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CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
TOWARD ABSTRACTION: THE MODERNIST
REVOLUTION, 1904 1914
Google Earth Coordinates:
Fagus Shoe Factory, Alfeld au der Leine, Germany
Fallingwater (Kaufmann House, Bear Run, PA)
Steiner House, Vienna
Videos and Podcasts:
Henri Matisse: “Notes of a Painter”
Fauvism
Key Images
Henri Matisse, Femme au chapeau (Woman with a Hat), p. 947, 27.1
André Derain, Mountains at Collioure, p. 948, 27.2
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Cubism
Key Images
Pablo Picasso, Les Demoiselles d Avignon (The Young Ladies of Avignon), p. 950, 27.5
: The Myth of Primitivism, p. 951
Cubism questioned the essence of visual and pictorial reality, positing the assertion
of the picture plane in modern painting.
The influence of Cubism was widespread, impacting Orphism, Futurism, Cubo–
The Impact of Fauvism and Cubism
Key Images
Paula Modersohn-Becker, Selbstilden, Halbakt mit Bernsteinkette (Self-portrait with an
Amber Necklace), p. 955, 27.9
Oskar Kokoschka, The Bride of the Wind, p. 962, 27.17
Egon Schiele, Self-Portrait (Man Twisting Arm Around Head), p. 963, 27.18
Robert Delaunay, Homage to Blériot, p. 964, 27.19
Umberto Boccioni, States of Mind I: Farewells, p. 965, 27.20
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Materials and Techniques: The Woodcut in German Expressionism, p. 958
Primary Source: Vasily Kandinsky (1866-1944), From Concerning the Spiritual in Art,
p. 960
Kazimir Malevich (1878-1935), From The Objective World, p. 968
German Expressionism began with Die Brücke ( The Bridge ), a group which
included Ernst Ludwig Kirchner and Erich Heckel.
The leader of the Futurist movement was Umberto Boccioni.
Marcel Duchamp and the Advent of an Art of Ideas
Key Images
Marcel Duchamp, Nude Descending a Staircase, p. 971, 27.27
Raymond Duchamp-Villon, Horse, p. 971, 27.28
Constantin Brancusi and the Birth of Modernist Sculpture
Key Images
Constantin Brancusi, The Newborn, p. 973, 27.30
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American Art
Key Images
Arthur Dove, Plant Forms, p. 974, 27.32
Marsden Hartley, Portrait of a German Officer, p. 975, 27.33
The Ashcan School recorded social changes occurring in Manhattan, recalling the
Realism of Courbet.
Early Modern Architecture in Europe
Key Images
Adolf Loos, Garden façade of Steiner House, Vienna, p. 976, 27.34
Peter Behrens, A.E.G. Turbinenfabrik (Turbine Factory), p. 977, 27.35
Walter Gropius and Adolf Meyer, Fagus Factory, Alfeld-an-der-Leine, Germany, p. 978,
Modern European architecture appeared for the first time in Vienna and Germany.
These architectural styles were either mechanomorphic or personal expressionistic.
The mechanomorphic style was informed by the Chicago School and can be seen in
the work of Adolf Loos, who stressed the importance of functionality in building
design. Loos favored simple forms over ornamentation saying, Modern man, the
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with windows in the recessed coffers which gave the appearance of the ceiling
floating.
Key Terms/Places/Names
Fauvism
Primitivism
Der Blaue Reiter
Expressionism
Discussion Questions
1. Why is Picasso s Les Demoiselles d’Avignon (27.5) considered to be among the
formative paintings of early modern art?
5. In what ways was the work of Die Brücke, exemplified by Ernst Kirchner s Street,
Dresden (27.10) informed by the Fauve movement and the paintings of Henri
Matisse? What characterized this German Expressionist movement?
6. What was the impact of the Armory Show of 1913 on art in the United States?
Resources
Books
Bernadac, Marie-Laure and Paule de Bouchet. Picasso, Master of the New Idea, tr.
Carey Lovelace. New York: Harry Abrams, 1993.
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DVDs
Artists of the Twentieth Century Henri Matisse (2004). Kultur Video. 110 min.
Artists of the Twentieth Century Marc Chagall (2004). Kultur Video.
Artists of the Twentieth Century Marcel Duchamp (2004). Kultur Video. 110 min.