12: The Modern Art Movement (1900 CE – 1930 CE)
- Page ID
- 308351
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\(\newcommand{\avec}{\mathbf a}\) \(\newcommand{\bvec}{\mathbf b}\) \(\newcommand{\cvec}{\mathbf c}\) \(\newcommand{\dvec}{\mathbf d}\) \(\newcommand{\dtil}{\widetilde{\mathbf d}}\) \(\newcommand{\evec}{\mathbf e}\) \(\newcommand{\fvec}{\mathbf f}\) \(\newcommand{\nvec}{\mathbf n}\) \(\newcommand{\pvec}{\mathbf p}\) \(\newcommand{\qvec}{\mathbf q}\) \(\newcommand{\svec}{\mathbf s}\) \(\newcommand{\tvec}{\mathbf t}\) \(\newcommand{\uvec}{\mathbf u}\) \(\newcommand{\vvec}{\mathbf v}\) \(\newcommand{\wvec}{\mathbf w}\) \(\newcommand{\xvec}{\mathbf x}\) \(\newcommand{\yvec}{\mathbf y}\) \(\newcommand{\zvec}{\mathbf z}\) \(\newcommand{\rvec}{\mathbf r}\) \(\newcommand{\mvec}{\mathbf m}\) \(\newcommand{\zerovec}{\mathbf 0}\) \(\newcommand{\onevec}{\mathbf 1}\) \(\newcommand{\real}{\mathbb R}\) \(\newcommand{\twovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\ctwovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\threevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cthreevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\mattwo}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{rr}#1 \amp #2 \\ #3 \amp #4 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\laspan}[1]{\text{Span}\{#1\}}\) \(\newcommand{\bcal}{\cal B}\) \(\newcommand{\ccal}{\cal C}\) \(\newcommand{\scal}{\cal S}\) \(\newcommand{\wcal}{\cal W}\) \(\newcommand{\ecal}{\cal E}\) \(\newcommand{\coords}[2]{\left\{#1\right\}_{#2}}\) \(\newcommand{\gray}[1]{\color{gray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\lgray}[1]{\color{lightgray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\rank}{\operatorname{rank}}\) \(\newcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\col}{\text{Col}}\) \(\renewcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\nul}{\text{Nul}}\) \(\newcommand{\var}{\text{Var}}\) \(\newcommand{\corr}{\text{corr}}\) \(\newcommand{\len}[1]{\left|#1\right|}\) \(\newcommand{\bbar}{\overline{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bhat}{\widehat{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bperp}{\bvec^\perp}\) \(\newcommand{\xhat}{\widehat{\xvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\vhat}{\widehat{\vvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\uhat}{\widehat{\uvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\what}{\widehat{\wvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\Sighat}{\widehat{\Sigma}}\) \(\newcommand{\lt}{<}\) \(\newcommand{\gt}{>}\) \(\newcommand{\amp}{&}\) \(\definecolor{fillinmathshade}{gray}{0.9}\)- 12.1: Overview
- The early 20th century was marked by global conflict, including world wars and civil wars, creating political instability and social upheaval that strongly influenced the direction of art. National borders and territories were repeatedly altered, especially after the First and Second World Wars, and artists responded to these dramatic changes by rejecting traditional artistic rules and searching for new ways to express modern life.
- 12.2: American Modernism (1900 – 1930s)
- American Modernism was a cultural and artistic movement in the United States that reflected the rapid changes, optimism, and social transformation of the early 20th century. As the middle class continued to grow, artists, architects, and designers explored new ways to represent modern life and the evolving identity of America. Modernism embraced innovation in painting, sculpture, architecture, and design, focusing on the experiences of life in the modern world.
- 12.3: Fauvism (1900 – 1935)
- Fauvism was one of the earliest avant-garde movements of the 20th century and played an important role in the development of modern art. Emerging between 1900 and 1910, with its most active years from 1904 to 1908, Fauvism rejected realistic color and traditional artistic rules in favor of bold experimentation and emotional expression. The artists associated with the movement used vivid, exaggerated colors freely and energetically, often applying paint in ways that ignored natural appearance.
- 12.4: Expressionism (1905 – 1930)
- Expressionism developed after Fauvism as a major modernist movement centered primarily in Germany and Austria during the early 20th century. Expressionist artists believed that art should communicate emotion and inner experience rather than accurately represent reality. Their goal was often described as “paint what you feel, not what you see,” making the movement a reaction against the observational focus of Impressionism.
- 12.5: Cubism (1907 – 1914)
- Cubism emerged around 1907 and became one of the most influential art movements of the 20th century, continuing to shape modern art and design today. Developing during a period of rapid political, social, and technological change, Cubism reflected the modern world’s complexity and instability through radically new approaches to painting and representation.
- 12.6: Dada (1916 – 1930)
- Dada was an avant-garde art movement that emerged around 1916 during World War I as a reaction to the violence, destruction, and political failures that many artists believed had caused the war. Beginning in Europe and later spreading to New York City, Dada rejected traditional artistic standards and questioned the values of modern society. Dada artists viewed nationalism, colonialism, materialism, and middle-class social values as contributing causes of World War I.
- 12.7: The Bauhaus (1919-1933)
- After World War I, Germany struggled with political instability, economic hardship, and social division as the country attempted to recover from the devastation of war. Traditional bourgeois industry and militarism coexisted uneasily with the rising influence of Russian Communism and the growing threat of Nazi nationalism and racism. During this turbulent period, modern art and design movements emerged that sought to rebuild society through creativity, innovation, and functional design.
- 12.8: Harlem Renaissance (1920 – 1930)
- The Harlem Renaissance was a major cultural movement that flourished from approximately 1918 to 1937 and transformed African American art, literature, music, and intellectual life in the United States. Centered in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City, the movement became the most influential African American cultural awakening of the early 20th century and later spread throughout the nation.
- 12.9: Canadian Group of Seven (1920 – 1933)
- The Canadian Group of Seven was a collective of Canadian landscape painters who worked together from 1910 to 1933. The artists shared a common goal of creating a distinctly Canadian style of art inspired by the nation’s vast and rugged landscapes. Living and painting near Algonquin Provincial Park, they found endless inspiration in Canada’s forests, lakes, and changing seasons.
- 12.10: Conclusion
- The strict standards and expectations about how art should appear changed dramatically during the early twentieth century as artists began experimenting with abstraction, emotion, and imagination. In Fauvism, artists such as Henri Matisseused bright, unrealistic colors to create emotional impact instead of realistic representations.