1. Invention of Abstraction Cubism, Futurism, De Stiijl

2. Prior to Abstraction  Expressionism  Fauvism  Led to Cubism

3. What is Abstract Art?  Abstract art came about at the beginning of the 20th century.  It is the opposite of Expressionism  The main focus of abstraction is design - how all the parts of the composition relate to one another.  The point of abstraction is to simplify or reduce an image to its elemental forms  Abstract art came in three important movements: Futurism, Cubism, & De Stijl.

4. Rejected  Expressionism  Opposite of Expressionism  Exploration of shapes, not emotions

5. Inspiration  Post Impressionist Artists:  Van Gogh  Cezanne  Matisse  Bright colours, vivid forms and non-realistic images  Picasso reduced one of Cezanne’s paintings into 3 shapes: cube, sphere and cone

6. Common Characteristics  Bright Colours  Geometric Shapes  Unrealistic Images  Cut Out Shapes

7. Cubism  A style of art in which the subject is broken apart and reassembled in an abstract form, emphasizing geometric shape  Analytic Cubism: looks like a shattered composition  Synthetic Cubism: uses various synthesized views or aspects of an object, based on collage  Allows the viewer to see more than one point of view simultaneously.  Part representation, part abstraction.

8. 13) Pablo Picasso. Les Desmoiselles D’Avignon. (1907) Oil on canvas.  This piece is considered to be the first painting in “Modern Art” – shatters all conventions  Multiple viewpoints are shown  Influence: African masks  Primitivism – idealizes non-Western cultures as being more ideal and less corrupt than Europe  Picasso once said it took him many years to learn to draw like children

9. Analytic vs. Synthetic Cubism

10. Futurism  A style of painting and sculpture that emerged in Italy in the early 20th century.  Influenced by WW1 and Industrial revolution  It emphasized the machine-like quality of “modern” living.  Often there was a focus on dynamism or “lines of force” in objects.

11. 14) Joseph Stella. Brooklyn Bridge. (1918- 1920) Oil on canvas.  Shows the beauty of this man-made structure  Perhaps viewed from a speeding car, crossing the bridge  Idealized view of city life and the benefits of industrialization

12. 15) Umberto Boccioni. Unique Forms of Continuity in Space. (1913) Bronze.  Focused on the “miracles of contemporary life” – the industrial age (ie. railroads, boats, planes)  Tried to “revive” sculpture – this piece a futuristic

13. De Stijl  (literally “The Style” in Dutch) A cold and intellectual approach to design begun by Piet Mondrian.  It developed into a specific non-representational style called De Stijl.  It shows complete reliance on design and no feeling or emotion.  Meant to show precise, mechanical order that does NOT exist in nature.

14. 16) Piet Mondrian. Diagonal Composition. (1921) Oil on canvas  Based on straight lines and geometric shapes  Create a sense of harmony and order  Mondrian’s view: vertical lines = vitality, horizontal lines = tranquility, crossing them creates : “dynamic equilibrium”  Used only greyscale and primary colours  Calculated placement of colours and shapes to create asymmetrical balance

15. Cubism, Futurism, De Stijl?

17. Creating Abstract Art  Watch This Artist effortlessly create Abstract Art  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lM9qrfRhNVA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lM9qrfRhNVA

18. FIN