Photo primitivism 3

Post-Impressionism & Primitivism, Then Modern Art Continued

  • Period: to

    Post Impressionism

    Not truly a cohesive movement, and was only coined posthumously by an art critic for the artists involved.
    :They rejected the naturalism of Impressionism
    :Thick paints, with vivid and sometimes unnatural or arbitrary colors.
    :They emphasized geometric forms that were distorted in service of expression.
    :Additionally, heavily influenced by Japanese woodblock prints, especially in the case of Van Gogh.
    :Pointilism also made its debut during this time, a scientific approach to art.
  • Bathers at Asnieres

    Bathers at Asnieres

    Georges Seurat, Bathers at Asnieres,1884,oil on canvas,201.2x298.7cm, National Gallery, London.
    :The father of Pointilism made his start here, with vibrant colors all throughout
    :A modern scene, and many of the figures are fairly simplified in shape but otherwise full of color.
    :Bold lines define everyone and everything in this picture
  • The Potato Eaters

    The Potato Eaters

    Vincent Van Gogh, The Potato Eaters, 1885, oil on canvas, 82x114cm, Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam.
    :One of Vincent's first paintings, the darkness seems to increase abstraction in the painting.
    :There's a thick application of paint, and the dark seems to heighten the feeling of desperation for these people.
    :However, other colors involved make these people seem sickly, such as the shades of yellow and red in splotches on the face.
  • The Courtesan (After Eisen)

    The Courtesan (After Eisen)

    Vincent Van Gogh, The Courtesan, 1887, oil on canvas, 105.4x60.3cm, Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam.
    :Beautiful colors, as is usual for for many post-impressionist paintings, especially Van Gogh.
    :However this is a clear example of Japonaiserie, a fascination with the Japanese (Primarily through the Dutch, as they had exclusive trading rights with them) art forms, especially wood-block prints, similar in feel to Orientalism but isn't usually racist, as they were imitating the art forms with care.
  • Young Woman Powdering Herself

    Young Woman Powdering Herself

    Georges Seurat, Young Woman Powdering Herself, 1888, oil on wood,44.8x36.2x7.6cm, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas.
    :Aha! Pointilism! A scientific approach to painting that put dots of colors next to each other to imitate things like a blending of color!
    :Vivid colors, and a rejection of Naturalism from Impressionism in the depiction of a modern woman getting ready for the day.
    :Her figure is definitely more abstracted than normal, as no human could be in that shape.
  • Starry Night

    Starry Night

    Vincent Van Gogh, Starry Night, 1889, oil on canvas,73.7x92.1cm,MoMA, New York.
    :Ah Van Gogh, his most well known painting full to bursting with color, some of it arbitrary in the case of the moon.
    :However, it is thickly and beautifully painted onto the canvas, with each individual brushstroke visible, in the case of the sky especially.
    :Forms all around are distorted, but in service to the expression of the artist and the emotion they want to capture. (Sublime wonder perhaps?)
  • Period: to

    Primitivism

    A heavily Eurocentric trend of white artists taking inspiration from art that came from Africa, Oceania, and Native Americans.
    :potentially used to critique European painting techniques
    :But employed simpler shapes and more abstract figures to seek connection on a spiritual level with an idealized pre-industry past.
    :Many white artists "went native" to fully experience this connection and have illicit relations with native people.
  • Manao Tupapau (Spirit of the Dead Watching)

    Manao Tupapau (Spirit of the Dead Watching)

    Paul Gauguin,Manao Tupapau,1892, oil on burlap mounted on canvas,116.05x134.62x13.34cm, Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York.
    :This creep painted his child-bride in this position, remniscent of "Olympia", but instead reducing her power by flipping her onto her stomach.
    :Her form is mostly flattened, but the background and foreground aren't very merged.
    :There's also a spirit of the dead in the background, his wife mentioned them following her since marrying him.
  • Two Tahitian Women

    Two Tahitian Women

    Paul Gauguin, Two Tahitian Women, 1899, oil on canvas,94x72.4cm, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
    :Both women are shown in native dress, partially nude for the gaze of the viewer.
    :They're also seen gathering fruit and unashamed of their nakedness, a potential reference to the Garden of Eden and innocence.
    :They both seem especially young, maybe because they are, but it could be another reference to that childlike innocence that's part of Primitivism.
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    Fauvism

    :Abritrary color schemes for their paintings.
    : Rejected Academic standards, and let their brushstrokes be expressive, painterly, and fairly easily seen.
    :Ever increasing abstraction and a flattening of the space on the canvas to focus on the expression of emotions and intuition of the artist.
  • Table, Napkin, Fruit

    Table, Napkin, Fruit

    Paul Cezanne, Table, Napkin, Fruit, 1900,oil on canvas,47x56cm, The Barnes Foundation, Pennsylvania.
    :Incredible color, with an assortment apples, no arbitrary colors otherwise.
    :The background seems to have merged a bit with the foreground however, as it almost looks like the fruits are going to roll right off the table.
    :The form of the apples are somewhat simplified, mostly just basic spheres.
  • Luxe, Calme et Volupte

    Luxe, Calme et Volupte

    Henri Matisse, Luxe, Calme et Volupte, 1904, oil on canvas, 37x46", Musee d'Orsay, Paris.
    :Despite the use of abritrary colors, Matisse uses a form of Divisionism (similar to Pointilism) to create a scene of relaxed nudity, mostly women.
    : Many Fauvists increasingly painted nude women for their own pleasure, just like in this painting.
    :Additionally, as was common, fauvist paintings were very abstract, like this one and each of it's figures and the surrounding environs.
  • Mont Sainte-Victoire

    Mont Sainte-Victoire

    Paul Cezanne, Mont Sainte-Victoire,1905,oil on canvas,73x91.9cm, Philadelphia Museum of Art.
    :Vivid colors abundant!
    :Paul repainted this painting several times throughout his life
    :Thick paint usage with simple geometric forms, yet still beautiful.
  • Le Bonheur de Vivre

    Le Bonheur de Vivre

    Henri Matisse, Le Bonheur de Vivre, oil on canvas, 1905, 68.9x94.9inches, The Barnes Foundation, Philadelphia
    : Luscious color usage, and every figure is simplified and sinous.
    : All of these feminine figures are nude and engaged in activities of leisure and pleasure, Matisse's desire to see naked women (i.e. the Male Gaze) is heavily at play here
    : When this priemiered in the 1905 Salon, it caused quite a stir since none of these figures are set mythologically, and because of the bold colors.
  • Period: to

    Die Brucke (The Bridge, Germany)

    Formed in Dresden in 1905 with artists like Emil Nolde, Erich Heckel, and Ernst Ludwig Kirchner.
    : Frequently commented on the effects of industrialization that were detrimental.
    : Attempted to use pre-academic forms and more primitive methods of painting to express emotion.
    : Intense color contrast was a common feature for many pieces, along with simplified forms.
    : Nudity and sexuality was also explored in their works with a certain frankness.
  • Period: to

    Expressionism, German

    :This art movement has two primary groups that defined this era of modern art for Germany. However it does share some of these features with Expressionism in general:
    : Frequently explored themes of imperalism, existentialism, and social ills.
    : Influenced by the Russian Mexican Revolutions, the Great Depression, emerging psychoanalysis (Frued, Jung, etc.), Social Darwinism Pseudoscience.
    : Additionally, WW1, WW2
    :Craniology and Phrenology are also prevalent during this time.
  • The Dance

    The Dance

    Andre Derain, The Dance, 1906, oil on canvas, 68.9x88.6inches, Fridart Foundation Collection (Private Collection).
    : Amazingly lush colors with somewhat clear brushstrokes.
    : Here it is much easier to see the flattening of spaces that is common with Fauvism, as the figures seem to pull different parts of the composition towards them
    : Additionally, Primitivism also shows here with the subject matter of women who are mostly nude dancing in tune with nature, their forms simplified.
  • Les Demoiselles d'Avignon

    Les Demoiselles d'Avignon

    Pablo Picasso, Les Demoiselles d'Avignon,1907, oil on canvas, 243.9x233.7cm,MoMA, New York.
    :Pablo's work here features very basic shapes and bright colors.
    :The two women on the right have faces that are reminiscent of African masks, unfortunately without the original context they were held in.
    :The figures are fairly abstracted as well, with major flattening of them between the background and foreground.
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    Cubism & Cubism (Analytic)

    Cubism came in two primary forms, Analytic and Synthetic. This entry focuses on Analytic.
    :This movement style abandoned linear perspective entirely.
    :Forms painted were open, and along with the composition was abstract and fragmented.
    :While it experiments with movement and space (think frame-by-frame of a movie scene), it also fractures the picture plane, merging and mashing background and foreground elements.
    :Also Heavily inspired by Picasso's "Les Demoiselles d'Avignon".
  • Houses at L'Etasque

    Houses at L'Etasque

    Georges Braque, Houses at L'Etasque, 1908, oil on canvas,28.7x23.6inches, Kunstmuseum Bern, Switzerland.
    : While Cubism may have majorly gotten their start with Picasso, Georges Braque was one of the other notable artists of this movement.
    : This piece showcases clear aspects of Analytical Cubism in that it incredibly abstracted, with the normal hallmarks of a painting, like a horizon line and separation between back- and foregrounds, being completely gone or distorted beyond recognition.
  • Violin and Palette

    Violin and Palette

    Georges Braque, Violin and Palette, 1909, oil on canvas, 36.1x16.9inches, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York.
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    Futurism

    An art movement that was heavily associated with Italy~Focused on visual depictions of speed and movement.
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  • The Yellow Cow

    The Yellow Cow

    Franz Marc, The Yellow Cow, 1911, oil on canvas, 55.4x74.5inches, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York.
    :One of the more well known pieces involved with Der Blaue Reiter.
    : Blue represented masculinity and yellow was feminine, and it is theorized that this happy cow is supposed to be Franz's wife Maria.
    : This happy cow and the surrounding background is abstracted and laden with color meaning, red also represented the terrestrial realm in Franz's works.
  • Der Sturm

    Der Sturm

    August Macke, Der Sturm, 1911, oil on canvas, 44.1x33.1inches, Saarland museum, Saarbrucken, Germany.
    : A purely abstract piece by Macke, whose life was cut short during World War 1.
    : Here you can infer the feeling of a landscape bearing the power of a storm, yet there seems to be figures or pieces of figures in the storm?
    : This shows that many Expressionist pieces are meant to inspire strong emotions in the viewer.
  • Period: to

    Der Blaue Reiter (The Blue Rider, Germany)

    Started in Munich, founded by Franz Marc Wassily Kandisky.
    :They believed color form had innate spiritual values.
    : Inspired by Post-Impressionists, Fauvists, and Symbolists.
    :Drew parallels between music and art. Commonly named their paintings with musical terms. This was especially important as Kandisky had synesthesia
  • Period: to

    Cubism (Synthetic)

    The second form/phase of Cubism, very short-lived as it peaked around 1914, when many French artists became involved in the brewing World War 1.
    :This movement pioneered collage works, mixing painting and other non-traditional materials to create new works(Glass, newspaper, etc.)
    :Cubists of this kind experimented with flattening the image while also introducing objects to help alter the viewer's perspective.
  • Street, Berlin

    Street, Berlin

    Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Street Berlin; 1913, oil on canvas, 47.5x38.8inches, MoMA New York.
    :Many Expressionists considered prostitutes to be icons of modern social ills, and many problems of industrialized society are exemplified in her.
    : These women depicted are those prostitutes, their forms disorted and distorting the rest of the composition behind them.
  • Three Women

    Three Women

    Pablo Picasso, Three Women,1908, oil on canvas,200x178cm,State Hermitage Museum, St.Petersburg.
    :Once again, the faces of these 3 women are all made in the same style of African mask as his others
    :The 3 women are all molding into one another, and the only reason they haven't molded into the background is because it's a different color.
    :Each of the figures is also incredibly geometric and simplified from a real life figure.
  • Composition VIII

    Composition VIII

    Wassily Kandisky, Composition VIII, 1923, oil on canvas, 55.25x79inches, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York.
    : A purely abstract piece by Kandisky, and while outside the time of Der Blaue Reiter, exemplified one of its tenets that there are parallels between music and art.
    : Which was supported by Kandisky's synesthesia, and many pieces like this took on names that are associated with musical terms.
  • Works Cited

    Works Cited

    Pollitt, Ben. “Smarthistory – Paul Gauguin, Spirit of the Dead Watching.” Smarthistory, 9 Aug. 2015, smarthistory.org/gauguin-spirit-of-the-dead-watching/.
    Harris, Dr. Beth, and Dr. Steven Zucker. “Smarthistory – Pablo Picasso, Les Demoiselles d’avignon.” Smarthistory, 9 Aug. 2015, smarthistory.org/pablo-picasso-les-demoiselles-davignon/.
    Cramer, Dr. Charles, and Dr. Kim Grant. “Smarthistory – Pablo Picasso, Three Women.” Smarthistory, 7 Apr. 2020, smarthistory.org/pablo-picasso-three-women/.
  • Works Cited #2

    “Paul Gauguin - Two Tahitian Women.” The Metropolitan Museum of Art, www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/436446. Accessed 1 Oct. 2025.
    Harvey, Ben. “Smarthistory – Paul Cézanne, Mont Sainte-Victoire.” Smarthistory, 9 Aug. 2015, smarthistory.org/cezanne-mont-sainte-victoire/. Accessed 1 Oct. 2025.
    “Table, Napkin, and Fruit (Un Coin de Table) (1895-1900) by Paul Cezanne.” Artchive, www.artchive.com/artwork/table-napkin-and-fruit-un-coin-de-table-paul-cezanne-1895-1900/. Accessed 1 Oct. 2025.
  • Works Cited #4

    Harris, Dr. Beth, and Dr. Steven Zucker. “Smarthistory – Vincent van Gogh, the Potato Eaters.” Smarthistory, 8 Jan. 2020, smarthistory.org/van-gogh-potato-eaters/. Accessed Oct 1, 2025.
    Paulson, Dr. Noelle. “Smarthistory – Vincent van Gogh, The Starry Night.” Smarthistory, 9 Aug. 2015, smarthistory.org/van-gogh-the-starry-night/. Accessed Oct 1, 2025.
  • Works Cited #3

    Harris, Dr. Beth, and Dr. Steven Zucker. “Smarthistory – Georges Seurat, Bathers at Asnières.” Smarthistory, 27 Nov. 2015, smarthistory.org/georges-seurat-bathers-at-asnieres/.
    “Young Woman Powdering Herself | All Works | the MFAH Collections.” The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, emuseum.mfah.org/objects/43859/young-woman-powdering-herself. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.
  • Works Cited #5

    “Courtesan: After Eisen - Vincent Van Gogh - Google Arts Culture.” Google, Google, artsandculture.google.com/asset/courtesan-after-eisen-vincent-van-gogh/qQE--vZw_i8aPA?hl=en. Accessed 1 Oct. 2025.