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I, Robot by Isaac Asimov
Isaac Asimov's "I, Robot" seemed to be ahead of its time when published in 1950. The book deals with robots and morality, two topics that are not normally discussed together. In 2004, a movie loosely based on the the novel of stories was produced. -
Lavender Mist Number 1 by Jackson Pollock
Pollock, an abstract epressionist, was very influential during this era. He used such techniques as dripping paint and rubbing sand and glass onto the canvas to create interingling lines and a marbled look. -
Zambezia, Zambezia by Wifredo Lam
The work by Wifredo Lam is an example of surrealism.
"He frequently used the device of transmogrification of body parts to suggest magical metamorphosis, inspired by indigenous American and African ritual objects." http://www.guggenheim.org/new-york/collections/collection-online/artwork/2403 -
Moon Cage by David Hare
About Moon Cage, Ware was quoted saying the piece is not abstract or representational; it “is not figurative literally. A combination of images is more interesting to me. Ambiguity is important; a confusion of images makes you more conscious of the image you are interested in.”
http://www.guggenheim.org/new-york/collections/collection-online/artwork/4482 -
The Catcher in the Rye published
The book, written by J.D. Salinger, was the center of contraversy for the psychological and moral issues presented in the text. -
Woman and Bicycle
The painting by Willem de Kooning, abstract expressionist, shows a fashionable woman riding a bicycle.
“I’m not interested in ‘abstracting’ or taking things out or reducing painting to design, form, line, and color. I paint this way because I can keep putting more things in it–drama, anger, pain, love, a figure, a horse, my ideas about space. Through your eyes it again becomes an emotion or idea.” —Willem de Kooning http://whitney.org/ForKids/Collection/WillemDeKooning/5535 -
The Conservative Mind by Russell Kirk 1953
The most reviewed book on political issues and was said to ignite the post war social and political movement. -
First Playboy magazine published
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Beth Sholom Synagogue by Frank Lloyd Wright
It has been noted that Beth Sholom Synagogue shows Frank Lloyd Wright's "unmatched capacity to translate ritual into space and experience." http://www.wrightontheweb.net/flw8-16.htm -
Photo by Robert Frank called The Americans Hoboken, NJ 1955
One photo from a book entitled "The Americans". His personal photo documentary on the US was criticized: "During the 1950′s, the tradition and aesthetic of photography championed clean, well-exposed, and sharp photographs...However in Frank’s “The Americans”, he was first harshly criticized by critics saying things like the prints were “Flawed by meaningless blur grain, muddy exposure, drunken horizons, and general sloppiness”.
http://erickimphotography.com/blog/2013/01/07/ -
On the Road by Jack Kerouac
The book chronicled the travels of the author and his friends across America. The book was said be the literary definition of the Beat Generation. -
Sound of Music opens on Broadway
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Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho was released
Psycho changed the face of horror when Hitchcock killed his lead character and solidified Janet Leigh as scream queen. -
Orange, Red, Yellow by Mark Rothko
Rothko was labeled as an abstract expressionist, but denied the title. He's known for his dark colors and strokes.
"The people who weep before my pictures are having the same religious experience I had when I painted them. And if you, as you say, are moved only by their color relationships, then you miss the point!" - Mark Rothko -
Andy Warhol unveils Campbell’s soup can
Using items from pop culture went against the idea of originality and changed the meaning of what it means to be an artist. With the Campbell's soup can, Andy Warhol's silk screen has been reproduced numerous times for commerical use and was noted as saying he drank or ate the soup very often. -
Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring was published
Carson's book helped begin what was known as the environmental movement with its contraversial look at pesticides -
Drowning Girl by Roy Lichtenstein 1963
Example of pop art -
Betty Freidan’s The Feminine Mystique was published
The book was considered revolutionary with the way it criticized the ideas of the stifling role of women as happy housewives.The Feminine Mystique is credited as the launchpad of the second wave feminist movement. -
“I Have a Dream” speech
The event, with the focal point on the delivery of the "I Have A Dream" speech by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, changed the tide in the flood of racism. His speech moved a nation. -
National Center for Atmospheric Research in Colorado by I.M. Pei
One of the most creative architects of the era, I.M. Pei designed numerous buildings during the 1960s including apartment complexes and museums. -
"(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction" by The Rolling Stones and "My Generation" by The Who
Two songs by British bands, one that defined a generation, the other dealt with frustration, graced the airwaves and go down in history as two great rock songs -
Marilyn by Andy Warhol
Another example of Pop Art, as a silkscreen, which serves as a representation to the real object. Here, that object is Marilyn Monroe One site states "Warhol’s portrait of Marilyn reveals very little about who she was and yet it has become ubiquitous, much like her famous film performances."
http://www.christies.com/features/andy-warhol-and-the-art-of-screenprinting-2752-1.aspx -
igloo de Giap by Mario Merz
Merz was interested in the connection between man and nature, He designed igloos of various materials; his first was made from dried mud and neon lights. "Light is...technological energy in the making, if it is to be controlled by electric light, it is dressed up, where as fire is uncontrollable and naked. Light is a comprehensible representation of the human mind, whereas flame is incomprehensible and hence difficult to represent..."
http://www.artelectronicmedia.com/artwork/igloo-di-giap -
Woodstock Music Festival
"In 1969, a monumental music festival changed our world. More than half a million people came together - united in a message of peace, openness and cultural expression – and demonstrated how a generation could be heard...The original producers of the historic festival continue to carry forward the Woodstock ethos by identifying social, environmental and political causes...and encouraging creative expression."
http://www.woodstock.com/ -
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
One writer says that "The Bluest Eye" is "an inquiry into the reasons why beauty gets wasted in this country" and "Miss Morrison exposes the negative of the Dick-and-Jane-and-Mother-and-Father-and-Dog-and-Cat photograph that appears in our reading primers, and she does it with a prose so precise, so faithful to speech and so charged with pain and wonder that the novel becomes poetry."
http://www.nytimes.com/books/98/01/11/home/morrison-bluest.html -
"Imagine" and "What's Going On"
1971 brought the world two very socially conscious songs. "Imagine" from John Lennon asks the listener to imagine a world at peace, while "What's Going On" by Marvin Gaye seeks an answer for the events that are affecting the world. Both songs gives the listeners a sense of social awareness. -
Nu Couche et Tete by Pablo Picasso
An example of Cubism from Picasso which is very close to abstract work. -
Sear Towers were built
Upon completion, The Sears Towers was the tallest building in the world and is currently one of the most visited tourist attractions. -
Cubist Still Life Roy Lichtenstein 1974
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Terracotta army unearthed in China
Farmers discovered the clay figures while digging. There were more than 7000 sculpted pieces including wepons, chariots and horses. The over 2000 year old clay army is a life sized replica of the imperial guard of 211-206 BC. -
Untitled by Donald Judd
Donald Judd, miminalist, by his work "Untitled"
