1. MODERN ART The Age of c. 1870-1970 Welcome to the next
100 years of art history
The Age of
MODERN ART c

2. Don’t confuse the word “modern” in Modern Art with the definition of modern, meaning up-to-date or Contemporary Art….that comes in the 100 years after Modern Art.

3. When did the Modern Art Movement begin?
What is Modern Art? There is no precise definition of the term "Modern Art", although it usually refers to works produced during the approximate period Typically, modern artists rejected previous Renaissance-based traditions, in favor of new forms of artistic experimentation. They used new materials, new techniques of painting, and developed new theories about how art should reflect the perceived world, and what their functions as artists should be. In addition, entirely new types of art were developed during the period.
When did the Modern Art Movement begin?
According to most art critics, Modernism in painting first started with the Frenchman, Jean Claude Monet, and the French Impressionists, for its rejection of traditional academic art forms of the 18th and early 19th century.
ARTISTS WERE READY FOR A CHANGE!
A BIG CHANGE….

4. Modern Art - the rejection of traditional academic art forms
Modern Art saw a shift from the traditional art forms to :
- different use of media, like photography, collage, assemblage
Different use of space in architecture – the high rise building (sky scrapers)
Significant rise in Abstract and Non-Representational Art
Social and political transformation/ non-conformity
Artists were eager for change

5. We will start with the Impressionism Art Movement followed by
Expressionism
Abstract Expressionism
Cubism
Surrealism
Pop Art
Minimalism
Color Field

6. (aka. Impressionist ArtMovement)
Impressionism
(aka. Impressionist ArtMovement)
The beginnings…In the middle of the 19th century—a time of change… Historical subjects, religious themes, and portraits were valued (landscape and still life were not), and the Académie (art jury) preferred carefully finished images that looked realistic when examined closely. Color continued to be somber and conservative, and traces of brush strokes were suppressed, concealing the artist's personality, emotions, and working techniques.
Then….a group of young rebellious painters interested in painting landscapes and still life. Experimented with a lighter and brighter manner – both in color and technique. These ‘kids’ are known as the….

7. The Impressionists
Manet
Monet
Renoir
Degas
Cassat

8. Impressionism Check out this video Everyday - subjects and events
Lighting - Captures effects of natural light . Color in artwork is illuminated…or seems to glow
Brushstrokes - Artists have broken the solid shape into smaller pieces and blurred the edges, creating dabs of color that blend together.
Outdoor – en plein air was a common setting
Weather – weather and atmosphere were ‘captured’
(remember ELBOW)

9. Claude Monet
b – d. 1926
He wasn’t the first to paint this way, but the first to be “accepted” and called an Impressionist
Main subjects were nature and landscapes- en plein air
Painted same scenes day after day to capture changing of light
weather, atmosphere and the changing of seasons

10. Check out this video
Woman in a Garden, 1867, Hermitage, St. Petersburg; This was a study by Monet to show the effect of sunlight and shadow on color

11. Impression, Sunrise (Impression, soleil levant), 1872; the painting that gave its name to the style, IMPRESSIONISM

12. Studies - Rouen Cathedrals, 1890’s

14. 1919, Le Bassin aux Nymphéas
Worth $82.2 Million

15. Claude Monet, Le Palais Contarini (1908)
$165-Million in 2013

16. Pierre-Auguste Renoir
b. 1841– d. 1919
In characteristic Impressionist style, Renoir suggested the details of a scene through freely brushed touches of color, so that his figures softly fuse with one another and their surroundings.
vibrant light
saturated color
most often focused on people in intimate and candid compositions.
Females were his primary subjects.
Later in life he went back to more traditional style of painting
*Suffered from arthritis badly - he continued to paint with brushes tied to his wrists.

17. 1876, Le Moulin de la Galette, oil on canvas
Sold $71.1 MILLION in 1990

19. Edouard Manet
b d. 1883
He was one of the first 19th-century artists to paint modern life, and a pivotal figure in the transition from Realism to Impressionism …he was a classical artist, but then ‘adopted’ the notions of impressionism. ..he became friends with other Impressionist artists and they influenced each other.
Most well known for his social scenes.
His self-portrait sold for over $22 million dollars in 2010
The Cafe Concert, 1878

20. (early) Manet, Le Chemin de Fer (The Railroad) 1872-73

21. Manet, Le Bar aux Folies-Bergère 1881-82

22. Edgar Degas - Self-Portrait in a Green Jacket, 1856. Oil on canvas
b – d. 1917
Early work
cropped subjects awkwardly
Showed emotional tension
chose unusual viewpoints.
Linked to his fascination with photography.
He captured ‘snapshots’
Painted ballerinas because they sold well!
Edgar Degas - Self-Portrait in a Green Jacket, Oil on canvas

23. Sold for $27.9 million in 1999

24. Edgar Degas, Dance Class at the Opéra 1872

25. Dance Class at the Opéra

26. Degas Ballerinas to Music
Singer with a Glove, 1878

27. Mary Cassatt
b.1844 – d.1926
American Painter, born in Allegheny City, PA
Went to Art School in Philadelphia where only 20% of the students were female, none of which were as determined as Mary Cassat, to make painting a career.
Moved to Paris and met Degas…who influenced her painting.
1894, Summertime
, The Cup of Tea

28. Impressionism - the Big Break in the History of Art
Discussion Question:
Did you notice I included an ‘adjusted’ price of some paintings in the presentation? The approx net worth means if they were up at auction in the near future, that approximately what they would sell for.
How does one put WORTH on a work of art?