Modern Art in 19th-century European Art WEEK 8

  • Francis Picabia, Intervention d'une femme au moyen d'une machine (Intervention of a woman by means of a machine), 1915, Pencil, watercolor, ink, and gouache on paper mounted on cardboard, 75.3 x 50.5 cm

    Francis Picabia, Intervention d'une femme au moyen d'une machine (Intervention of a woman by means of a machine), 1915, Pencil, watercolor, ink, and gouache on paper mounted on cardboard, 75.3 x 50.5 cm

    This painting is a significant work from Picabia's "mechanical period," a pivotal transition from Cubism to Dadaism. The work's major characteristics include its use of machine-like forms to depict human relationships and its exploration of themes like mechanization and the relationship between humans and technology. Artwork Citation: https://www.facebook.com/JordanSchnitzerMuseumofArt/posts/masterworksmonday-francis-picabia-french-1879-1953intervention-dune-femme
  • Artist: George Grosz Title: A Victim of Society (or Remember Uncle August, the Unhappy Inventor) Date: 1919 Media: Oil on canvas Dimensions: 47.5 x 37.5 cm Repository: The Museum of Modern Art, New York

    Artist: George Grosz Title: A Victim of Society (or Remember Uncle August, the Unhappy Inventor) Date: 1919 Media: Oil on canvas Dimensions: 47.5 x 37.5 cm Repository: The Museum of Modern Art, New York

    The painting is a significant work of the Dada and New Objectivity movements, which were a protest against the bourgeois society and the horrors of World War I. It reflects the major characteristics of these movements through its satirical and grotesque depiction of a man, symbolizing the corruption and dehumanization of post-war German society. Artwork Citation: https://oliviaggraphicsproject2.wordpress.com/2014/01/28/dada-research/
  • Hannah Höch, Cut with the Kitchen Knife Dada Through the Last Weimar Beer-Belly Cultural Epoch of Germany, 1919-1920, Photomontage, 90 x 144 cm. It is also cited as 114 x 90 cm, Nationalgalerie, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin.

    Hannah Höch, Cut with the Kitchen Knife Dada Through the Last Weimar Beer-Belly Cultural Epoch of Germany, 1919-1920, Photomontage, 90 x 144 cm. It is also cited as 114 x 90 cm, Nationalgalerie, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin.

    The artwork is a key example of the Dada art movement, using photomontage as a form of political and social critique of Germany's Weimar Republic. The piece addresses themes of political chaos, gender issues, and social upheaval by satirically depicting the major figures and ideas of the time through a chaotic arrangement of cut-out images. Artwork Citation: https://medium.com/@johnwelford15/cut-with-the-kitchen-knife-by-hannah-hoch-20f1a0aa1d5
  • Artist: Max Ernst Title: The Elephant Celebes Date: 1921 Media: Oil on canvas Dimensions: 125.4 x 107.9 cm (49.4 x 42.5 in.) Repository: Tate Modern, London

    Artist: Max Ernst Title: The Elephant Celebes Date: 1921 Media: Oil on canvas Dimensions: 125.4 x 107.9 cm (49.4 x 42.5 in.) Repository: Tate Modern, London

    The Elephant Celebes by Max Ernst is a key work of the Surrealist movement, combining dream logic with unexpected, mechanical imagery to challenge conventional reality and provoke subconscious associations. The painting features a bizarre, elephant-like machine in a desolate landscape, reflecting themes of war, memory, industrialization, and the irrational mind. https://20thcenturyartmovements.weebly.com/surrealism/the-elephant-celebes
  • Artist: René Magritte Title: Le Double Secret (The Double Secret) Date: 1927 Media: Oil on canvas Dimensions: 114 x 162 cm (44 7/8 x 63 3/4 in.) Repository: Centre Pompidou, Paris

    Artist: René Magritte Title: Le Double Secret (The Double Secret) Date: 1927 Media: Oil on canvas Dimensions: 114 x 162 cm (44 7/8 x 63 3/4 in.) Repository: Centre Pompidou, Paris

    This painting is a significant work of the Surrealist movement, which sought to challenge perceptions of reality and explore the subconscious mind. It features major characteristics of Magritte's style, such as the juxtaposition of ordinary elements in an unusual context to create a sense of mystery and paradox, and it explores themes of duality and the hidden nature of the human psyche. Artwork Citation: https://www.sothebys.com/en/articles/rene-magrittes-doubles
  • Artist: Salvador Dalí Title: The Persistence of Memory Date: 1931 Media: Oil on canvas Dimensions: 9 1/2 x 13 inches (24.1 x 33 cm) Repository: Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York City

    Artist: Salvador Dalí Title: The Persistence of Memory Date: 1931 Media: Oil on canvas Dimensions: 9 1/2 x 13 inches (24.1 x 33 cm) Repository: Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York City

    The Persistence of Memory is a landmark Surrealist painting by Salvador Dalí that symbolizes the fluidity of time and the instability of reality through melting clocks and dreamlike landscapes. Its precise, realistic style contrasts with irrational, subconscious themes, reflecting Surrealism’s goal to merge dream and reality. Artwork Citation: https://www.moma.org/audio/playlist/3/163#:~:text=1931%2063,yellow%20along%20the%20horizon%20line.
  • Artist: Salvador Dalí Title: Swans Reflecting Elephants Date: 1937 Media: Oil on canvas Dimensions: 51 x 77 cm (20 x 30 in) Repository: Private collection

    Artist: Salvador Dalí Title: Swans Reflecting Elephants Date: 1937 Media: Oil on canvas Dimensions: 51 x 77 cm (20 x 30 in) Repository: Private collection

    Swans Reflecting Elephants by Salvador Dalí is a significant Surrealist painting that uses double imagery to explore the fluid boundaries between reality and illusion, a key concern of the movement. The work reflects themes of transformation, perception, and the subconscious, combining precise realism with dreamlike elements to provoke deeper psychological reflection. Artwork Citation:
    https://arthive.com/salvadordali/works/316602~Swans_reflected_in_elephants#google
  • Artist: Salvador Dalí Title: Invention of the Monsters Date: 1937 Media: Oil on canvas Dimensions: 51.4 × 78.4 cm (20 1/4 × 30 7/8 in.) Repository: The Art Institute of Chicago

    Artist: Salvador Dalí Title: Invention of the Monsters Date: 1937 Media: Oil on canvas Dimensions: 51.4 × 78.4 cm (20 1/4 × 30 7/8 in.) Repository: The Art Institute of Chicago

    The painting is significant because it typifies Dalí's signature Surrealist style, which he called the "paranoiac-critical method," and expresses his anxieties about the Spanish Civil War and the political climate leading up to World War II. Artwork Citation: https://www.artic.edu/artists/34123/salvador-dali