Images Required for Final Exam

Elie Nadelman, Dancer, 1920 (Business Boom)

A difference in past position, it was common to see the body in contrapposto, the natural relaxed state, an icon of classical art. By kicking her legs up its showing movement, evolution and character.

Walker Evans, Floyd and Lucille Burroughs, 1936 (Depression)

Considered less staged and more objective than other photographers of the era. Shows a father figure, while barefoot has clear musculature on his arms to show a greater sense of hope rather than helplessness, or at least persevering. Set outside, making it less invasive than others. Subjects at eye level, and are around more tidy surroundings to convey a sense of pride. Pulled back to not be as invasive in cropping as well.

Thomas Hart Benton, A Social History of Missouri, 1936 (Depression)

Large-scale mural to incorporate the everyday people's history of Missouri. Incorporates iconic characters of literature [Huckleberry Finn] as part of Missouri's history. Influenced by Spanish renaissance and Mexican muralism. Depicting the honesty of MO's history (lynching, slaves, effects of manifest destiny). Made of multiple panels connected through the Missouri River, utilizing montage.

Gaston Lachaise, Walking Woman, 1922 (Business Boom)

Represents abstraction through the reduction of a human form to it's mass

Bourke-White & Caldwell, Happy Hallow, Georgia, 1937 (Depression)

Set in extreme squalor, the sense of poverty is immediate. Close crop, location in a cramped space and corner, on a mattress, and the view from above all convey a sense of intimacy while showing the immense sense of helplessness. The inclusion of a crying infant multiply these effects. These works received criticism for the fabricated stories that were attached to them, as well as the method of how they were obtained (barging into residences without any consent of the subject)

Alexander Archipenko, Torso in Space, 1935 (Depression)

An abstracted nude showing only the shoulders down to the calves. The streamlined style portrays the sleek style that Archipenko was looking to achieve. The body's sleek but curved disposition shows a sense of aviation, Americanizing the piece ever more so. Furthermore, it represents the incorporation of the space around a work in addition to the mass itself

William Zorach, Floating Figure, 1922 (Business Boom)

An example of the direct carving movement as well as abstraction through a recognizable human figure. Using the human body as form rather than content, or a vehicle to explore formal properties rather than as a person themselves or to create illusionistic properties. Has one continuous fluid line and a simplification and reduction of human form (swelling hips, disappearing neck). Emphasizing the uniqueness of human production and relating/inspired by primitivism or the art of "primitive" cultures

Shreve, Lamb, Harmon, Empire State Building, 1929-1931 (Business Boom)

Art deco, like the Chrysler building with its similar type of architecture. Both buildings are built upon a foundation of set backs, giving the building its tiered look. A similar design inside of the building draws the eye to its strategic placements of sunbursts, and chevron.

William Van Alen, Chrysler Building, 1928-1930 (Business Boom)

Art deco, the use of art deco is to draw the viewers eye all the way up, in this case the decorative walls of the building draw the viewers eye up higher and higher, following pieces of art like chevron and sunbursts. the hood ornaments that are placed on the outside of the building are like gargoyles, but the Chrysler hood ornaments represent speed, elegance and its sleek appearance.

Aaron Douglas, Aspects of Negro Life: Song of the Towers, 1933 (Depression)

Art to serve as an educational tool and utilization of montage to show a visual history of the compatibility of africanness and americanness. Can tell it's in NYC because of the statue of liberty and the high-rise buildings. Shows the continual struggle of black americans towards prosperity using imagery of light and figures placed on a cog. Long, ghostly hands reach to grab the individuals, trying to return them to their past. Visual motifs of sideways facing fave and legs with a frontward facing torso connect to Egyptian art. The throughline of music is represented with a saxophone, showing the importance of music throughout the black experience.

Jacob Lawrence, The Great Migration, 1940-1 (World War II)

Conveys the black experience of the Great Migration (movement of majority of black pop from north to south, from rural to cities). Goes against modernism with a focus and emphasis on narrative rather than on technique). Color palette is neutral with pops of flat color to distinguish bodies, and with little depth and slanted at a diagonal with legs spread to emphasize movement and add to the narrative. Flatness connects to modern reduction of human form.

Ben Shahn, Jersey Homesteads, 1937-8 (Depression)

Created for New York Jewish garment workers, depicting the Jewish-American experience from Europe to America. Coffins represent the persecution of Jews throughout Europe, while the American flag represents Ellis Island (geometric lines are used to convey differing perspectives akin to abstraction). Women laying down in the park represent the mass tragedy of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire, showing the mistreatment of and unsafe labor practices experienced by primarily Jewish workers [labor activism]. Uses montage. Upper part of mural represented the horrors of the past and present, with the foreshortened procession led by Einstein to represent the hopeful future.

Arthur Dove, Nature Symbolized, 1911 (Progressive)

Curvilinear figures and shades of green represent a sense of growth, evolution and movements in nature. The curves help to show the movement of wind in nature. Dove used shapes and color to capture spiritual aspects that draw attention to movements and life cycles beyond the human eye.

Edward Steichen, The Flatiron, 1904, (Progressive Era)

Designed by Daniel Burnham. The images are indistinct and the lines between the building and figures are left unclear, the view of the building is caught through the delicate branches of the tree in the foreground. The streets are rain-soaked, the globe lights provide pinpricks of light. Soft tones, grainy imprecision. Embodied the promise of a crude commercialization civilization redeemed through both a visual and poetic perspective.

Marcel Duchamp, Fountain, 1917 (Progressive)

Duchamp submitted his work under the pseudonym "R. Mutt" to a show held by the New York Society of Independent Artists, which was an organization that looked to break the hold of jury system over fine arts exhibitions. The piece made people feel uncomfortable in the sense that it put them too close to viewing an aspect that art was not meant to go towards. Duchamp's purpose for claiming a sideways urinal as art was to show that art can be identified in anything, and if you make that interpretation, it is your art. The photograph was in fact taken by Alfred Stieglitz which he emphasized the Fountain's aesthetic qualities by use of light and placing the work in front of a painting giving it a background.

Edward Hopper, Nighthawks, 1942 (World War II)

Eerily empty, with an underlying emphasis of the isolation of the city. The scene implies action but lacks narrative. Inspired by cinematic techniques of film noir (mysterious detective, dark empty streets, femme fatale, shadows). Blaring fluorescent light pulls the reader into the window, but the scene keeps the viewer at a distance, revisiting the idea of voyeurism. There is an implication of connections, but overall everyone is kept at a distance and not interacting (man and woman close but not touching, man with his back turned, and the server with his head down). Depicted as if mid-scene of a movie. Composition uses rectilinear shapes (using sharp, straight lines), present in the window and the building in the background. There is also a stark contrast between the light of the inside and the darkness of the outside, further emphasizing the themes of isolation and voyeurism.

Georgia O'Keeffe, Music, Pink and Blue No. 2, 1917 (Progressive Era)

O'Keeffe first began displaying her art in abstract forms, but steered away from it when she felt that critics were misreading her art when they were seeing them as psychological expressions of her sexuality. Her were meant to represent flowers and foliage, but critics were interpreting it as female genitalia.

Romaine Brooks, Lady Una Troubridge, 1924 (Business Boom)

Part of a group of lesbian artists that moved to paris. Subject is expressed in an androgynous style, shown with traditionally masculine clothing of a pressed shirt and jacket with a monocle. Femininity is represented with bright coral lipstick and blush, as well as a pearl earring. Composition contains many harsh lines and edges, including her blunt haircut. Wealth is expressed through extravagant clothes and accessories. Facial expression is stern with an arched eyebrow to convey status and entitlement. Both her tensed hand gripping under the dog's collar and her demeanor express that she is in control and anything but nurturing or accommodating. Overall, it presents a radical representation of a woman, a swift departure from Mary Cassatt's portraits.

Alfred Stieglitz, The Flatiron, 1903, (Progressive Era)

Photo was taken without any manipulation, the image was no longer manipulated by hand. It was left uninterrupted. Stressed purity of the photo. Visible snow covered tree branches, visible windows and geometric lines.

Alfred Stieglitz, The Steerage, 1907, (Progressive Era)

Promoted photography to become an art form, not a method of documentation. Interested in the formal properties of the photo over the narrative. The relationship that the visible shapes on the ship had with one another taught Stieglitz how to see photographically. "A New Vision", shapes meeting shapes, social classes colliding.

Alexander Calder, Mobile, 1932 (Depression)

Purely abstraction in space with no suggestion of the human form. Completely uproots the idea of traditional sculptures in terms of material and design by using industrial wire and hanging it from above. Furthermore, it moves beyond suggesting movement by being in space and moving in real time and showing three dimensions and multiple perspectives of the same sculpture.

Norman Rockwell, Four Freedoms, 1943 (World War II)

Refers to FDR's state of the union address that discussed the aspects of American life that must be protected (Want, Worship, Speech, and from Fear). Sponsored by the government to raise the war effort. These depictions were selected and favored due to its idealism of American life and it's positive message that evoked a sense of community. Using recognizable themes and artistic methods, it strayed away from the true reality of America during WW2 (Draft, Internment, War). Shows a selected view of America (middle class white people).

Grant Wood, American Gothic, 1930 (Depression)

Regionalist Work. Rectilinear composition (lines of the pitchfork resemble the creases on man's clothes. Has an overall religious undertone, with the woman in modern dress, the man's collar and jacket resembling a priest's dress, and the gothic arch of a cathedral prominent in the house). Gender roles prominent in subjects, with the woman behind, turned and looking up towards the man, and the man holding a pitchfork (sign of work and breadwinning status). Furthermore, in the background, behind the woman is a plant and porch resembling domesticity, while behind the man is the barn representing work and labor. Their expressions are stern, with the woman's hair and presentation plain and modest. However, the woman's brooch depicts a wood nymph, wild and free, with hair unkept and looking away from the viewer. Potentially a satirical commentary on midwestern life and values.

Raymond Loewy, Pencil Sharpener, 1933 (Depression)

Representative of "Streamline Moderne" or the general style of the depression characteristic by it's aerodynamic and teardrop shape, simple in design and free of any excess details. Often have a continuous line with rounded contours. Overall, it aims to be soothing and familiar in shape and subject. A direct reaction against Art Deco, representative of the optimism and business boom of the 1920's, with a complete pullback on excess in every sense of the word.

Sargent Johnson, Forever Free, 1933, (Depression)

Represents the movement among black artists to use "primitive arts" for both subject matter and style, as well as the growing Harlem Renaissance, as seen in with the use of the mother and child motif. Uses traditionally African tradition to convey the black experience and connect to the "location of their heritage". Uses a reduction of detail and abstraction through the human body to play upon current trends, as well as uses wood to be a part of the direct carving movement. Connects back to Edmonia Lewis's Forever Free without any visual signs of this figure's bondage.

John Steuart Curry, A Tornado in Kansas, 1929 (Business Boom)

Shows nature as chaotic and dangerous, showing that humans are subject to natural forces and acknowledging the relationship between humans and the environment compared to the "hubris" exerted by cities to overpower nature despite their own man-made chaos. Additionally, through depicting the event of a tornado, it allows the artist to show what is most valuable to [save for] midwestern americans: the importance of family above all else. It also shows traditional gender roles with the man as the tallest and boldest figure in the painting, with the women looking towards or being led by the man. The style is representational but painterly to convey a sense of movement.

Reginald Marsh, Twenty Cent Movie, 1936 (Depression)

Shows the importance of the role of movie theaters in depression life. Crowded composition with lots of lines adds activity and energy to the painting. Eye is drawn to the women in white, in heavy makeup similar to that of the actress on the poster. Men and women are divided and not interacting, showing the separation and isolation that has risen along with the new society of independence. Overall critical of commercial culture with a lively scene but without any interaction between subjects.

Dorthea Lange, Migrant Mother, 1936 (Depression)

Subject of a migrant mother concerned about trying to find work. Property-wise, her face is the lightest aspect of the photograph, while her arm and hand draw the viewer's eye towards her face as well. Gazing out and away from the viewer, her furrowed brow and prematurely aged features evoke concern, sympathy, and fear. Her children turning away from the camera but resting on either side to show full dependency on t the mother as well as serve to balance out the frame to draw more attention to the mother. The state of all figures' clothes show holes, raw edges, and general wear and are worn out to convey a sense of poverty and desperation. Furthermore, the close cropping allow for such details to be apparent to the viewer, as well as create a more intimate sense, allowing the viewer to peer into the mind of the mother. The absence of a male figure further add to the sense of urgency, dependency, and worry.

George Ault, From Brooklyn Heights, 1925 (Business Boom)

The Hudson river is shown in its actual state and not dramatized to be a blue body of water, its shown as green and polluted. The art shows a simplified view of the subjects, reducing them to basic geometric shapes in cubism. The painting shows a sense of isolation in the city that Ault associated with.

Stuart Davis, Odol, 1924 (Business Boom)

The checkered style shows a bathroom floor, Davis used logos and commercial signage in his art long before Pop artists like Andy Warhol did. He created a streamlined ode to products in his art.

Marcel Duchamp, Nude Descending a Staircase, 1912, (Progressive)

The piece was considered controversial because a nude figure was created in a cubist piece of art. It was considered too futurist as it was ahead of its time. The painting was a result of Duchamp's interest in stop action photography as it became popular on both sides of the Atlantic at the same time. Rather than showing a nude figure the way it always had been, with a sense of modesty in the body's natural state, the body is broken up into components that resemble pieces of a machine with jagged edges. What was sought to be the most disturbing was the idea that it could not be identified if the figure was male or female, showing the genderless character of a machine. Duchamps concept was a result of his interpretations of Jules Etinenne Marey in France and Eadward Muybridge in the US, work.

Charles Demuth, I Saw the Figure Five in Gold, 1928 (Business Boom)

The powerful and prominent use of shades of red and gold represent a fire truck with screaming sirens in the crowded New York City streets. As a cubist piece, you can still differentiate what the lines, colors, and figures are meant to represent. The painting pays homage to the writer of the poem that the painting is based on William Carlos Williams' (The Great Figure). Bill is clearly written in the painting

Charles Sheeler, Classic Landscape, 1931 (Depression)

The simple use of colors keeps the image in a realistic realm allowing you to see it in a natural state without overemphasis. The sharp shadows give the image dimension and the use of foreshortening brings the eye to look at the rails as if they are coming out of the artwork.

Diego Rivera, Detroit Industry, 1932 (Depression)

Through the mural commissioned by ford, it depicts blue collar workers of all races and ethnicities working together in harmony. Above are the raw elements of nature that are transformed to produce steel, representing the relationship between nature and industrialization. Other parts of the panel contrast the positive and negative aspects of modernization and transformation of nature for human use (poisonous gas used for war, vaccination used to save lives) [humans choose which side to act upon]

Charles Demuth, Distinguished Air, 1930 (Depression)

Use of watercolors to experiment with medium. Sculpture in subject is believed to represent a penis, while the scene is set in an art gallery. Humorous take on high society, with two men holding hands in public and a third man examining one of the couple's groin. Woman's dress and fan indicate the status of all individuals as markers of high society. Humorous in the sense that the man is "looking at the real thing" and more interested in a man's genitalia than the artwork in front of him. Shows the acknowledgement of homosexuality in the growing modern culture in cities.

Max Weber, Rush Hour, New York, 1915 (Progressive)

Weber's use of cubism is a display of a futurist representation of of movements and rhythms in the streets at rush hour in New York. The sharp lines and color are bold in showing how prominent rush hour is in a New Yorker's day and culture.