The term “postmodernism” describes art that react against trends in modernism. General trends of modernism include authenticity, universality, originality, reactionary tendency, and paradox. Some typical movements that we can observe in postmodern art are conceptual art that is often involved with the deconstruction of what makes art “art”. Installation art is the creation of artifacts that are conceptual in nature, digital art utilizes digital technology in the creation of art, and Telematic art uses computer mediated telecommunications networks as their platform. Common characteristics within these movements are the use of text as the central element, collage, simplification, appropriation, and performance arts. The following sculptures, buildings, and paintings can all be related to the popular deconstruction theme of the post-modern era of art.

The Experience Music Project

Designed by Frank O. Gehry (1999 – 2000)

I love the look of this building as it perfectly represents the idea of deconstruction. This building can be viewed at the Museum of Pop Culture in Seattle, Washington as the museum was founded by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen in 2000. In the architecture of this building we can observe some strangely shaped instruments that have all been blended together into one large sculpture. Gehry attempted to model what he thought a smashed guitar would look like when he designed this building. Many journalists commented on how ugly this building was like New York Times critic Herbert Muschamp describing it as “something that crawled out of the sea, rolled over, and died.” I like the look of this building as it is very unique with all the different shapes involved.

The Dancing House

Designed by Vlado Milunic in 1996

The design of this building in Prague, Czech Republic is a very non-traditional design that was controversial at the time due to the baroque and Gothic styles of other buildings in the area. Frank Gehry had originally called the building Fred and Ginger after the famous dancers Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, as the building represents a pair of dancers. This structure is known as deconstructivist architecture due to its very unusual shape. The tower made of concrete is made to represent Fred with the metal head at the top while the tower made of glass is made to represent Ginger. I originally picked this structure to cover due to the unique nature of the building, and after learning the history behind why the building is shaped the way it is, I enjoy it even more.

Water Bearer

By: Sandro Chia 1981

Chia was often known at the time of the painting water bearer for painting figures, usually engaged in some startling action like men with fish in a self portrait. This painting was an illustration of a classical sculpture of the same subject. He made several drawings prior to creating this painting as he continued to change things like the brightness of colors, notably the strong red color of fish’s tail. He claimed that both the man and the fish were invented together, the fish living in the water and the man as the water bearer. Often times the male figures in Chia’s paintings appear to be on a mission of some sort searching for something.

Away from the flock

By: Damien Hirst 1994

This sculpture resides in Scotland and is one of a group of sculptures that are collectively entitled Natural History. In this sculpture a glass-walled tank filled with formaldehyde solution embodies a dead sheep. The sheep is fixed so that it appears to be caught in mid-movement. Tanks were often used for other art collections of this period, the major difference being that it was generally an object like a basketball or a baseball, not a dead animal. When questioned about the title of the art piece, he claimed that he just thought that the sheep was dead, therefore being away from the rest of the flock. Many people at the time thought that the title had religious meaning, being an outsider not being connected to anything. This sculpture is entirely contemporary in both form and presentation. Although this sculpture is somewhat eerie, his reasoning is he wanted to bring people to a zoo without having captivated animals suffering for our viewing purposes.

Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao

Architect: Frank Gehry

This building is a great example of Deconstructivism, as it represents a fusion of complex, swirling forms and captivating materiality. He boosted the economy of Bilbao due to the huge success of this museum. The world class museum has in fact transformed the entire city to this idea of oddly shaped, deconstructed looking buildings. This building has attracted more than 1 million people annually to the location. I picked this piece of architecture due to the sheer detail of the building. Each part of the building is shaped nothing like what we think the average building shape should look like, and they are compiled in such a way that they just look like they are all perched atop the building.

Parc de la Villette

By: Bernard Tschumi

Tschumi is one of the worlds most daring and renowned architects, as he pioneered the idea of Deconstructivism. Tschumi focused on the pleasures in designing rather than the uselessness and he aimed to include as much irrational material in his architecture as possible. The park Parc de la Villette in Paris is a park based on culture rather than nature. This park is a place where natural and artificial are forced together creating constant reconfiguration and discovery. He was criticized at the time for creating a space that was to spacious and too large with little to no consideration for human needs. This was done on purpose by Tschumi as it represents the way people feel when going from a large crowded urban setting to a vast open space. I enjoyed looking at the strange shapes of this park, as nothing seemed to be within the norms of what we expect within a park.

References:

“Dancing House.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 21 Nov. 2018, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dancing_House.

“Museum of Pop Culture.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 16 Oct. 2018, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Museum_of_Pop_Culture.

“Postmodern Art.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 8 Nov. 2018, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Postmodern_art#Movements_in_postmodern_art.

Tate. “Postmodernism – Art Term.” Tate, Tate, http://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/p/postmodernism.

“The Dancing House.” Widewalls, http://www.widewalls.ch/deconstructivism-buildings/dancing-house-prague/.

Art in the time of the early modern era was greatly influenced by the great depression. The art during this time reflected the dark and gloomy times after the stock market crash after the roaring 20’s in America. This time was known as the Great Depression, as most people fought to just survive the dark and gloomy days. The great Depression ended in 1939 after The New Deal had been in effect since 1935.

Lord Heal the Child 1934

By: Thomas Hart Benton

Thomas Benton was a teacher at the Art Students League of New York from 1926 to 1935 and at the Kansas City Art Institute from 1935 to 1941. Many of his paintings depicted normal people trying to pass the time to get through the heart of the great depression. As I look at his painting, Lord Heal the Child, I can feel the pain of having a child sick with one of the many diseases that was common to this time period. This picture takes place inside a church as Thomas painted the musicians and choir in the background, and the concerned church-goers in the foreground. Almost everyone in this picture has a saddened look on their face which was common with this era. This picture depicts this era well, as you can observe the roughly constructed church walls and open roof. The gloominess of this picture can also be captured with the use of many dark colors and a single hanging light over the stage.

The Wealth of the Nation 1938

By: Seymour Fogel

This painting is a mural that was produced in 1938 for the newly formed Social Security Administration. This picture came after the presidents release of The New Deal, showing square jawed Americans in the industrial sector. This piece of art isn’t necessarily a realistic depiction of what is going on with the economy at this time, as it is more of an idealistic painting. This type of art has been labeled Social Realist art, as many of the arts in this genre are inspired by works of the great Mexican muralists Diego Rivera, Clemente Orazco, and David Siqueiros. The other type of art that was produced in this era was quite different in terms of subject matter and perspective, and was produced by artists in the Regionalist school. A select few artists were able to blend both styles in the same painting, and Seymour Fogel was one of those artists. I liked the flow of this picture the most, as there are at least 4 different paintings blended into one picture.

Alaskan Fishing Village Dawn 1937

By: Karl Fortess

Although The Great Depression was still going on during this time after The New Deal and until 1939, a dozen artists were sent to explore the Alaskan Territory in 1937. Most all of the paintings of their journey were thought to be lost or destroyed, as this one emerged some 70 years later. The pieces of art that were collected by the Federal Arts Project (FAP) were going to be part of an exhibit that would tour the country attempting to promote tourism and industry in the region. Alaska at this time didn’t possess professional artists, so the program recruited artists from the Midwest, New York, and New England. Among these artists recruited was Karl Fortess who was a Woodstock painter, and they toured Alaska from the fishing industries along the coast, to the mines at Juneau and Fairbanks, and the farms in the Matanuska valley, painting and sketching along their way. In this painting we can observe the simple way of life for the people of Alaska as they are seemingly unaffected by the effects of The Great Depression. The curvature of the painting is similar to many works of this era, and the vast mountain ranges and bay water in the back can hardly be contained in the background of the picture. This is my favorite picture of this time period that I have found so far because I can relate to portrayed fish camp.

References:

Fogel, Seymour. “The American Scene and Public Art during the Great Depression.” Russell Tether Fine Arts Associates, LLC, 16 Jan. 2013, russelltetherfineart.wordpress.com/2013/01/16/the-american-scene-and-public-art-during-the-great-depression/.

Sarudy, Barbara Wells. “It’s About Time.” 1930s America’s Great Depression – 1934 Public Works Art Project, 7 Oct. 2012, bjws.blogspot.com/2012/10/1930s-americas-great-depression-thomas.html.

SitNews. “SitNews – Long-Lost Painting from Alaska WPA Expedition Emerges After 70-Years.” Sitnews – Stories In The News – Ketchikan, Alaska – News, Features, Opinions…, http://www.sitnews.us/0306news/031505/031506_painting.html.

After the 18th century and well into the 19th century, the idea of romanticism spread quickly throughout Europe and the United States. This new idea challenged the old way of thinking brought on by the enlightenment. This new era brought artists forward that emphasized sense and emotions instead of reason and order like previous eras. These new “romantic” ideas brought a new way of looking at and understanding the world as people began to search for individual rights and liberty. These new voices reached far more than just art genres as it also affected literature, music, and architecture as well. Many times Romantic Era painters found themselves turning their attention to nature and “plein air” painting. (Painting out of doors) Many painters attempted to portray nature’s power and unpredictability trying to show the viewer both the awe and the terror in the painting.

Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog (1818)

Caspar David Friedrich

This first painting that I chose is Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog as it really caught my eye with the look of the ocean. I enjoy the swirling fog, jagged rocks shown along the coast line and the hills in the background. Although this painting is very breathtaking, it is the making of an Imaginary scene. Friedrich made landscape sketches in the mountains of Saxony and Bohemia in preparation for this painting. This means that this painting was more than likely a composite collection of many of his sketches that he had made previously.

Vetheuil in the Fog (1879)

Claude Monet

I chose this painting as I enjoy the impression that Claude was attempting to capture. He waited to paint this piece until the sunlight was exactly right before quickly painting down all of the lines that he saw. This is one of his more popular pieces as it offers a subtle, distinct impression of the figure that he was trying to capture. Monet often times focused on fleeting changes in nature and preserved them in the picture planes by painting very fast before anything shifted.

The Oxbow, View from Mount Holyoke, Northampton, Massachusetts after a Thunderstorm (1836)

Thomas Cole – Hudson River School of Painters

I enjoy this painting as it symbolizes American freedom which was a large contributor to the Romantic Era paintings. The Connecticut river in this picture after a rainstorm looks so free and winding and it is painted almost as if it had just been discovered. In this photo we can observe two different areas within the painting, on the left side a dark and cloudy storm blowing out of site with a green sunlit area to the right. If you look at the bottom right corner you can also see a figure of a human which the artist is depicting of himself. Thomas Cole was among the most important and influential member of the Hudson River School of Painters.

Kindred Spirits (1849)

Asher Durand – Hudson River School of Painters

I enjoy this painting as it shows two of Durand’s good friends, also from the Hudson River School in the woods with him, Thomas Cole, and poet William Cullen Bryant. The Hudson River School put a major emphasis on nature and the unending beauty of nature, and it shows when you look at works from both Durand and Cole. This painting was painted by Durand apon Cole’s death in 1848 for poet Bryant. The painting was donated to the New York Public Library by Bryant’s daughter in 1904 and sold at an auction in 2005 for a whopping 35 million dollars.

References:

“Romanticism Movement, Artists and Major Works.” The Art Story, http://www.theartstory.org/movement-romanticism.htm.

“Asher Brown Durand.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 3 Oct. 2018, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asher_Brown_Durand#Painting_career.

Two major influences in this Classical Era period are the American and French revolutions. The creation of the Americas and the demise of the French Monarchy led the emphasis of the era to focus on reason and intellect with freedoms from tyranny and superstitions. Many historical American art pieces were created in this era, leading it to be one of my more favorite Eras of art. This Classical Era was the beginning of our great country, and the following images are all related to the American Revolution.

Yankee Doodle By: Archibald MacNeal Willard

This painting originally titled Yankee Doodle is one of several paintings painted as a scene in the nineteenth century American Revolutionary war. This painting was one of several painted by A.M. Willard that was known in the century as The Spirit of ’76. This Yankee Doodle painting was one of the most famous paintings relating to the American Revolutionary war. The flag that is flying above the three men’s heads was often assumed to be the Betsy Ross flag, but it is actually the “Cowpens” flag that was flown during the turning point of the war, the Battle of Cowpens. Archibald used his father as a model for the middle character of the painting as he sketched three men as they sang and danced. I would own this piece of art, like most pieces of art from this era, as it represents our independence.

“The Birth of Old Glory”  By: Percy Moran

This is an image of Betsy Ross showing General George Washington the first American flag. It wouldn’t be a blog about the American Revolution without a picture of George Washington. Some people question that Betsy Ross made the first flag, but it is well-known that she hand sewed many flags. Betsy and George were said to have been somewhat acquaintances as George visited Betsy’s shop to ask for the flag to be made. Betsy Ross could arguably have been one of the most famous people who wasn’t the president or military official from the American revolutionary period. The interesting thing about this painting was that it was not painted until a much later period of time. Betsy Ross wasn’t recognized as famous in her time, and it wasn’t until later in history that she was considered famous for sewing flags (more than likely including the first flag).

“Archibald Willard.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 26 June 2018, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archibald_Willard.

History.com, A&E Television Networks, http://www.history.com/topics/american-revolution/boston-massacre.

Paul Revere Heritage Project, http://www.paul-revere-heritage.com/boston-massacre-engraving.html.

“The Basics of ‘The Birth of Old Glory.’” The  Birth  of Old  Glory, the-birth-of-old-glory.weebly.com/the-basics-of-the-birth-of-old-glory.html.

I picked this piece of art ‘Sunrise in a Wood’ by Jacob Van Ruisdael because of the incredible landscape detail that it entailed. Although this piece of art doesn’t necessarily show architecture common to the Baroque time period, it represents the fine details of the era. In this painting by Jacob Van Ruisdael, we can observe the common Baroque style with the extreme detail, deep color, “sense of awe”, and the feeling of movement of the person standing by the creek. With the rejection of Catholicism by many Protestant countries, the new era adopted art styles that were more dramatic and revolutionary.

Created in the 1670’s, Jacob used the silver colored tone to represent the rays of sunlight that one might see with a sunrise early in the morning. The small cottage on the rocks to the left represents an etching by Van Everdingen called ‘The Chapel‘. Many of Jacob’s paintings he painted for royal figures and what they would expect to see, as seen in ‘View of Haarlem‘. ‘Sunrise in a Wood‘ was one of Jacob’s final and most popular paintings, as he was well known in the era for his landscape paintings. Many of his paintings were representations of his surroundings as well as images from travelers that he met. He paved the way for the later to come “Romantic style” that came about in the 18th century as his romantic moods are evident in many of his paintings.

https://www.identifythisart.com/art-movements-styles/pre-modern-art/baroque-art-movement/

https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/sunrise-in-a-wood-209252

https://www.artble.com/artists/jacob_van_ruisdael

http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~fellows/hart206/baroque.htm

This art piece Hunters in the Snow was painted by Pieter Bruegel the Elder in 1565. The painting consisted of oil on wood and is one of a series of which 5 still exist to this day. Each of the paintings in this series depicts various rural activities that represent a certain time of the year. This painting represents ancient civilization in a deep wintry scene somewhere in the Netherlands.

This painting shows a wintry scene where three hunters are returning home with their pack of dogs and nothing to show for their hunt. The three hunters appear to be walking back in shame with their heads down, and their dogs appear to be skinny and miserable. In the background people can be seen ice skating and enjoying themselves, not knowing yet that the hunters have failed to provide any food. I picked this piece of art because of my love for Alaskan art, and I could totally see this depiction of the hunters in various forms of Native Alaskan art.

I believe that in this painting we can see a great of example of Humanism, similar to the works of Raphael in “The School of Athens.” As we scan the painting we can observe many different people doing different tasks; anywhere from the hunters coming home, to children ice-skating, to women collecting firewood to stay warm. All Bruegel wanted to do was to capture civic life in that exact moment in time.

“Bruegel, Hunters in the snow (Winter)”

The Hunters in the Snow

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hunters_in_the_Snow

Fred Machetanz’s artistic paintings reflect exactly what I love about Alaskan paintings. He is able to capture moments that he sees in the wilderness in many of his different paintings. This painting Breaking Trail was painted in 1976, and portrays a musher on a cold Alaskan day breaking trail.

In this painting particularly, Fred is able to use various art elements to convey emotions through his art. Three of the major art elements that first come to my mind when I view this painting are his use of tone, color, and natural patterns. I first recognized his use of tone when observing the light colors that are used to symbolize how cold the temperature is in this picture, and makes you want to shiver even looking at the picture. To me, the lighter colors also give the painting an illusion of a nice peaceful, natural environment. The colors element is also supportive of this idea of peace and quiet, but it also adds depth when contrasting the darker tree-line with the lighter colored mountain in the background. Finally, Fred uses natural patterns in the grass on the horizon and the footprints behind the musher to relay natural movement and a sense of harmony.

AKHeather. “Alaska in All Her Splendid Glory.” WordPress. N.p., 17 Nov. 2012. Web.

https://akheather.wordpress.com/2012/11/17/46/

Hello all, my name is Stephen Sauer and I was born and raised in Fairbanks, AK. I have lived here all of my life, and I enjoy the typical outdoor Alaskan activities both in the winter time as well as summer time. I am a third generation Alaskan so I have deep family ties all throughout Alaska. I am in my last semester of college at the University of Alaska Fairbanks and will be graduating with a Bachelors of Business Administration. I look forward to meeting you all throughout this semester.

My relationship to art hasn’t been very strong in past years, as I don’t know much about the different types of art. I enjoy looking at Alaskan paintings especially the outdoors similar to the one featured in my blog post above. I don’t do much painting myself, but my family has collected various paintings from around Alaska so I have grown up around them. Of course paintings of the northern lights spark my interest as there are many paintings that have captured the brilliance of our northern lights right here in Fairbanks. Paintings of the Alaskan wilderness in the winter time tend to be my favorite.

https://www.alaskapublic.org/2018/04/20/outdoor-explorer-outdoor-art/