Introduction to American Modernism
Factors that made WWI a turning point in the development of American modern art
European Modernist Artists in America
American Artistic Developments
- At the end of the 19th century, most prominent artists in US went to Europe to complete artistic education & were exposed to avant-garde/European modernism
Factors that made WWI a turning point in the development of American modern art
- More difficult for American artists to travel to Europe
- Many European artists visited/immigrated to US during & after war
- American collectors living abroad returned to US w/collections of European modern art
- Art exhibitions made European art more visible to Americans (the public)
- Strong sense of patriotism emerged w/war, led to a desire to create works w/a specifically American identity
European Modernist Artists in America
- Pre-1910: Americans had little exposure to European modern art
- 1910: Alfred Stieglitz & Edward Steichen begin to exhibit European modernism and African art at 291 (5th avenue gallery) (Rodin, Matisse, Picasso)
- 1913: Armory Show - International Exhibition of Modern Art sponsored by Assoc of American Painters & Sculptors
- New York, travelled to Chicago & Boston
- More than 1,000 works by Post-Impressionists, Cubists, Fauves, etc.
- Kirchner, Kandinsky, Picasso & Matisse Duchamp included
- Duchamp's Nude Descending a Staircase No. 2 caused sensation
- Matisse’s Blue Nude - in Chicago, students burned Matisse in effigy
- (1929) Museum of Modern Art in NY opened
- most significant US institution to exhibit modern art between wars
- Many European artists also lived or settled permanently in America e.g. Duchamp, and the American Dada movement
American Artistic Developments
- 1900-13: American art: American Impressionists (John Singer Sargent, William Merritt Chase) vs avant-garde artists (The Eight/Ashcan)
- European movements inspired US artists to move to greater abstraction
- The Eight (NY) which becomes the Ashcan School
- Harlem Renaissance emerges after WWI
- American photography recognized as an art form (due to Stieglitz)
- Skyscrapers transformed skylines of America's biggest cities