The Claude Monet gallery shows how artwork became more abstract by going through the major modern art movements that led to contemporary artwork.
Before visiting this gallery, it is recommended to see the Renaissance Gallery first. This way, you can better understand the order of art movements.
Background and The Beginning of Abstraction: Impressionism
Art used to be focused on realism because it filled the niche of the camera: to mimic reality. A niche is a role that something takes, which can also change.
However, after the invention of the camera, artists could be more expressive with their artwork. One of these artists was Claude Monet, who began to create impressions of what he saw in life. He created considerably abstract views of reality in his paintings for his time.
Hence, this gallery is named after Claude Monet, as he was one of the earliest artists to experiment with abstraction.
Copyright
Public Domain artwork on this page can be used for non-commercial, and educational use. However, some Public Domain artwork may not be available for commercial use. Any artwork that is not in the Public Domain, that The Art Museum was given access to use, is available by requests to the copyright holders of those artwork. The explanations and information in this article that are unique to and provided by InfinityBlot, should be attributed to this webpage when cited.
Impressionism
Painting: Impression, Sunrise by Claude Monet, Public Domain, 1872, photo courtesy of impressionistarts.com
Sunrise is a painting of Monet’s hometown. It is considerably abstract for its time, as it is one of the first paintings to experiment with creating an “impression” or unrealistic view of reality. One critic called Monet an “Impressionist,” which is why Claude Monet’s works are known to create an “impression” of reality and why “Impressionism” is known as an art movement. This expression was used to describe Claude Monet’s artwork and many other painters creating abstract impressions of reality.
Post-Impressionism
After Impressionism came the Post-Impressionist movement, concerned with the depiction of color and light in Impressionism. Post-Impressionist artwork is more fantastical than Impressionist artwork, with more depiction of bright colors, as shown in The Starry Night.
Painting: The Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh, Public Domain, 1889, photo courtesy of vangoghgallery.com
The Starry Night is one of the earliest and most famous post-impressionist artworks, currently held at the MoMA in New York City. Post-Impressionism is a movement in artwork created after Impressionism, between 1886 and 1905.
Painting: Wheat Field with Cypresses by Vincent van Gogh, Public Domain, 1889, photo courtesy of The Met
Another Post-Impressionist work by Van Gogh, depicting Cypress trees in Saint-Rémy. It is part of the same series as Vincent van Gogh’s Starry Night. It is currently displayed at the Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 199.
Cubism and Fauvism
After Post-Impressionism, the Cubism and Fauvism movements arose. In Cubism, subjects were broken and reassembled into an abstract form. Meanwhile, the movement of Fauvism inspired artists to create more colorful and imaginative paintings.
Painting: L’Homme au Balcon, Man on a Balcony (Portrait of Dr. Théo Morinaud) by Albert Gleizes, Public Domain, 1912, photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
An example of early cubism artwork of a man sitting on a balcony. The cubism movement was considered one of the first abstract movements in art, but Impressionism, Fauvism, and Post-Impressionism ultimately led up to it.
Painting: The Dessert: Harmony in Red (The Red Room) by Henri Matisse, Public Domain, 1908, photo courtesy of www.HenriMatisse.org
An example of a Fauve painting created by Henri Matisse. The word “Fauve” is used to describe artists creating artwork following the movement of Fauvism, and also translates to “Wild Beasts” or “Wildcats” in French. You can see prominent qualities of Fauvism in this piece, such as the use of bright and acidic colors.
More Movements: Dadaism, Art Deco, and Precisionism
Painting: I Saw the Figure 5 by Charles Demuth, Public Domain, 1928, photo courtesy of Wikipedia
Precisionism was another movement moving art in a more abstract direction. It focused on industrialization and modernization in America, and included precise, geometric forms. This painting also shows characteristics of cubism and futurism.
Readymade: Bicycle Wheel by Marcel Duchamp, Public Domain, c.1913-1964, photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Dadaism was an art movement that questioned what art really should be. This is an example of a Dadaist sculpture, by a pioneer in this movement, Marcel Duchamp. It is currently displayed at the MoMA.
Poster: Chicago World Fair Poster, for Century of Progress Fair by Marcel Duchamp, Public Domain, 1933, photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, Revised Photo
The Art Deco movement was a movement in art, architecture, and design that spanned from 1919 to 1939. Furniture, appliances, and even toasters were designed to look “Art Deco”. It was a more modern approach to art, which still influences artists and designers today. The style of Art Deco was considerably modern for its time, with less focus on detail, and more focus on color and solid shape.
Pop Art
Painting: Campbell’s Soup Can by Andy Warhol, Public Domain Image, 1964, photo courtesy of LACMA
Pop art was another major movement in art, inspired by comic books and abstract art from its time. It was popular from the 1950s to 1970s, and focused on Pop culture of the time. Andy Warhol’s Campbell soup cans are one example of Pop Art. Andy Warhol mass-produced his soup can artwork in a factory (using other artists to create his artwork), as a way to question the value of art. Some museums with his soup cans displayed, have more than 10.
Contemporary Art
The contemporary or modern art movement is said to range from the 1970s to the present day. This artwork is the most abstract, more focused on sharing ideas, making statements, and bringing change to the world.
Contemporary artwork can also describe artwork made in response to a world more culturally diverse and with advancements in technology.
Some well-known contemporary artists include Nam June Paik, The Guerilla Girls, and Cindy Sherman.
Multimedia artwork: This Present Moment by Alicia Eggert, 2019-2020, Open Access Image Courtesy of the Smithsonian Institution
An example of contemporary artwork; image courtesy of the SAAM located in Washington D.C. Alicia Eggert is an interdisciplinary artist who uses multiple forms of medium in her installations. This Present Moment is an optimistic approach to the world we live in, reflecting on how far humanity has made it as a striving civilization and world. Notice how this piece uses neon signs, metal, and other modern materials for form and structure, rather than traditional techniques limited to printmaking, sculptures, painting, etc.
Aram Han Sifuentes, Verónica Casado Hernandez, OTRO MUNDO ES POSIBLE, 2017, felt, fusible web, and bias tape on cotton, overall banner: 42 7⁄8 × 42 1⁄2 in. (108.9 × 108 cm) ties: 6 – 10 in. card: 4 x 6 in., Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase made possible through Jaimianne and Anthony Jacobin in honor of the James Renwick Alliance, 2021.36, © 2017, Aram Han Sifuentes (Image Courtesy of Smithsonian Institution)
OTRO MUNDO ES POSIBLE was created in response to the controversial removal of the DACA program in the United States, which threatened the legal protection to over 800,000 immigrants who came undocumented to the United States as children. “OTRO MUNDO ES POSIBLE” translates to “OTHER WORLD IS POSSIBLE,” emphasizing that it is possible for the world to become more just and equal.
Multimedia artwork: Electronic Superhighway by Nam June Paik, 1995, Open Access Image Courtesy of the Smithsonian Institution
A contemporary, multimedia work of art, composed of television sets and neon lights. Rights to use this artwork are courtesy of the SAAM (the Smithsonian American Art Museum). Essentially, this piece is a prediction of the potential of the internet, which in its early days of development, was lesser-known to the public. It shows how each state in the United States with its unique identity (represented with different imagery, people, and information), no matter how far apart (Alaska, Hawaii), could potentially have the ability to communicate with each other, on what is considered an “Electronic Superhighway.”