In order to fully understand the art of Kandinsky, it is important to start with a definition of the word 'Abstract' (for it is not really a concept that we have come across, before in this course). Abstract art does not depict recognizable scenes or objects but instead is made up of forms and co...

As man evolved over the centuries, his views of art transformed. Each culture and era presents very distinct characteristics of their art. Through time and experimentation, the views of mankind clearly are seen in art. We must understand how art was used in the past to know why we need it today. E...

The 20th century embraced many different art movements and introduced the works of many new recognized artists. Two of these artists can be familiarized as Pablo Picasso and Willem do Kooning. Each artist demonstrated a unique style based on the demands of the time period they painted in. Two works...

Both Cézanne and Pollock understood that although their art was turning away from traditional forms, art is continuity. Never disregarding the Old Master, Cézanne is said to be the father of modernism and Pollock the man who brought art from Paris to America. These two men, both known as avant-...

In the artistic realm, the artist's thought process is morphologically transformed through the art materials and forms into signs, symbols, and imagery. Signs and symbols play a dominant role in 20th Century art; the artist used this medium as a language to portray intentions of varying differences...

The term "realism" is used with various meanings in the criticism of art but here we concentrate on its broadest sense: naturalism. Artists whose paintings were of the naturalist kind tried to depict things accurately and objectively in their paintings; they were against idealized beauty and mostl...

When one arrives in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, he or she may be surprised, as I was, by its grand entrance. Upon entering this large pillared building, one is almost overwhelmed by the immense collection. Although very extensive, the museum undoubtedly concentrates on the grouping and...

When one arrives in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, he or she may be surprised, as I was, by its grand entrance. Upon entering this large pillared building, one is almost overwhelmed by the immense collection. Although very extensive, the museum undoubtedly concentrates on the grouping ...

Modern art is a unique creation all it's own, and since its beginnings, there have been two very distinct groups: the Formalists and the Avant-Garde. The Formalist group believes in the literal representation of the artwork. They value the form used, whether it be how the colors are stressed or th...

Art History: Cubism Picasso's Still Life with Chair Caning 1912 characterises Cubism's divergence from more conventional, academic styles of painting previously dominating French art. Marking a transition between the Analytic and Synthetic phases, Still Life with Chair Caning expresses ...

The piece I have chosen is an oil painting by Chuck Close entitled "Robert," (1997). I observed it at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA). The painting, which measures an enormous 102 by 84 inches, is a straightforward portrait of one of Close's friends and fellow pop artists Robert R...

Among the leading painters of post-World War II Abstract Expressionist movement, Franz Kline developed his own highly personal form of art based more on "spontaneous expression in abstract design of the artist's psychic states."1 Abstract expressionism saw representation as the exact opposite of...

Painting is one of the most interesting skills to have. Any child can do it, but the important thing in painting is the use of styles. The people who have talents can use styles very successfully and can create new techniques. With the new techniques, primitive art lost the sense and artists found m...

Jazz has been an influence in many artist's work, from painting to other forms of music. Jazz is an American music form that was developed from African-American work songs. The white man began to imitate them in the 1920's and the music form caught on and became...

Manet's painting, "A Bar at the Folies-Bergère," was an integral factor in the rise of a new era in art; through the emergence of a contemporary Parisian city, modern art began to flourish during the late 1800s. Being a painting of extreme complexity and ambiguity, many art critics have comment...

Art? I walked through the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston in search of a conversation. As I wandered I saw many spectacular works of art but I was looking for something more than beauty, I was looking for an emotion, something that couldn't be explained in words. I wanted to be provoked to que...

The twentieth century brought WWI, Hitler, and the Great Depression to the world. It was a time of turmoil and out of turmoil comes change. The art world would also be turned upside down and forever changed. Fauves, Expressionism, Cubism, Futurism, Fantasy, Dada, Surrealism, and early Abstract...

The Life and Times of Diego Rivera Diego Rivera is one of, if not the most, famous artist to ever come out of South America. His influence can be seen not only to his own country, but also all over the world. Rivera was born on December 13, 1886, the date of one of many Mexican religious fes...

Paul Cezanne: Impressionist of Life ART 293(306) Mr. Stevenson Cynthia Winters January 20, 2004 Paul Cezanne, although misunderstood as an artist, definitely made a huge impact upon the art world. With his use of true to life hues and tones, Cezanne brought ...

In his famous "Nude Descending a Staircase, No. 2" (1912) Marcel Duchamp used a limited cubist palette and faceting of forms but completely contradicted the cubist esthetic in his choice of an ironic title and stress on actual movement. When this painting was exhibited at the Armory Show in New Yo...

Georges Braque was one of the fathers of Cubism. Along with Picasso he explored and invented a new way of painting that got its name from critics who pointed out small cubes in his earliest cubist works. At the end of 1907, Braque met Picasso at the unveiling of The Ladies of Avignon. This piece ...