Course Outline
In the 1300s and 1400s, the country we now call The Netherlands, didn't have a separate identity. It was clumped together with the country we now call Belgium and they were both referred to as the Lowlands or the Netherlands.
In the mid-1500s, the northern, protestant area began to separate from the southern, Catholic area, and also to get out from under Spanish domination. As they became unified, their fortunes improved.
The economy of the Netherlands was booming in the 1600s, and wealth was rather widely distributed. Instead of depending on the land and agriculture, the economy depended on commerce and manufacture; thus, instead of the nation's wealth being hoarded by royalty and the landed aristocracy, it was accumulated by a fairly large class of merchants and traders. This had a good effect on art because a lot of people could afford to acquire or commission works of art. This large art market enabled the development of many talented artists. We're going to try to learn the names of six of them: Frans Hals, Rembrandt, Vermeer, Jan Steen, Judith Leyster, and Rachel Ruysch.
Names to Share
Jan van Eyck, Rogier van der Weyden
Frans Hals, Rembrandt, Vermeer, Jan Steen, Judith Leyster, and Rachel Ruysch.
Museums to Visit
The Louvre, Paris
The Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
The Frans Hals Museum, Haarlem
Mauritshuis, The Hague
Source Material
Louvre - Early Netherlandish Art
Frans Hals Museum
Rijksmuseum
Mauritshuis
Friday, July 29, 2016
THREE: The Early Masters of French Art
There's more to French Art than Impressionism! Baroque art of the 1600s was flamboyant and dramatic; in the 1700s, Rococo art generated delicately sensuous fantasies, and neo-Classicism retold the classical myths in support of modern political movements. The late 1700s also saw a beautiful flowering of successful women artists. In the early 1800s, Romanticism manifested in great historical dramas, and artists began to treat the landscape as an important subject in itself, instead of just a background.
Source
French Art at the Louvre
Names to Share
Baroque period of 1600s: Georges de La Tour, Nicolas Poussin, Claude Lorrain.
Rococo period, early 1700s: Jean-Antoine Watteau, Jean-Siméon Chardin, François Boucher, Jean-Honoré Fragonard
Neoclassicism of late 1700s: Hubert Robert, Jacques-Louis David, Élisabeth Vigée LeBrun, and Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres
French women artists of the 1700s: Élisabeth Vigée-Lebrun, Adélaïde Labille-Guiard
Romanticism of early 1800s: Theodore Géricault, Eugène Delacroix
Landscape painting of early 1800s: Camille Corot
Source
French Art at the Louvre
Names to Share
Baroque period of 1600s: Georges de La Tour, Nicolas Poussin, Claude Lorrain.
Rococo period, early 1700s: Jean-Antoine Watteau, Jean-Siméon Chardin, François Boucher, Jean-Honoré Fragonard
Neoclassicism of late 1700s: Hubert Robert, Jacques-Louis David, Élisabeth Vigée LeBrun, and Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres
French women artists of the 1700s: Élisabeth Vigée-Lebrun, Adélaïde Labille-Guiard
Romanticism of early 1800s: Theodore Géricault, Eugène Delacroix
Landscape painting of early 1800s: Camille Corot
FOUR: Impressionism and Post-Impressionism
Course Description
At the moment of perfect ripeness in the development of French painting in the late 1800s, Impressionism burst forth like fireworks and changed art forever. Post-Impressionism laid the foundation of modernism.
Post-Impressionism brought us van Gogh, Gauguin, and Cézanne, the giants who laid the foundation of modernism.
Source Material
Musée d'Orsay
Names to Share
Academicism, 1800s: William Bouguereau, James Tissot
Realism, 1800s: Rosa Bonheur, Gustave Courbet
Transition to Impressionism: Édouard Manet, Eva Gonzales
Impressionism, late 1800s: Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Camille Pissarro, Berthe Morisot, Mary Cassatt
Pointillism, late 1800s: Georges Seurat, Paul Signac
Post-Impressionism: Paul Gauguin, Vincent van Gogh, Paul Cézanne
At the moment of perfect ripeness in the development of French painting in the late 1800s, Impressionism burst forth like fireworks and changed art forever. Post-Impressionism laid the foundation of modernism.
Post-Impressionism brought us van Gogh, Gauguin, and Cézanne, the giants who laid the foundation of modernism.
Source Material
Musée d'Orsay
Names to Share
Academicism, 1800s: William Bouguereau, James Tissot
Realism, 1800s: Rosa Bonheur, Gustave Courbet
Transition to Impressionism: Édouard Manet, Eva Gonzales
Impressionism, late 1800s: Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Camille Pissarro, Berthe Morisot, Mary Cassatt
Pointillism, late 1800s: Georges Seurat, Paul Signac
Post-Impressionism: Paul Gauguin, Vincent van Gogh, Paul Cézanne
Wednesday, July 27, 2016
FIVE: Modern Art in Paris
Course Description
In the 20th century, artists tumbled from one theory to another: Fauvism, Cubism, Orphism, Abstractionism, Expressionism, New Objectivity, Surrealism, Minimalism, etc. It's enough to make your head spin, but it's not that hard to learn to tell these movements apart if you have a little guidance and abundant examples. Likewise, it's not that hard to recognize the masters of 20th century art after you've had a little exposure. You don't have to feel like an outsider. Now's the time to learn the difference between Picasso and Matisse, between Salvador Dalí and Rene Magritte.
Source Material
Pompidou Center
Paris Museum of Modern Art
Art Movements of the 20th Century
Fauvism
Cubism
Orphism
Abstractionism
Expressionism
Neo-Primitivism
Surrealism
Classicism
New Objectivity
Abstraction Expressionism
Minimalism
In the 20th century, artists tumbled from one theory to another: Fauvism, Cubism, Orphism, Abstractionism, Expressionism, New Objectivity, Surrealism, Minimalism, etc. It's enough to make your head spin, but it's not that hard to learn to tell these movements apart if you have a little guidance and abundant examples. Likewise, it's not that hard to recognize the masters of 20th century art after you've had a little exposure. You don't have to feel like an outsider. Now's the time to learn the difference between Picasso and Matisse, between Salvador Dalí and Rene Magritte.
Source Material
Pompidou Center
Paris Museum of Modern Art
Art Movements of the 20th Century
Fauvism
Cubism
Orphism
Abstractionism
Expressionism
Neo-Primitivism
Surrealism
Classicism
New Objectivity
Abstraction Expressionism
Minimalism
Tuesday, July 26, 2016
SIX: Art of the Modern Era in the Netherlands
Course Outline
After the Dutch Golden Age of the 1600s, art lost its energy in the Netherlands. In the 1700s, economic and political problems caused diminished art activity, and artists continued the same old tried and true themes. The fine arts enjoyed a revival around 1830, a time now referred to as the Romantic period in Dutch painting. The earliest Dutch artist of the modern era to achieve international fame was Vincent van Gogh. In the 20th century, Dutch artist Piet Mondrian developed a style of abstractionism that influenced the future of art. In addition to Dutch art, the museums of the Netherlands have significant examples of international art of the modern era.
Names to Share
Dutch Artists: Vincent van Gogh, Jan Toorop, Théo van Rysselberghe, Piet Mondrian
International Artists: Georges Seurat, Paul Signac, Wassily Kandinsky, Sol LeWitt, Bridget Riley
Museums to visit
Otterlo: The Kröller Müller Museum
The Hague: Gemeentemuseum
Source Material
Kröller Müller Museum
Gemeentemuseum
After the Dutch Golden Age of the 1600s, art lost its energy in the Netherlands. In the 1700s, economic and political problems caused diminished art activity, and artists continued the same old tried and true themes. The fine arts enjoyed a revival around 1830, a time now referred to as the Romantic period in Dutch painting. The earliest Dutch artist of the modern era to achieve international fame was Vincent van Gogh. In the 20th century, Dutch artist Piet Mondrian developed a style of abstractionism that influenced the future of art. In addition to Dutch art, the museums of the Netherlands have significant examples of international art of the modern era.
Names to Share
Dutch Artists: Vincent van Gogh, Jan Toorop, Théo van Rysselberghe, Piet Mondrian
International Artists: Georges Seurat, Paul Signac, Wassily Kandinsky, Sol LeWitt, Bridget Riley
Museums to visit
Otterlo: The Kröller Müller Museum
The Hague: Gemeentemuseum
Source Material
Kröller Müller Museum
Gemeentemuseum
Monday, July 25, 2016
SEVEN: Madrid's Art Scene
It is difficult to report on the history of Spanish art for two reasons. First, you don't see a lot of Spanish art in museums in other countries. A very large portion of Spain's most important artwork has been retained in Spain, mostly at the Prado and the Reina Sofia Museums. The second problem is that the Prado doesn't allow photography at all, and the Reina Sofia prohibits photography of its most important exhibits.
The one place you can photograph examples of Spain's rich art history is an academy founded by royal decree in the 1700s, the Royal Academy of Fine Arts. Here you can see works by El Greco and Murillo, and many minor works by Francisco Goya.
The first Spanish artist of the modern era was Joaquín Sorolla, whose work derives from Impressionism. An extensive selection of his work may be enjoyed at the Sorolla Museum, located in the artist's studio-mansion.
Several Spanish artists became well-known in the 20th century, including Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dalí. Modern Spanish art is exhibited at the Reina Sofia Museum.
During our visit, the Reina Sofia was also offering two special exhibits from Bern, Switzerland, that presented a fairly comprehensive review of art of the early 20th century.
Museums to Visit
History of Spanish Art: Royal Academy of Fine Arts
Joaquín Sorolla: Sorolla Museum
20th Century Spanish art and Special Exhibits: Reina Sophia Museum
Source Material
Royal Academy of Fine Arts
Sorolla Museum (same article as above, half-way down)
Reina Sophia Museum
Stars of Spanish Art
El Greco, Velázquez, Murillo, Goya, Sorolla, Picasso, Miró, Dalí
International Art Stars
Van Gogh, Gauguin, Ferdinand Hodler, Ernst Kirchner, Edvard Munch, Alexej von Jawlensky, Georges Braque, Picasso, Fernand Léger, Paul Klee, Piet Mondrian, Andy Warhol, Gerhard Richter
The one place you can photograph examples of Spain's rich art history is an academy founded by royal decree in the 1700s, the Royal Academy of Fine Arts. Here you can see works by El Greco and Murillo, and many minor works by Francisco Goya.
The first Spanish artist of the modern era was Joaquín Sorolla, whose work derives from Impressionism. An extensive selection of his work may be enjoyed at the Sorolla Museum, located in the artist's studio-mansion.
Several Spanish artists became well-known in the 20th century, including Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dalí. Modern Spanish art is exhibited at the Reina Sofia Museum.
During our visit, the Reina Sofia was also offering two special exhibits from Bern, Switzerland, that presented a fairly comprehensive review of art of the early 20th century.
Museums to Visit
History of Spanish Art: Royal Academy of Fine Arts
Joaquín Sorolla: Sorolla Museum
20th Century Spanish art and Special Exhibits: Reina Sophia Museum
Source Material
Royal Academy of Fine Arts
Sorolla Museum (same article as above, half-way down)
Reina Sophia Museum
Stars of Spanish Art
El Greco, Velázquez, Murillo, Goya, Sorolla, Picasso, Miró, Dalí
International Art Stars
Van Gogh, Gauguin, Ferdinand Hodler, Ernst Kirchner, Edvard Munch, Alexej von Jawlensky, Georges Braque, Picasso, Fernand Léger, Paul Klee, Piet Mondrian, Andy Warhol, Gerhard Richter
Friday, June 24, 2016
EIGHT: Modern Art in New York
Course Description
The Museum of Modern Art in New York, generally known as MoMA, is the premier collection of international art of the 20th century, filled with iconic paintings. At the time of our visit, the museum had two major exhibits by modern artists, Yoko Ono and Jacob Lawrence. The Metropolitan Museum of Art is a comprehensive museum, covering the whole history of art, and their modern art collection contains many iconic paintings. My website collects modern art from several museums we have studied in the US and Europe.
Source Material
Museum of Modern Art
Metropolitan Museum of Art
Art of the 20th Century
Stars of Modern Art
Gauguin, Mondrian, Picasso, Chagall, Magritte, Dalí, Wyeth
Other Favorites
Cézanne, Klee, Boccioni, de Chirico, Grosz
Special Exhibits
Yoko Ono
Jacob Lawrence
Women Painters
Lyubov Popova, Alice Neel, Frida Kahlo, Dorothea Tanning, Helen Frankenthaler
Review of 20th Century Art Movements
The website Art of the 20th Century combines modern paintings from museums in New York, The Hague and Paris.
The Museum of Modern Art in New York, generally known as MoMA, is the premier collection of international art of the 20th century, filled with iconic paintings. At the time of our visit, the museum had two major exhibits by modern artists, Yoko Ono and Jacob Lawrence. The Metropolitan Museum of Art is a comprehensive museum, covering the whole history of art, and their modern art collection contains many iconic paintings. My website collects modern art from several museums we have studied in the US and Europe.
Source Material
Museum of Modern Art
Metropolitan Museum of Art
Art of the 20th Century
Stars of Modern Art
Gauguin, Mondrian, Picasso, Chagall, Magritte, Dalí, Wyeth
Other Favorites
Cézanne, Klee, Boccioni, de Chirico, Grosz
Special Exhibits
Yoko Ono
Jacob Lawrence
Women Painters
Lyubov Popova, Alice Neel, Frida Kahlo, Dorothea Tanning, Helen Frankenthaler
Review of 20th Century Art Movements
The website Art of the 20th Century combines modern paintings from museums in New York, The Hague and Paris.
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