Modern Art

When analyzing art, you should look for the various elements to help determine its structure, meaning and value. The traditional seven elements are as follows:

Line

Shape

Space

Color

Value

Texture

 

These two resources give details about each one:

The John Paul Getty Museum – Elements of Art

Robert J. McKnight Memorial – Alphabet of Art

Without conducting ANY additional research this week, we are going to explore what you initially see and think when you look at a work of art. This activity is meant to help you understand:

Utilize the formal vocabulary in describing works of art

Analyze how the subject and context of work can help with interpretation

Select four (4) works of the first half of 20th century American art from the list below.

For each work of art:

List the artist, date and title.

 

Write a paragraph that discusses the visual elements in the art work (For example, are the shapes geometric, or organic. What colors are used, etc.?). Using the resources above, describe how the elements work together. Note: You do not have to use every element in your description, but rather the two or three that seem to be the most prominent in the work.

Write a second paragraph that describes the subject matter of the art work. What do you the artist might have been trying to say with this art work? Remember to consider the time frame in which the artwork was made. *Remember that you should not conduct research on this art work – the grade is based on your ability to support how the subject matter or time frame helped you interpret the meaning.

Your essay should be no less than 200 words for each of the four works you are examining (for a combined total of no less than 800 words).

 

George Bellows, New York, 1911

http://www.nga.gov/content/ngaweb/Collection/art-object-page.69392.html

 

Georgia O’Keeffe, The Shelton with Sunspots, N.Y., 1926

 

http://www.artic.edu/aic/collections/citi/images/standard/WebLarge/WebIm g_000153/5215_1643843.jpg

 

Charles Sheeler, American Landscape, 1930

 

http://www.wikiart.org/en/charles-sheeler/american-landscape-1930

 

Alexandre Hogue, Erosion No. 2: Earth Mother Laid Bare, 1936

 

http://philbrook.org/explore/art/erosion-no-2-%E2%80%93-mother-earth-laid-bare-0

 

Jacob Lawrence. Migration Series, No. 58. 1940‐1941.

 

http://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/2015/onewayticket/panel/58

 

Willem de Kooning, Woman III, 1951‐1953

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/e7/Woman3.jpg

 

Jackson Pollock, Convergence, 1952

 

http://www.jackson-pollock.org/convergence.jsp