chapter twenty-two the contemporary contour culture and values, 6 th ed. cunningham and reich

Chapter Twenty-TwoChapter Twenty-Two

The Contemporary ContourThe Contemporary ContourChapter Twenty-TwoChapter Twenty-Two

The Contemporary ContourThe Contemporary Contour

Culture and Values, 6th Ed.

Cunningham and Reich

Toward a Global CultureToward a Global CultureToward a Global CultureToward a Global Culture Artistic satire of modern warfare

Heller, Pynchon, Kubrick Global economy, New World Order

Economic, social inequities Search for individual, social meaning

Social, political oppression Artist as voice of protest, hope

ExistentialismExistentialismExistentialismExistentialism Kierkegaard (1813-1855)

Autonomous individual, self-examination Who am I? What am I doing here? Where

am I going? Sartre (1905-1980)

Implications of atheism Individual place, freedom, ethics

ExistentialismExistentialismExistentialismExistentialism Thought + Action Multi-media expression Emphasis on anxiety, alienation Existentialist theater, fiction Beat poets as existentialists Camus’ absurdity of the world

Painting Since 1945Painting Since 1945Painting Since 1945Painting Since 1945 International dilution of American art

Refugee teachers, artists Peggy Guggenheim

Americanization of modern art Artists of tradition

Hopper’s Nighthawks (1942) O’Keeffe’s Poppy (1927)

Painting Since 1945:Painting Since 1945:

Abstract ExpressionismAbstract ExpressionismPainting Since 1945:Painting Since 1945:

Abstract ExpressionismAbstract Expressionism Devoid of recognizable content Subjective aesthetic experience

Line, color, shape Action Painting, New York School Jackson Pollock (1912-1956)

Radical break from tradition “overall” painting

Painting Since 1945:Painting Since 1945:

Abstract ExpressionismAbstract ExpressionismPainting Since 1945:Painting Since 1945:

Abstract ExpressionismAbstract Expressionism Color field paintings

Color detached from imagery Artistic goals

Break with other conventions of art Feeling, not seeing

Painting Since 1945:Painting Since 1945:

The Return to RepresentationThe Return to RepresentationPainting Since 1945:Painting Since 1945:

The Return to RepresentationThe Return to Representation Consideration of the object Jasper Johns (b. 1930) Robert Rauschenberg (b. 1925)

John Cage’s “Happenings” Combine paintings

Andy Warhol Pop Art, popular culture, consumerism

Painting Since 1945:Painting Since 1945:

The Return to RepresentationThe Return to RepresentationPainting Since 1945:Painting Since 1945:

The Return to RepresentationThe Return to Representation “Hard edges”

Geometrically precise Minimalists

Ascetic use of line, color Photorealists

Classical draftsmanship

Painting Since 1945:Painting Since 1945:

The Return to RepresentationThe Return to RepresentationPainting Since 1945:Painting Since 1945:

The Return to RepresentationThe Return to Representation Distinctively personal art

Racial, religious heritage Bearden, Lacy Smith’s Indian, Indio, Indigenous (1992)

Technical concerns Rothenberg’s texture, Cabin Fever (1976)

Contemporary SculptureContemporary Sculpture Continuity + Experimentation New materials, technical skills

David Smith (1906 – 1965) Alexander Calder (1898 – 1976)

Assemblage Disparate materialsOrganic wholes Nevelson, Cornell, Segal, Kienholz

Contemporary SculptureContemporary Sculpture

Claes Oldenburg (b.1929) Humorous, mocking, Surreal

Henry Moore (1898-1986) Primordial realities of art Life, death, sexuality

Contemporary SculptureContemporary Sculpture The modern patron, accessible art

Vietnam Veterans Memorial Social statements made through media

Christo, Abakanowicz Bartlett, Hanson, Frank Paik, Whiteread

ArchitectureArchitecture Louis Sullivan (1856-1924)

“Form follows function” Frank Lloyd Wright (1869-1959)

Function is accomplished through form Organic architecture Flow of space vs. obstruction of space Guggenheim Museum (1957-1959)

ArchitectureArchitecture Buildings as sculpture

New materials, flexibility and creativity Saarinen, TWA Flight Center, New York Utzon’s Opera House, Sydney, Australia

Counterpoint to nature Le Corbusier’s large housing units

ArchitectureArchitectureArchitectureArchitecture Bauhaus design

“Less is more” Crisp design, imaginative use of material Seagram Building, National Gallery of Art

The Pompidou Center Industrial design Garishness, nervous energy

ArchitectureArchitectureArchitectureArchitecture Postmodernism

Classical motifs, Bauhaus severity 1201 Third Avenue, Seattle Seattle Art Museum American Center in Paris The New Tate Getty Center Millennium Park

Trends in Contemporary LiteratureTrends in Contemporary LiteratureTrends in Contemporary LiteratureTrends in Contemporary Literature

Human search for meaning Experiences of the war The American Experience Literature of social, political protest Postmodernist writing

Mastery of and extension beyond tradition

New Music Since 1945New Music Since 1945

Avant-Garde DevelopmentsAvant-Garde DevelopmentsNew Music Since 1945New Music Since 1945

Avant-Garde DevelopmentsAvant-Garde Developments Greater complexity, new sound Structuralists

Precise organization, control Devoid of subjective emotional expression Electronic music, synthesizers

Aleatoric Music, “sound events” John Cage (1912-1992)

New Music Since 1945New Music Since 1945

The New MinimalistsThe New MinimalistsNew Music Since 1945New Music Since 1945

The New MinimalistsThe New Minimalists Reich’s The Desert Music (1983)

Repetitions of simple chords, rhythms State of heightened concentration

Philip Glass (b. 1937) Influenced by non-Western music Repeating modules Operas as “happenings”

New Music Since 1945:New Music Since 1945:Traditional Approaches to Modern MusicTraditional Approaches to Modern MusicNew Music Since 1945:New Music Since 1945:Traditional Approaches to Modern MusicTraditional Approaches to Modern Music

Innovative approach to symphony Dimitri Shostakovich (1906-1975)

Political commentary, nature of death Traditional symphony orchestra

Benjamin Britten (1913-1976) Violence of contemporary life Opera genre Inspired by earlier masterpieces

New Music Since 1945New Music Since 1945

Popular MusicPopular Music Rooted in Western musical traditions Tangled interrelationship of genres Medium reflects social change, turmoil Concerts as multi-media “happenings” Social document, record of past Communication revolution

Chapter Twenty-Two: Discussion QuestionsChapter Twenty-Two: Discussion Questions

With contemporary art in its various forms, to what extent is the medium the message? What does the composition of the art itself contribute to the artist’s theme, message, or primary emotion? Explain, citing specific examples.

The evolution of Western artistic traditions reveals subtle changes in the ways in which the role of the artist is perceived. What is the role of twenty-first-century artists? How is this role different than/similar to artists from other historical epochs? Explain.

As an individual living in the twenty-first century, what artistic form or genre most appeals to you? Why? Do you prefer to view art as a reflection of your personal values (subjectively), or is your attraction to art one of an objective nature? Explain, citing specific examples when appropriate.