Chapter 28 – Art, Architecture, and Media

French Monastery: Before & After

Art movements as part of Modernism Dadaism (1916 – 1924) Surrealism [early] ( ) Bauhaus (1919 – 1933) Art Deco / Architecture (1920 – 1935) Post-Impressionism/Expressionism/Cubism – (begun in 1907)

Began in neutral Switzerland in WWI Also big in Paris. Reached its peak between 1916 – 1924 “Anti – Art” A movement against rigidity of society and art, and the barbarity of war – the public didn’t deserve art after the war. Dadaism

Characteristics of Dada Art Nonsensical drawings Pastel and faded colors Used collages and layers – to confuse the “unworthy beholder.” “The beginnings of surrealism” – many Dada artists went on to become members of the Surrealist movement. Subjects sometimes mundane, called art as irony. (e.g.– bicycle wheel, flyer.)

Marcel Duchamp You Me (Tu-M) 1918

Surrealism The “art of dreams”: disconnection from reality Divided into two groups based on different interpretations of Freud and Jung – the Automatists and the Veristic Surrealists. Automatists - suppress conscious in order to free the subconscious, inspired by more “Dadaist” ideals, shouldn’t be overly analyzed. Veristic Surrealists - follow the images of the subconscious so they can be interpreted; art is a way to freeze ideas of the subconscious.

Surrealism Lead by Andre Brenton, a French doctor who had served in the trenches during WWI. Subject matter was varied: – some pieces show a complete dislocation from any sort of literal “reality” (for example, Max Ernst’s works) -- other pieces show “normal” situations with a spark of absurdity (for example, Rene Magritte's works.) Bright colors among sometimes dull backgrounds. (Destino)

Salvador Dali, Persistence of Memory, 1931

Bauhaus/ Functionalism/ International Style Began in 1919 with Bauhaus School in Weimar, Germany. Lead by Walter Gropius, Hannes Meyer, & Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe. Wanted to create new art to reflect the new times they were living in after WWI. Artist should be trained to work in the industry.

Characteristics of Bauhaus A lack of recognizable objects – wanted to find the true meaning of art through disassembling it. Clean lines, geometric shapes layered. In architecture: clean, functional. Stylistic patterns altered as leaders of the school changed – earlier Bauhaus is different to later Bauhaus.

Bauhaus School in Dessau, Germany

Characteristics of Prairie Style “Form should follow Function” Clean lines (use of horizontals) Minimal, elaborate décor is absent (the function is the décor) Set in nature / blends in

Art Deco Center: Paris. Gained the title “Art Deco” from Exposition Internationale des Arts Decoratifs et Industriels Modernes in 1925 A new kind of decorative and elegant art. Reached its high point in the mid ’20s – mid 30’s. Reaction to the forced austerity caused by WWI.

Characteristics of Art Deco Geometric shapes Although not the flowing swirls of Art Nouveau, had bolder curves and less “fussy” designs. Bold colors, and new ways of shading pictures. Idealistic images of the “flaming youth” of the “roaring twenties”. Carried a theme through pieces, especially in interiors and architecture.

Reaction to Impressionism, became more nonrepresentational With Cubism, Artists reduced and fractured objects into geometric forms. They also used multiple or contrasting vantage points. Emphasized individual style or expression Frequently represents abstract or unconscious thought or feeling Post Impressionism /Expressionism/ Cubism

Undergrowth with a Couple, Vincent Van Gogh

Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, Georges Seurat (Pointilism)

Riders on the Beach, Paul Gauguin

Red Room, Henri Matisse (Fauvism)

On White II, Wassily Kandinsky (expressionism)

Pablo Picasso Guernica, 1937 (Cubism)

Radio & Movies New inventions in the late 19 th century led the way for a revolution in mass Communications. (Transatlantic wireless developed by Guglielmo Marconi) Radio broadcasting and motion pictures became more prevalent in the early 20 th Century. Hitler said, “Without motor-cars, sound films, and wireless [there would be] no Victories of Nazism” Charlie Chaplin, early silent film star

Film as Propaganda The Triumph of the Will (1:34:50) Film was used as propaganda: Leni Riefenstahl directs and films “Triumph of the Will” and Joseph Goebbels acts the Propaganda minister of Nazi Germany. He believed that film was the “most modern and scientific means of influencing the masses” Hitler commissioned a filmmaker named Leni Riefenstahl to direct and film, “The Triumph of the Will,” the most influential propaganda film ever created.