All Essays
Modern and Contemporary Art
Though often pigeonholed as a Surrealist, the Catalan modernist Joan Miró considered his art to be free of any “ism.”
Rachel Boate
July 1, 2018
Born on February 4, 1881, in Normandy, France, Léger grew up in a family of cattle farmers who discouraged his interest in an artistic career.
Rachel Boate
May 1, 2018
Like the avant-garde artists who preceded them, these contemporary artists show how wordplay can be used as a means to address larger artistic, social, and political concerns.
Jennifer Farrell
August 1, 2016
During his short life, [Boccioni] produced some of [Futurism’s] iconic paintings and sculptures, capturing the color and dynamism of modern life in a style he theorized and defended in manifestos, books, and articles.
Rosalind McKever
August 1, 2016
Among the most prolific and creative printmakers of his era, the German artist Max Klinger (1857–1920) revived printmaking in his native country at a time when it struggled to overcome industrial connotations.
Britany Salsbury
March 1, 2016
Considered the father of French art pottery, Ernest Chaplet (1835–1909) played an influential role in nearly all genres of the movement.
Elizabeth Sullivan
December 1, 2014
Benton’s mural powerfully promotes the idea of “progress,” predicated on modern technology.
Randall Griffey
September 1, 2014
The unique combination of national support, local contact between artists, and international curiosity fueled the rapid growth of the saqqakhana movement.
Julia Rooney and Maryam Ekhtiar
April 1, 2014
They broke new ground through their independent lifestyles and emphasis on career over marriage and motherhood.
Thayer Tolles
August 1, 2010
During the Art Deco period there was a fairly wide acceptance by the consumer public of many of the ideas put forth by avant-garde painters and sculptors, especially as they were adapted by designers and applied to fashionable luxury objects that encapsulated the sophisticated tastes of the times.
Jared Goss
June 1, 2010