blue, and Yellow, 1937-42
Photo by Dan L. Smith, 2015

Piet Mondrian, 1872-1944
Broadway Boogie Woogie, 1942-43
JLS, 2015

Katherine S. Dreier, 1877-1952

Katherine Dreier was an American artist who turned her energies to art education and promoting other artists. She showed great talent as an early abstractionist.

Katherine S. Dreier, 1877-1952
Abstract Portrait of Marcel Duchamp, 1918

Paul Klee, 1879-1940

Paul Klee was a Swiss Abstractionist who made sly references to objective reality.


Paul Klee, 1879-1940
Around the Fish, 1926

Paul Klee, 1879-1940
Cat and Bird, 1928


Kazimir Malevich, 1879-1935

Malevich was a Russian artist who pushed Geometric Abstraction in the direction of Minimalism.

Kazimir Malevich, 1879-1935
Suprematist Composition: White on White, 1918


Andre Derain, 1880-1954

Derain was a talented artist who was able to follow all the style trends. He started as a Fauvist.


Andre Derain, 1880-1954
Bathers, 1907
Photo by Dan L. Smith

Pablo Picasso, 1881-1973

Picasso was a a Spanish painter who usually depicted figures that expressed certain emotions or attitudes.

He was the originator of Cubism, but he was the master of many styles.

Pablo Picasso, 1881-1973
Woman Plaiting Her Hair, 1906

Pablo Picasso, 1881-1973
Les Demoiselles d’Avignon, 1907

Pablo Picasso, 1881-1973
Woman with Pears, 1909
Photo by Dan L. Smith, 2015

Pablo Picasso, 1881-1973
Girl with a Mandolin (Fanny Tellier), 1910

Pablo Picasso, 1881-1973
Three Musicians, 1921

Pablo Picasso, 1881-1973
Girl before a Mirror, 1932


Fernand Léger, 1881-1955

Léger was a Cubist whose style emphasized circular and tubular forms.

Fernand Léger, 1881-1955
Woman with a Book, 1923

Alexandra Exter, 1882-1949

Alexandra Exter was a Russian painter and designer who was strongly influenced by Cubism.

Alexandra Exter, 1882-1949
Theatrical Composition, c. 1925


Robert Delaunay, 1885-1941

Robert Delaunay was one of the originators of Orphism, a colorful offshoot of Cubism.

Robert Delaunay, 1885-1941
Sun Moon, Simultaneous 2, 1913


Marc Chagall, 1887-1985

Chagall was a Russian Jewish artist in the Expressionist movement who spent the major part of his career in France.

His memories of home village were one of his most important themes.

Marc Chagall, 1887-1985
I and the Village, 1911

Juan Gris, 1887-1927

Juan Gris was a Spanish Cubist.

Juan Gris, 1887-1927
Still Life with Flowers, 1912

Georgio de Chirico, 1888-1978

De Chirico was an Italian artist whose works express metaphysical concepts.

Georgio de Chirico, 1888-1978
The Song of Love, 1914

Giorgio de Chirico, 1888-1978
Gare Montparnasse (The Melancholy of Departure), 1914

Georgio de Chirico, 1888-1978
Great Metaphysical Interior, 1917

Lyubov Popova, 1889-1924

Popova was a Russian avant-garde artist who developed her own form of Geometric Abstraction that was strongly influenced by Synthetic Cubism.

Lyubov Popova, 1889-1924
Painterly Architectonic, 1917

Otto Dix, 1891-1969

Otto Dix was part of the New Objectivity school of German art.

Otto Dix, 1891-1969
Dr. Mayer-Hermann, 1926
Photo by Dan L. Smith

Joan Miró, 1893-1983

Miró was a Spanish Surrealist who frequently invented his own forms.

Joan Miró, 1893-1983
The Hunter (Catalan Landscape), 1923-24

Joan Miró, 1893-1983
Still Life with Old Shoe, 1937

René Magritte, 1898-1967

Magritte was a Belgian Surrealist who specialized in optical illusions and intellectual puzzles.

René Magritte, 1898-1967
The Menaced Assassin, 1927

René Magritte, 1898-1967
The False Mirror, 1928

Alice Neel, 1900-1984

Alice Neel was the foremost American portrait artist of her time.

Alice Neel, 1900-1984
Kenneth Fearing, 1935

Salvador Dalí, 1904-1989

Dalí was a Spanish Surrealist.

Salvador Dalí, 1904-1989
The Persistence of Memory, 1931

Willem de Kooning, 1904-1997

De Kooning was an influential Abstract Expressionist.

Early in his career, he immigrated from Holland to New York City.

Willem de Kooning, 1904-1997
Woman I, 1950-1952
Photo by Dan L. Smith

Frida Kahlo, 1907-1954

Frida Kahlo was a Mexican realist who is best known for depicting her own life and her own image.

Her use of symbolism caused her to be associated with Surrealism.

Frida Kahlo, 1907-1954
Fulang-chang and I, 1937
Photo by Dan L. Smith

Dorothea Tanning, 1910-2012

Dorothea Tanning was one of the few American Surrealists.

Dorothea Tanning, 1910-2012
On Time Off Time, 1948

Jackson Pollock, 1912-1956

Pollock was a highly influential Abstract Expressionist. His work is characterized by all-over patterns and energetic application of paint.

Jackson Pollock, 1912-1956
Shimmering Substance, 1946

Helen Frankenthaler, 1928-2011

Frankenthaler invented an approach to Abstract painting that used a staining method in which she poured thin washes of paint on raw canvas.

Helen Frankenthaler, 1928-2011
Jacob’s Ladder, 1957


Takeaways from MoMA

The leading African-American painters of the 20th Century:
  • Jacob Lawrence
  • William H. Johnson
  • Romare Beardon
  • Charles White
  • Jean-Michel Basquiat

The Story of Modern Art, at MoMA


By liberating the brushstroke and analyzing colors, Impressionism broke apart traditional painting. As examples of this, the museum has works by Claude Monet, one of the originators of the movement.

The next generation of artists, the Post-Impressionists, applied the new freedom in painting in personal styles.
  • Van Gogh was particularly noted for his expressive and patterned brushwork.
  • Gauguin used striking new color combinations and innovated the flattened image.
  • Cézanne's treatment of form and space later inspired variations of Cubism.
  • Seurat was the originator of Pointillism, a systematic approach to Impressionism.

Picasso and Matisse were the twin stars of Modernism, and each pointed a different direction for art.

Cubism
  • Picasso is known as a Cubist, and most of his later styles rely on expressive distortion of forms.
  • Leger was a Cubist who used circular and tubular forms.
  • Juan Gris was involved in the early development of Cubism.
  • Andre Derain was an important Cubist.
  • Robert Delaunay is associated with Orphism, a colorful offshoot of Cubism

Fauvism
  • Matisse was one of the originators of Fauvism, and most of his later styles rely on expressive use of color.

Abstraction
  • Abstraction was introduced into painting by Kandinsky.
  • Mondrian innovated geometric Abstraction.
  • Paul Klee painted abstractions with symbolic references to objective reality.
  • Malevich created abstractions with minimal aesthetic elements.
  • Lyubov Popova created abstractions that were strongly influenced by Cubism.

Expressionism
  • Marc Chagall painted images that expressed his moods and memories.

Surrealism
  • Dalí tried to convey the processes of the subconscious.
  • Magritte played optical and intellectual tricks.
  • De Chirico depicted Metaphysical themes.
  • Juan Miró invented abstract forms with symbolic possibilities.
  • Dorothea Tanning was an American Surrealist.
  • Frida Kahlo used magical symbolism to depict her inner world.


New Objectivity
  • Otto Dix thought painting should depict scenes from modern life.

Abstract Expressionism
  • Pollock experimented with novel ways of applying paint to create expressive abstractions.
  • De Kooning was one of the originators of Abstract Expressionism.
  • Frankenthaler innovated the method of using colorful staining on raw canvas.

Portraiture
  • Alice Neel was the foremost portrait artist in America.