AcaDec_1920s > Art Section 2 > Flashcards

Art Section 2 Flashcards

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1
Q

Where was Charles Demuth, the artist of I Saw the Figure 5 in Gold (1928), born?

A

Lancaster, Pennsylvania

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2
Q

When was Charles Demuth, the artist of I Saw the Figure 5 in Gold (1928), born?

A

1883

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3
Q

What academy did Charles Demuth, the artist of I Saw the Figure 5 in Gold (1928), before studying in Paris?

A

Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts

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4
Q

What European country had many American painters gone to train since the late 19th century? (Hint: the artsist of the artwork I Saw the Figure 5 in Gold studied there as well)

A

Paris

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5
Q

What are Charles Demuth’s, the artist of I Saw the Figure 5 in Gold (1928), best known works?

A

watercolor paintings

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6
Q

Name some characteristics or subjects of Charles Demuth’s, the artist of I Saw the Figure 5 in Gold (1928), watercolor paintings

A

still lives of vegetables and flowers, industrial landscapes, scenes of entertainment; music halls, circuses, artisitic parties

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7
Q

True or False? Charles Demuth, the artsit of I Saw the Figure 5 in Gold (1928), lived in Paris following the end of the Great War

A

False; he lived in Paris before WWI

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8
Q

Who did Charles Demuth, the artist of I Saw the Figure 5 in Gold (1928), befriend while living in Paris before the First World War?

A

Marsden Hartley (an American painter)

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9
Q

True or False? While living in Paris, Charles Demuth, the artist of I Saw the Figure 5 in Gold (1928), and his friend Marsden Harley both agreed that America was more welcoming towards gay men

A

False; they found that european society was more welcoming for gay men

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10
Q

Who did Marsden Hartley introduce Charles Demuth, the artist of I Saw the Figure 5 in Gold, to? (Hint: he would give him a solo show in 1926)

A

Alfred Stieglitz

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11
Q

What does the art historian Wanda Corn suggest about Alfred Stieglitz’s attitude toward Charles Demuth and his career?

A

that he did not wholeheartedly support Demuth as much compared to others because of prejudice (unconsciously or not) caused by Demuth’s homosexuality

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12
Q

What type of abstraction does the selected artwork I Saw the Figure 5 in Gold by Charles Demuth use?

A

geometric abstraction

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13
Q

How does geometric abstraction build form?

A

by primarily using straight lines with rigid, simple shapes (i.e. triangles & squares)

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14
Q

Following the Renaissance, how did Western art try to deny the flatness of the painted surface and create the illusions of three-dimensional depth?

A

by using chiaroscuro, perspective, and modeling

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15
Q

Name all the listed art movements from the guide that fall into the category of geometric abstraction (Hint: there are five)

A

early Cubism, Italian Futurism, Russian Suprematism and Constructivism, & Vorticism

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16
Q

Where did the brief modernist art movement Vorticism originate?

A

the United Kingdom

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17
Q

What is a central challenge for artists working in geometric abstraction as described by the resource guide?

A

arranging their compositions into lines and shapes that clearly sit on a two dimensional surface while also presenting movement, volume, and depth

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18
Q

Who were the two Cubist artists that inspired Charles Demuth, the artist of the selected work I Saw the Figure 5 in Gold (1928), during his application of geometric abstraction

A

Georges Braque and Pablo Picasso

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19
Q

Besides the Cubist artists Georges Braque and Pablo Picasso, who else was Charles Demuth, the artist of the selected work I Saw the Figure 5 in Gold (1982), inspired by during his application of geometric abstraction?

A

John Marin and Max Weber

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20
Q

What did Charles Demuth, the artist of the selected work I Saw the Figure 5 in Gold (1982), invent to celebrate his friends?

A

a new style of nonrepresentational portraiture called “poster portraits”

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21
Q

What are “poster portraits”? (Hint: a new style of nonrepresentational portraiture invented by Charles Demuth)

A

a work that references the subject of the artwork using symbols, images, and texts that are related to their life and work instead of relying on a visual likeness of a person (i.e. didn’t paint people)

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22
Q

Who is the selected artwork I Saw the Figure 5 in Gold (1928) by Charles Demuth a “portrait” of? (Reminder: it is a “poster portrait” so the artwork doesn’t directly paint a person instead it references them)

A

William Carlos Williams (a poet and close friend Demuth)

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23
Q

How did Charles Demuth, the artist of the selected work I Saw the Figure 5 in Gold, and William Carlos Williams, the subject of the selected work, meet?

A

as lodgers in a boarding house while they were both studying in Philadelphia

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24
Q

At what school was William Carlos Williams, the subject of the selected work I Saw the Figure 5 in Gold by Charles Demuth, studying at in Philadelphia when he met Demuth?

A

University of Pennsylvania medical school

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25
Name the two female literary modernists who William Carlos Williams, a friend of Charles Demuth who is the the artist of I Saw the Figure 5 in Gold, was also friends with
Ezra Pound & H.D. (Hilda Dolittle)
26
What type of poetry did Ezra Pound and Hilda Dolittle (H.D.) practice?
imagism
27
What was the focus of the poetry movement imagism that featured friends of William Carlos Williams, the artisit of the selected work I Saw the Figure 5 in Gold, including Ezra Pound & H.D,?
to convey clear and direct imagery without the mediation of figurative language or artificial impositions such as rhyme schemes
28
True or False? William Carlos Williams believed that poetry needed to rely on narrative to have meaning
False; he believed the opposite. Instead, he said that it was poetry's composition, sensory impressions, or sounds of words when read aloud that gave a poem meaning
29
What three colors does the selected work I Saw the Figure 5 in Gold by Charles Demuth use?
red, gold, and shades of gray
30
How are the colors (red, gold, and shades of gray) applied in the selected artwork I Saw the Figure 5 in Gold by Charles Demuth applied and what do they resemble?
they are applied using thin, small brushstrokes that create sharp outlines resembling stencils used in commercial advertising'
31
In the selected work I Saw the Figure 5 in Gold by Charles Demuth, how many times is the number 5 repeated at the center of the composition?
three times
32
How does the repetition of the number 5 three times create the impression of recession into space, rapid movement, or a sound fading away in the selected work I Saw the Figure 5 in GoldI by Charles Demuth?
because each time it is repeated, it gets smaller and rests within the curve of the larger number
33
In the selected artwork I Saw the Figure 5 in Gold by Charles Demuth, what is behind the gold number 5's?
an irregular polygon composed of several square and triangular forms in tints of pale to bright red
34
In the space where'd there usually be a sky in a tradition landscape, describe what is above the shape that is behind the gold 5's in the selected artwork I Saw the Figure 5 in Gold by Charles Demuth?
several circles in pale gold that mimic streetlamps and hints at angular, tall buildings filled with windows which place the image in an urban setting
35
What type of setting is the selected artwork I Saw the Figure in Gold by Charles Demuth in?
urban
36
In the upper part of the selected artwork I Saw the Figure 5 in Gold by Charles Demuth, what two words mimic bright electrical signage in a downtown shopping district?
"BILL" & "CARLO"
37
Where does Charles Demuth sign his work I Saw the Figure 5 in Gold with simple block letters?
lower left
38
What does Charles Demuth's signing of his initials on his artwork I Saw the Figure 5 in Gold with simple block letters resemble?
an industrial stencil
39
How does Charles Demuth incorporate another reference to the subject (William Carlos Williams) of the selected artwork I Saw the Figure 5 in Gold (1928)?
with the initials "WCW" at the bottom of the artwork
40
What poem by William Carlos Williams is the selected artwork I Saw the Figure 5 in Gold by Charles Demuth a representation of? (Hint: it was released in 1921)
"The Great Figure"
41
What does William Carlos Williams's poem "The Great Figure" describe? (Hint: remember that it is represented in the selected artwork I Saw the Figure 5 in Gold by Charles Demuth)
a fire engine's noisy progress down an urban street
42
How does Charles Demuth indicate the fire engine's noise (from William Carlos Williams's poem "The Great War" which serves is represented in the selected artwork) in his art I Saw the Figure 5 in Gold (1928)?
with the repetition of the shrinking, "nested' numbers and with angular shades of gray that radiate from the center of the canvas
43
How do the angular shades of gray that come from the center of the canvas create an illusion of rushing speed and echoing sound in Charles Demuth's I Saw the Figure 5 in Gold? (Hint: what do they NOT do)
because they do not converge on to a single vanishing point (which is typically done when using linear perspective)
44
How and when did Charles Demuth, the artist of the selected work I Saw the Figure 5 in Gold, die?
he died from complications of diabetes in 1935
45
What was William Carlos Williams's and Charles Demuth's shared goal throughout the decades they had known each other and were friends?
to promote modernism across the arts in America
46
The Bicycle Rider (1919) by Charles Demuth was a bequest (legacy) of what two people? (Hint: they are married)
Mr. and Mrs. Francis Biddle
47
What type of painting is The Bicycle Rider (1919) by Charles Demuth?
watercolor and graphite on laid paper
48
In what art gallery is The Bicycle Rider (1919) by Charles Demuth found in? What collection was it transferred from?
National Gallery of Art, Transfer from Corcoran Collection , 2014
49
In what art gallery is Poster Portrait: O'Keeffe (1924) by Charles Demuth from?
Yale University Art Gallery
50
Who did Charles Demuth create a poster portrait of in 1924 and it can be found in the Yale Univeristy Art Gallery? (Hint: her name is featured in the portrait in red letters beginning at the bottom and extending up)
Georgia O'Keeffe
51
What type of poster portrait is Charles Demuth's Poster Portrait: O'Keeffe (1924)? (Hint: Type of paint on ___________)
poster paint on paperboard
52
What type of paperboard was the selected artwork I Saw the Figure 5 in Gold (1928) made on?
Upson board
53
What materials were used/went on the paperboard (upson board) for the selected artwork I Saw the Figure 5 in Gold by Charles Demuth?
oil, graphite, ink, and gold leaf
54
What are the dimensions of the selected artwork I Saw the Figure 5 in Gold by Charles Demuth?
35 1/2 x 30 in (90.2 x 76.2 cm)
55
To which collection and museum does the selected artwork I Saw the Figure 5 in Gold by Charles Demuth belong to? (Hint: name includes the person who had prejudice against Demuth because he was gay)
Alfred Stieglitz Collection, 1949, and The Metropolitan Museum of Art
56
What historic events start & end the 'Jazz Age'?
The end of WWI (Nov 11th 1918) & Black Monday (October 28th 1929)
57
What makes the roaring 20's a contradicting era?
Women & Black people were getting more accepted into societal roles by some, but more hated against by others.
58
What are some of the flaws of the 'academy system' of painting?
These academies were difficult to get into, needing to be accepted by juries. which disencoureged taking risks & trying new styles
59
Modenism Art goes against the academy system by doing what
experimentation. taking risks with style & subject matter
60
Who was the 'unofficial leader of the Aschean School"?
Robert Henri
61
What is Modernism?
"a movement in society and culture that from the 1920s that showed experiences of modern life. artists around the world used new imagery, materials and techniques to create artworks that they felt better reflected the realities of modern societies."
62
Many of Robert Henri's students grew famous after making depictions of...
New York City
63
Diego Velaquez Painted a paintong of whom so well, that people coul not diffeinteate painting from person?
Juan De Pareja, his slave.
64
Edouard Manet made this painting of the Brassiere de Reischoffen in 2 halves over 3 years
Corner of a Cafe-concert
65
Name 3 of the members of "The Eight"?
Henri, Sloan, Glackens, Luks, Everett Shinn, Maurice Prendergast, Ernest Lawson, & Arthur B Hays
66
John Sloan, A member of The EIght in New York, depicted this subset of modernism in his Artwork "The Haymarket, Sixth Avenue"?
Urban Realism
67
George Luks, In his painting Street Scene, depicts people not as indivisuals, but rather what?
"Types" racial, gender, or age types.
68
Everette Shin, was a member of what group?
The Charcoal Club
69
By what year is The Eight belived to be dispanded
1917
70
Marcel Duchamps 'Nude Decending A Staircase' Is an abstract piece that uses...
Angular representation of the human form in motion & its collapse of space & time
71
The Eight' usually depicted working-class entertainment. such as...
bars, resturaunts, music halls, & boxing clubs
72
WHy is European art of the early 20th century different fron American art of the time?
American art was largely "Naturlistic", meaning it was painted as it was seen. while European Art was abstract
73
What were some popular Abstract art forms popular in Europe around the 1900s?
Cubsim, Fauvism, & Expressionism
74
What cities was the International Exibit of Modern Art held in the USA?
New York, Chicago, & Boston
75
The International Exibit of Modern Art earned the name ...
The Armory Show
76
Where did Walt Kuhn paint 'baithers on a beach'
Ogunquit, (uh·guhn·kwuht) Maine
77
When was the "Blue Grotto" By Walter Patch made?
1914
78
How many works were brought to The Armory Show?
over 1300
79
How many people came to the Armory Show?
250 - 275 thousand
80
What is futurism?
"An Itallian movement focusing on speed, technology, modern life, & dynanism"
81
Many of the paintingsin the Armory show that were ______ or paintings of _______ looked old fashioned
Still life paintings. American Landscapes
82
Leila Mechlen described modern abstract art as?
Lawless art. Or 'A Chatter Of Anarchist Monkeys"
83
Many people at the Armory show equated radical art with radical...
political beliefs
84
Georgia O'Keeffe was born in Wisconsin in 1887, This made her one of the youngest member of which group?
The Stieglitz group
85
Which school did O'Keeffe attend before moving to New York in 1907 to study?
Starting in 1905, she attended the School of the Art Institute of Chicago
86
Who taught Georgia O'Keeffe how to paint in New York?
William Merritt Chase, one of the most important artists of the late nineteenth century.
87
Who is Arthur Wesley Dow?
Arthur Wesley Dow was an art teacher and theorist who created the book Composition (1899) derived its aesthetics principles from East Asian, particulary Japanese art.
88
What is Arthur Wesley Dow's philosophy?
His philosophy stressed connections across the arts and advanced the idea of music as a nonrepresentational art that could serve as a model for abstract painting.
89
How was Georgia O'Keeffe's art influenced by the writings of the Rusian educator and Expressionist painter Vasily Kandinsky?
Vasily's book, On the Spiritual of Art (1912; translated into English in 1914) helped form O'Keeffe's artistic philosophy.
90
How is O'Keeffe's art differ from Demuth's poster portraits?
O'Keeffe's uses biomorphic abstraction, rather then a geometric approach.
91
What is biomorphic abstraction?
Biomorphic abstraction takes forms from the natural world, often incorporating references to the human body, plants, trees, water, or other landscape elements.
92
How is O'Keeffe's artwork, "Blue and Green Music" (1918) considered radical in comparison to her previous artworks?
"Blue and Green Music" (1918) retreated from recognizable imagery and instead used music or sound as their inspiration.
93
From whom did the radical approach seen in "Blue and Green Music" (1918) by Georgia O'Keeffe derive from?
This approach derived from 19th century painters like James Abbott Mcneil Whistler, who thought of his works in terms of color "harmonies" and "symphonies".
94
What metaphors did Kandinsky use for early experments with nonrepresentational abstraction?
He called these works "compositions" and "improvisations".
95
How did Kandinsky comment on the formal similarities between art and music in "On the Spiritual in Art"?
He gave compared paintings to new symphonic constructions and brushstrokes to musical notation.
96
What modernist photographer is known for creating Rayographs?
Man Ray
97
What are Rayographs?
Photograms made by placing objects on light-sensitive paper and exposing them to light—no camera used.
98
What does a photogram capture?
White shapes where objects block light, with the background appearing black—like a photographic negative.
99
What Surrealist technique involves making art without conscious planning?
Automatism.
100
What does the technique of solarization involve?
Briefly exposing film to light during development, causing tonal reversals and unpredictable effects.
101
Who inspired Man Ray to move to Paris in 1921?
Marcel Duchamp.
102
What was the original name of Man Ray?
Emmanuel Radnitzky.
103
Which art movements was Man Ray associated with?
Dada and Surrealism.
104
What was the goal of Surrealism, according to André Breton’s manifesto?
To unlock the unconscious mind through strange juxtapositions and dreamlike imagery.
105
Name one Surrealist photographer who explored gender presentation.
Claude Cahun.
106
What does Man Ray mean by having “a certain amount of contempt for the materials”?
He believed pushing artistic boundaries meant disregarding traditional methods and limitations.
107
Which psychologist influenced Surrealist interest in the unconscious and dreams?
Sigmund Freud.
108
How does a Rayograph differ from traditional photography?
It bypasses the use of a camera, lens, or film entirely.
109
Who coined the term "schadographs," and what are they?
Christian Schad; early photograms made using objects placed on light-sensitive paper.
110
In what year did André Breton publish the Surrealist Manifesto?
1924
111
How did Tristan Tzara describe Man Ray’s Rayographs?
As mysterious and poetic images, evoking shapes like “spirals of water” or “the gleam of a revolver.”
112
What was the primary goal of Surrealist photography?
To challenge rationality and access the unconscious through unconventional imagery.
113
What characteristic makes Ray’s photograms Surrealist in both process and result?
The use of chance, randomness, and subconscious arrangement of forms.
114
Which other artists experimented with photograms in the 1920s?
Laszlo Moholy-Nagy and El Lissitzky.
115
What formal elements dominate the Rayograph discussed in the resource guide?
Contrasts between angular and rounded shapes, and a balance of geometric tension.
116
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122
123
Who was the head architect of the Chrysler Building?
Van Alen
124
What type of interior style did the Chryler building have?
The Chryler building had an Art Deco intrerior style
125
The word "Gargoyles" was used to describe what?
Gargoyles were used to describe oversized chrome heads
126
True or False? The craze called " Egyptomania" swept through Europe and Asia
False, the craze swept through Europe and America
127
Who was the archaeologist that opened the tomb of Tutankhamun?
British archaeologist Howard Carter
128
129
How did Pictorialism help establish photography as a fine art in the early 20th century
Pictorialism established photography as an art form through its soft focus and emotional content, helping it gain acceptance by art critics.
130
What visually defined Pictorialist photography
the use of soft focus to create dreamy narratives.
131
How did photography as a meduium change between the 1910 and 1930s?
Photographers experimented with cropping, lighting and focus.
132
What group did Imogen cunningham join in the 1930s that promoted Straight" photography
f/64
133
What did the group f/64 oppose in earlier photographic styles
hand-drawn elements, colorization and other inventions
134
How did Imogen cunningham's background in chemistry affect her photography
it gaver her kn owladge on photographic development which she believed to be important
135
Why is "Leaf Pattern" an example of “straight” photography despite some artistic choices
While dunnningham still selected the leaf, the background and lighting she avoided add external elements and or distortions
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