Realism in the art of the twentieth century is striking for its diversity. Although not bound together stylistically or by a manifesto of intention, a common thread in realist art is a commitment to the modern world and to things as they appear, whether it be the domestic claustrophobia depicted in Sickert's 'Ennui' or the social observation of urban nightlife in Weimar Germany in the work of Christian Schad and Georg Schrimpf. James Malpas examines the so-called 'socialist realism' of Stalin's Soviet Union and the condemnation of artists and works not conforming to the acadmic-realist scruples of Adolf Hitler. With the triumph of Abstract Expressionism in the 1950s realism may have been thought outmoded, but its varied and vibrant quality was to be revealed in the 'Pop Art' backlash in the United States and Britain, in the work of David Hockney, Richard Hamilaton, and Andy Warhol.
This introduction looks at Modernist art of the twentieth century, in order to show exactly what are the defining characteristics of modernism, and also looks at the critical reaction, both positive a
Futurism, invented in 1909 by the Italian writer and cultural impresario, F.T. Marinetti, was the defining avant-garde movement of the early twentieth century. This book examines the impact of Futuris
Abstract art in its many forms has been a dominant mode in the visual arts for the better part of a century. Popular histories usually trace "abstraction" as a succession of style or "isms," each set
Abstract art in its many forms has been a dominant mode in the visual arts for the better part of a century. Popular histories usually trace "abstraction" as a succession of style or "isms," each set
Surrealism was one of the most interesting and influential art movements of the twentieth century. A collective adventure begun by a small group of intellectuals in Paris in the early 1920s, amongst them Max Ernst, Rene Magritte and Salvador Dali, its influence was felt through the rest of continenal Europe and in Britain, the Americas, Mexico, and Japan. This introduction offers new insights into the complexities of the Surrealist imagination. It documents how the artists met, the relationship of Surrealism to Dada, and the influences that informed the movement, particularly the work of Sigmund Freud. The position of women, as Surrealist subject matter as well as artists in their own right, is also examined.
