Art History of the 19th & 20th Centuries Part I Quiz

The Romantic Era could almost be seen as a misnomer. The romance was between the artists and the (truly) awesome forces of nature. It was as if the artists felt that if they were cowed in reality then they should convey that same sense in their art. A good example is Eugène Delacroix's "Liberty Leading the People".

Realism focused on the nitty-gritty reality of the working classes' everyday life. The paintings often utilized dark, gloomy colors, with an example being "Third Class Carriage" by Honoré Daumier.

The Pre-Raphaelite movement was spearheaded by Dante Gabriel Rosetti. His models were referred to as "the stunners" and such works as "La Ghirlandata" as well as John William Waterhouse's "The Lady of Shalott" and Sir John Everett Millais' "Ophelia" certainly bear this out! Stunning, indeed.

Impressionism featured the use of quick, rapid brush strokes to give a sense of the fleeting quality of nature. If the Romantics were in awe of nature, the Impressionists just watched as nature ran its course, attempting to capture its quickness. They also celebrated the working class, as did the Realists, but in a more upbeat manner. One example of this type of art is "The Regatta at Sainte-Adresse" by Claude Monet.

Post-Impressionism was a departure from the soft, breezy brushstrokes of Impressionism and focused on more clearly defined subjects. It continued to celebrate the working class, or at least, it did not focus on the nobility as pre-19th century art had. Experimentation began to come into play with Seurat's Pointillism (dots) in "A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of the Grand Jatte" as did a worldliness with Gaugin's Tahitian scenes as evidenced by "Te aa no areois (The Seed of the Areoi)".

Symbolism came next and featured dreamscapes that incorporated everyday objects in ways that could be interpreted apart from their literal meaning. These paintings were meant to represent (symbolize) universal juxtapositions such as life v. death, man v. woman, but in non-realistic settings, while retaining a clearly identifiable set of subjects.

A striking example of this art is "Pornocrates La Dame au Cochon (The Lady with the Pig)" by Félicien Rops.

Fauvism was marked by simplistic designs and splashy colors. especially red, as in Henri Matisse's "The Dessert: Harmony in Red". Les fauves is French for "wild beasts", and was an insult to the movement uttered by art critic Louis Vauxcelles in 1905. The name stuck.

Expressionism arose in Germany and extended through World War I and up until 1925. The subject matter is bleak, especially during and just after the war years. Colors run to darker shades and tones to create an unsettling mood. Let's move on, but not before considering the disturbing "Cardplaying War-Cripples" by Otto Dix. Ugh!

Cubism was just what its name suggests - lots of angular, distorted shapes that suggest their subject matter, but with its flat two-dimensionality and general deconstruction, it is often difficult to pin down what was being depicted. Take a look at "La Noce" by Fernand Léger for an example of the movement's obscurity.

The first phase of Futurism celebrated the dynamism and movement inherent in an industrial age, unlike some of the previous movements which seemed cowed by modernity, The angularity of Cubism remained, but there was a more upbeat sense to the art. "Skyscrapers and Tunnel" by Fortunato Depero is an excellent example.