American modernism in the visual arts
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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Early modernist painting
There is no single date for the beginning of the modern era in America, as dozens of painters acted actively at the beginning of the 20th century. It was the time when the first cubist landscapes appeared; bright colors entered the pallets of painters, and the first non-objective paintings were displayed in the galleries. According to Davidson, the beginning of American modernist painting can be dated on the 1910s. The early part of the period lasted 25 years and ended around 1935, when modern art was referred to as, what Greenberg called, "avant-garde art."
The 1913 Armory Show in New York City displayed the contemporary work of European artists, as well as Americans. The impressionist, fauvist and cubist paintings startled many American viewers who were more accustomed to realistic art. However, inspired by what they saw, many American artists tried the ideas from the show.
The early 20th century was marked by the exploration of different techniques and ways of artistic expressiveness. The formation of various artistic assemblies led to the multiplicity of the meaning of visual arts. The Ashcan School gathered around realism (Robert Henri or George Luks); the Stieglitz circle glorified abstract visions of New York City (Max Weber, Abraham Walkowitz); color painters evolved in direction of the colourful, abstract "synchromies" (Stanton Macdonald-Wright and Morgan Russell), whereas precisionism visualized the industrialized landscape of America in the form of sharp and dynamic geometrization (Joseph Stella, Charles Sheeler).
The shift of the subjects taken in the visual arts is also a hallmark of American modern art. Thus, for example, the group The Eight brought the focus on the modern city, and different classes of citizens. One of the most significant representatives of The Eight, Robert Henri and John Sloan related painting to the social diversity, taking as a main subject the slum dwellers of industrialized cities. The late 1920s and the 1930s belonged among many others to two movements in painting, regionalism and social realism. The regionalists praised the colorfulness of American land and beauties of country life, whereas social realists went into the subjects of the Great Depression and social injustice. The social realists were against the government members, who appeared indifferent to the matters of human inequalities.
Modernism bridged the gap between the art and socially diverse audience in the U.S. The growing number of museums and galleries aimed at bringing the modernity to the general public. Despite initial resistance to the celebration of progress, technology, and urban life, visual arts contributed enormously to the self-consciousness of Americans. Painting placed emphasis on the emotional and psychic states of the audience, which was fundamental to the formation of American identity.
Numerous directions of American "modern" did not result in one coherent style, but evoked the desire for experiments and challenges. It proves that modern art goes beyond fixed principles.
Main schools and movements of American modernism:
- the Stieglitz group
- the Arensberg circle
- color painters
- Precisionism
- the Independents
- the Philadelphia school
- New York independents
- Chicago and westward
Modernist painting
African-American painter Aaron Douglas (1899-1979) is one of the best-known and most influential African-American modernist painters. His works contributed strongly to the development of an aesthetic movement that is closely related to distinct features of African-American heritage and culture. Douglas influenced African-American visual arts especially during the Harlem Renaissance.
One of Douglas' most popular paintings is The Crucifixion. It was published in James Weldon Johnson's God's Trombones in 1927. The crucifixion scene that is depicted in the painting shows several elements that constitute Douglas' art: clear-cut delineation, change of shadows and light, stylized human bodies and geometric figures as concentric circles in contrast to linear forms. The painting's theme resembles not only the biblical scene but can also be seen as an allusion to African-American religious tradition: the oversized, dark Jesus is bearing his cross, his eyes directed to heaven from which light is cast down onto his followers. Stylized Roman soldiers are flanking the scene with their pointed spears. As a result the observer is reminded for instance of the African-American gospel tradition but also of a history of suppression.
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