Unit 2: Modernism

Late 19th Century (approx: 1850s-1900s)

Realism
Impressionism
Post Impressionism

What is Modernism?

What is Modernism?
Modernism: movement that began in the late 19th
century (late 1800s) in which artists rejected
traditional ideas and favored current subject matter.

Reject Traditional ideas in art

Reject Traditional ideas in art

Biblical Stories

Reject Traditional ideas in art

Biblical Stories
Aristocratic portraits

Reject Traditional ideas in art

Biblical Stories
Aristocratic portraits

Greek & Roman Myths

Why did they reject traditional art?

Why did they reject traditional art?

NEW
INVENTIONS

Why did they reject traditional art?

HUMAN
EVOLUTION

NEW
INVENTIONS

SOCIAL
EQUALITY

NEW IDEAS

Why did they reject traditional art?

Positivism: Theory by Auguste Comte that expresses that all
knowledge must come from proven ideas based on science or
scientific theory

What type of artwork did Modernists do?

What type of artwork did Modernists do?

Work of art inspired by our human daily lives

What type of artwork did Modernists do?

Work of art inspired by our human daily lives
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Peasant life
Oppression
Prostitution
Landscapes/Scenery
Day to day life

REALISM

REALISM
CHARACTERISTICS:
Works of art that pertain to the real world
Lots of lower class subjects and narratives (workers,
peasants, prostitutes, beggars)
These lower class subjects are shown in reverence (honest
and sincere respect)
Dominant earthly colors (browns, greens, ochre, etc)

Major Works of Realism

How does the

following work
of art use or
embody
characteristics
of Modernism
and/or
Realism?

How does the

following work
of art use or
embody
characteristics
of Modernism
and/or
Realism?
Hawes and Southworth
Early Operation under
Ether, Massachusetts
General Hospital,
1847.

Honor Daumier, Rue Transnonain, 1834

Honor Daumier, Rue

Transnonain, 1834

1. Represents workers
unrest and oppression by
the government
2. Murder scene of peasant
workers indiscriminately
killed for revenge.
3. Purpose of this work of
art is to stir emotions of
the viewer against the
establishment

Honor Daumier, Rue

Transnonain, 1834

4. Lithograph- Printmaking
technique for creating mass
produced works of art.

5. Meant to be circulated to
as many people as possible,
French govt tried to suppress
distribution

Gustave Courbet, The Stone Breakers, 1849

Gustave Courbet, The Stone

Breakers, 1849

1. Colors are muted and

quiet
2. Depicts the everyday
scene of a stone breaker
3. The scene has numerous
examples of peasant life
4. There are 2 men in the
center mid motion with
landscape in the
background.
5. Oil on Canvas

douard Manet, Luncheon on the Grass, 1863

douard Manet, Luncheon on

the Grass, 1863

1. This piece was

showcased in the Salon
but was rejected.
2. 4 figures in the center: 2
females nude, 2 males
fully dressed
3. Unconventional picnic
scene
4. Oil on Canvas

douard Manet, Olympia, 1863

douard Manet, Olympia,

1863

1. Created a scandal at
the Salon
2. Female nude is cold,
direct, and uncaring of
her nudity
3. Olympia=common
name for prostitute
4. Hints of racial
inequality
5. Oil on Canvas

Words Art Historians Use Reading Protocol

(20 min) Ticket out the door
Get into groups of 4
Read your part silently
Circle any words you dont understand (look them up!)

Fill out half sheet- provide definition in your own words and a sentence that
shows how the vocab is used/related in artworks.
Each person speaks for 2 minutes telling the other classmates an overview of
what they read.