Title: History of art in the 19th, 20th centuries and in the present
Course: EN_History of culture and art > Section: 4. Art History, Part II

What have you learned so far

So far, you have received an overview of epochs and art styles in painting, sculpture and architecture up to about the middle of the 18th century.

You have learned that the relationship of people to their environment with the social, political and historical conditions finds its expression in artistic design. Thus you have seen that social changes also lead to formal, iconographic and compositional changes in art.

Most of the style periods you have encountered so far were later identified and defined by art historians. Artists, however, can define their own style.

The Renaissance saw the beginning of the historical study of art and a first definition of Western (European) art history. In the mid-19th century, art history emerged as a scientific discipline and with it scholars and critics began to comment on art.

 Until the 19th century, it was common for artists to commission their work from the church, a ruler or a wealthy person to depict the powerful person himself, the family or usually a biblical or mythological scene. It was meant to tell a story in order to instruct the viewer.

This changed fundamentally in the 19th century.

 Art epochs you have come to know so far:

- Art of the Stone Age
- Egyptians
- Greeks
- Romans
- Early Christian art
- Byzantine and Islamic Art
- Medieval Art
- Modern art from the Renaissance onwards

Remember that an art period is understood as a phase in the development of the work of an artist, groups of artists or art movement.

Recommendation:

See the linked chronological list of periods in Western art history from Wikipedia and refresh your knowledge if you need to update.

The 19th century

In terms of art history, the 19th century as a stylistic epoch is more than a century. It extends from the end of the Baroque period to the beginning of abstract art, i.e. from about 1770 to the First World War, and has produced, partly simultaneously, the most diverse artistic styles (movements) in the genres: from Classicism and Romanticism at the end of the 18th century to Art Nouveau in the first decade of the 20th century.

In contrast to the art of the preceding epochs with its relative uniformity over a longer period of time, the art of the 19th century is contradictory, fast-moving and multifaceted. This is a consequence of the Enlightenment, the French Revolution, the disempowerment of kings, princes, nobility, clergy and the emergence of civil and human rights and the individual's claim to freedom. But it is also the consequence of inventions in science and technology, changes in the economy, in intellectual history, in the social sphere, which had not existed in quantity before.

With the nineteenth century, a fundamental change in artistic creation takes place. Against the background of a fundamental upheaval in economic and social conditions caused by technological advances and the new rationalism of life, artists began to make art about people, places or ideas that interested or moved them.

These new themes led them to explore new ways of creating their work and to experiment with colours, techniques and media. This art looked different from the established norm and had very different themes.

 Task:

What is your understanding of the term “modern”? Brainstorm it and present it in a word-cloud.

https://wordart.com/create

Terms and concepts

Modern Art, Postmodern Art, Contemporary Art, Modernism?

Read the Wikipedia article "Modern Art: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modern_art

Learn what is meant by the terms "Modern Art, Postmodern Art, Contemporary Art, Modernism" and how they differ from each other.

1_Modern postmodern and contemporary art_Summary.h5p

Two examples of modern art

Painting of modern life

Modern art is the response of artists to the rationalism of new life and the expression of new ideas.
With the invention and widespread use of technologies, the pace and quality of everyday life changed dramatically. Many people moved from the farms in the countryside to the cities to find work and thus the expanding urban metropolises became the centre of life for most people.
During the 19th century, many artists started to make art based in their own experiences in which, influenced by the ideas of the psychologist Sigmund Freud, they began exploring dreams, symbolism, and personal icons.
Challenging the notion that art must realistically depict the world, some artists experimented with the expressive use of colour, non-traditional materials, and new techniques and mediums.

Learn to see how modern artist depict their reality, on the basis of the two paintings

- Hilaire-Germain-Edgar Degas "At the Milliner's" (Chez la modiste) c. 1882: https://www.moma.org/collection/works/34679

- Paul Cézanne "The Bather" c. 1885: https://www.moma.org/collection/works/78296

The “traditional” view on modern art

The “traditional” view on modern art is by time - period and movement.

Timeline in an overview: See and read
https://www.theartstory.org/section-movements-timeline.htm

Task:
Learn about the most important movements of modern art, their artists, work arts and characteristics.

- Use the timeline of "Theartstory" to familiarise yourself with two movements and work them out to present them shortly in the forum. The presentation should not be longer than 5 minutes. Distribute the most important movements among the learning group.

- Use the keywords in the attached table.

- Complete the list with your annotations during the presentations.

An alternative view to present Modern art

Modern art by ideas

In the following video by the Museum of Modern Art (MoMa) you can get another view on modern art. The focus here is not on movement or chronological sequence, but on the idea.

Modern Art and ideas:

These videos look to art by ideas. They are taken from the videos of the MoMa / MoMa Learning

Places and Spaces: Vincent van Gogh (4:44)

Art & Identity: Frida Kahlo- Portrait (4:36)

Transforming Everyday Objects (4:07)

Art & Society (4:39)

Postmodern and Contemporary Art

Examples of postmodern diversity

Examples of postmodern artworks_interactive presentation.h5p