Modern Art

When analyzing art, you should look for the various elements to help determine its structure, meaning and value. The traditional seven elements are as follows:

Line
Shape
Space
Color
Value
Texture

These two resources give details about each one:

The John Paul Getty Museum – Elements of Art
Robert J. McKnight Memorial – Alphabet of Art

Without conducting ANY additional research this week, we are going to explore what you initially see and think when you look at a work of art. This activity is meant to help you understand:

Utilize the formal vocabulary in describing works of art
Analyze how the subject and context of work can help with interpretation

Select four (4) works of the first half of 20th century American art from the list below.
For each work of art:

1. List the artist, date and title.
Write a paragraph that discusses the visual elements in the art work (For example, are the shapes geometric, or organic. What colors are used, etc.?). Using the resources above, describe how the elements work together. Note: You do not have to use every element in your description, but rather the two or three that seem to be the most prominent in the work.
Write a second paragraph that describes the subject matter of the art work. What do you the artist might have been trying to say with this art work? Remember to consider the time frame in which the artwork was made. *Remember that you should not conduct research on this art work – the grade is based on your ability to support how the subject matter or time frame helped you interpret the meaning.

Your essay should be no less than 200 words for each of the four works you are examining (for a combined total of no less than 800 words).

George Bellows, New York, 1911
http://www.nga.gov/content/ngaweb/Collection/art-object-page.69392.html

 
Georgia O’Keeffe, The Shelton with Sunspots, N.Y., 1926
http://www.artic.edu/aic/collections/citi/images/standard/WebLarge/WebIm g_000153/5215_1643843.jpg

 
Charles Sheeler, American Landscape, 1930
http://www.wikiart.org/en/charles-sheeler/american-landscape-1930

 
Alexandre Hogue, Erosion No. 2: Earth Mother Laid Bare, 1936
https://philbrook.org/explore/art/erosion-no-2-%E2%80%93-mother-earth-laid-bare-0
 
Jacob Lawrence. Migration Series, No. 58. 1940‐1941.
http://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/2015/onewayticket/panel/58
 
Willem de Kooning, Woman III, 1951‐1953
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/e7/Woman3.jpg
 
Jackson Pollock, Convergence, 1952
http://www.jackson-pollock.org/convergence.jsp