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