New Harmony by Paul Klee, 1936. Klee uses seemingly random colours to create a patchwork-style pattern. However the way the colours are mirrored in a sometimes symmetrical manner means the piece is calmly balanced without seeming erratic.
Workshop by Wyndham Lewis, c.1914. This is an example of the Vorticist movement, co-founded by British artist Wyndham Lewis. Similar to Cubism and Futurism, Vorticism involves bold, angular linework which creates strong movements in the visual images such as in Workshop.
Three Girls in Yellow Straw Hats by August Macke, 1913. This is one of Macke’s last paintings, (he died in 1914 at the age of 27). The Fauvists had been working and developing in the years just before this and their influence on Macke is clear to see here, with the abstraction of vibrant wild colours.
Jack in the Pulpit No.IV by Georgia O’Keeffe: modernism
American Gothic by Grant Wood: regionalism, social realism
Composition II in Red, Blue and Yellow by Piet Mondrian: de stijl
City at Night by Aleksandra Ekster: cubo-futurism
Glaieuls Rouges by Chaim Soutine: expressionism
Dazzle-ships in Drydock by Edward Wadsworth: vorticism, cubism
The Painter’s Window by Juan Gris, 1925. Gris’ painting equipment obstructs the view of his open window, along with an abstract guitar, a deck of cards and a couple of pears. Is Gris comparing the view outside of an open window with the visual set up of a still life for a painter?
Red and White Domes by Paul Klee, 1914. I find it interesting the Klee chose to represent dome forms in blocks of square colour. Is Klee indicating the difference between seeing objects in colour and seeing objects in shapes? It’s a pretty complex argument; the title suggests there is more than one red or white dome, but in the piece there is arguably just one of each. It is as though Klee is observing these forms through some sort of coloured obstruction, such as a stained glass window.
Composition II in Red, Blue and Yellow by Piet Mondrian, 1930. Mondrian’s work is all about form, colour, scale and the overall effect of these factors combined. For example, what is the meaning of the red section being the biggest by a significant amount? What sort of atmosphere does the piece evoke because of this? I like the dark outlines Mondrian uses to separate each section; they act as boundaries, containing the colour in its own private space.
The Mud Bath by David Bomberg, 1914. There is something so violent about the jagged forms in this Vorticist study by English painter, and member of the Whitechapel Boys, David Bomberg. The geometric and machine-like interpretations of the figures in this east London steam bath are reminiscent of the work of the Futurists.
