Masterpieces of Art History: From Realism to Feminist Art
Gustave Courbet, The Stone Breakers, 1849, Realism
The Stone Breakers highlights the mindless, repetitive nature of physical labor without any idealization.
Henry Ossawa Tanner, The Banjo Lesson, Realism
What beliefs of this artist are reflected in the painting? A Black man with a banjo was used as a stereotype in American culture.
Hokusai, Great Wave of Kanagawa, from 36 Views of Mount Fuji, Japan
Woodcut printing; Ukiyo-e. What style of painting influenced this? Edo Period of Japanese prints.
Claude Monet, Impression, Sunrise, 1873, Impressionism
Broken color: a patchwork effect of individual brushstrokes of color with blending. How does this painting connect to the name Impressionism? It is derived from a negative review of this painting.
Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Le Moulin de la Galette, Impressionism
Scene of leisure life at an outdoor courtyard.
Georges Seurat, A Sunday on La Grande Jatte, Post-Impressionism
What terms can be used to describe Seurat’s specific style of Post-Impressionism? Divisionism, or Neo-Impressionism, or Pointillism.
Paul Cezanne, Mont Sainte-Victoire, Post-Impressionism
How does Cezanne’s style differ from Impressionism? Solid and enduring geometric forms.
Vincent van Gogh, Wheat Field with Reaper, 1889, Post-Impressionism
What is the subject? Life and death, with the wheat representing mankind and the reaper meaning death.
Edvard Munch, The Scream, Post-Impressionism, 1893
Use of color and form to convey inner emotion. What is the subject? A self-portrait reacting to a scream from the landscape that he felt/saw as well as heard.
Head, Nok Culture, Africa, Nigeria, 500 BCE–200 CE, Terra Cotta, Height 14-1⁄2″
How does this head compare to African art in general? Some of the earliest surviving African art, and has vivid facial expressions, individualized yet abstract.
Manguaka Power Figure, Yorbe People, Africa
What was this figure used for? The abdominal cavity had medicinal matter; the nails signified agreements made, laws enacted, treaties ratified.
Moai, Easter Island, Oceania, c. 1000–1500, Volcanic Rock, Height 12′
What do figures such as this one represent? Ancestors who have taken on spiritual power.
Henri Matisse, The Joy of Life, Fauvism
What is the artist’s attitude toward color and space? Color is more important than form; also, color corresponds to emotion, and the space arrangement represents reality.
Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Street, Berlin, Expressionism
What is the role of color in Expressionist painting? It is used primarily to create mood and emotion without being concerned with the construction of form or objective reality.
Wassily Kandinsky, Composition IV, Expressionism
Completely abandoned representation but concentrated on the expressive potential of pure form.
Pablo Picasso, Les Demoiselles d’Avignon, Cubism
He created a radically new style that paved the way for Cubism.
Pablo Picasso, Guernica, Cubism
As a protest against the brutality of war and tyranny.
Umberto Boccioni, Unique Forms of Continuity in Space, Futurism
What is important to the Futurists? Speed, travel, technology, dynamism.
Marcel Duchamp, L.H.O.O.Q., Dada
“Readymade?” Altering existing objects as a means of creating. “Anti-art,” rebelling against the presuppositions of the art world and society writ large.
Salvador Dali, The Persistence of Memory, Surrealism
What makes this painting “Surreal?” Memory, dreams, and the subconscious are not tied to the rules of time in “reality.”
Frida Kahlo, The Two Fridas, Latin American, Modernism
This artist’s work is connected to what other styles of art? Modernism and regional traditions.
Great Serpent Mound, Adena Culture, America
What earlier structures does this relate to? Hopewell burial mounds.
Pyramid of the Sun, Teotihuacan, America
Much shorter but slightly wider than the Egyptian pyramids. What is the presumed importance of this location? Humanity first emerged.
Edward Hopper, Nighthawks, American Regionalism
How is light used? To carefully organize and control the composition. What mood is conveyed? A sense of urban isolation and a vague feeling of unease.
Grant Wood, American Gothic, American Regionalism
What are the stylistic qualities? Detailed linear quality reminiscent of 15th-century Flemish painters. A farmer and his daughter as symbols of small-town America.
Jackson Pollock, Autumn Rhythm (Number 30), Abstract Expressionism
Mark Rothko, Blue, Orange, and Red, Color Field Painting
What was Rothko trying to evoke? Intended to convey pure emotions.
Robert Rauschenberg, Monogram, Assemblage
What is the perception of modern life? Symbolizes the chaotic messages of mass media/the jarring juxtapositions of modern life.
Richard Hamilton, Just What Is It That Makes…, Pop Art
What are the qualities of Pop Art according to Hamilton? Popular (designed for a mass audience), transient (short-term solution), expendable (easily forgotten).
Andy Warhol, Marilyn Diptych, Pop Art
What does the work say about celebrity? To be as much a commodity of pop culture as a Heinz bottle or a soup can.
Ellsworth Kelly, Blue, Green, Yellow, Orange, Red, Minimalism
How is this piece different from Color Field painting? It avoids the emotional aspect.
Joseph Kosuth, One and Three Chairs, Conceptualism
What is meant by “Conceptual Art?” Eliminating the importance of the medium itself, valuing only the idea.
Christo and Jeanne-Claude, Running Fence, Sitework
What is the thematic purpose of this piece? Covering while accentuating form and contour.
Robert Smithson, Spiral Jetty, Earthwork
What is an “Earthwork?” Using natural materials in their environments to create forms. How did the artist feel about the commodification of art? Meant to free art from being a bought-and-sold commodity in a gallery.
Judy Chicago, The Dinner Party, Feminist Art
What is the theme/subject of this piece? A triangular table arranged to seat 39 women from history – all decorated to honor the achievements of the specific woman.