-
Period: to
Modernism (1850-1960)
-
A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte (Oil on Canvas) by Georges Seurat (French painter)
This work was created from 1884 to 1886 and is Georges Seurat's most famous painting. The modernist style used in this piece is Pointillism, a branch of Impressionism. -
The Starry Night (Oil on Canvas) by Vincent van Gogh (Dutch painter)
Painted in 1889, The Starry Night is considered one of van Gogh's most famous works, completed in a Post-impressionist style. -
Heart of Darkness (novella) by Joseph Conrad (Polish-British author)
This was first published as a three-part story in Blackwood's Magazine in 1899 and then as a book in 1902. The story is known as an example of early modernism and questions British imperialism. -
The Thinker (Sculpture) by Auguste Rodin (French Sculptor)
This sculpture is one of the most famous of all time and has been recreated by many. -
The Steerage (Photograph) by Alfred Stieglitz (American photographer)
The Steerage is often considered one of the most important photographs of the modernist movement. The people on the ship were traveling from New York to Europe, implying they had not been allowed to enter the United States. -
The Rite of Spring (orchestral concert, ballet) by Igor Stravinsky (Russian composer)
The first time this was performed, it nearly created a riot amongst audience members because of the controversial nature of the performance. The piece is regarded as one of the most important musical compositions of the 20th century.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFPjFjUonX8 -
Blast (literary magazine) published in Great Britain
Two editions of this literary magazine were published, one on June 20, 1914 and one on July 15, 1915. The magazine is an important example of modernism before World War I. -
Water Lilies (Oil on Canvas) by Claude Monet (French painter)
Claude Monet painted this piece in 1919 as the sun reflected off a pond with water lilies floating on the surface. The work is considered an important example of Impressionism. -
Ulysses (novel) by James Joyce (Irish author)
Ulysses is known for its experimental style, including the use of stream-of-consciousness writing. -
The Waste Land (poem) by T.S. Eliot (British poet)
T.S. Eliot is one of the most recognized modernist poets, and his 434-line poem, The Waste Land, is one of his best known works. It is one of the most important poems of the modernist era. -
The String Trio (musical compositon) by Anton Webern (Austrian composer)
One of Webern's later works, this piece utilizes the twelve tone technique, which he learned from Arnold Schoenberg.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MVMxDrnSjo -
To The Lighthouse (novel) by Virginia Woolf (British author)
Written by Virginia Woolf, an important female author of the modernist movement, this title includes little action and little dialogue and focuses more on introspection. -
Ain't Misbehavin' (Song) peformed by Thomas Wright "Fats" Waller (musician)
This song is an example of jazz music that was very popular during the 1920's. While it incorporates elements of jazz music, it also contains elements of swing music.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtfXnwi_Njo -
The Persistence of Memory (Oil on canvas) by Salvador Dali (Spanish painter)
The Persistence of Memory is Dali's most well-known painting and was completed in 1931. Dali was a surrealist painter, trying to blend elements of reality and dreams into one image. -
Lunch Atop a Skyscraper (Photograph) by Charles C. Ebbets or Unknown
This iconic photograph was taken in 1932. It shows men eating lunch while sitting on a high beam above the streets of New York. The building they are working on is 30 Rockefeller Plaza. -
Fallingwater or Kaufman Residence (architechture) by Frank Lloyd Wright (American architect)
Built from 1936 to 1939, Fallingwater is a house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, possibly the most famous modern architect. Located in Pennsylvania, this house blends nature with humanity. -
Mount Rushmore (Sculpture) by Gutzon Borglum and Lincoln Borglum (American sculptors)
One of the most iconic sculptures in the world was created from 1927 to 1941. -
The Farnsworth House (architecture) by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (German-American architect)
Built from 1945 to 1951, The Farnsworth House is one of the most notable structures designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. It is a one-room house made of steel and glass, common materials used by modernist architects. -
Full Fathom Five (Drip Painting) by Jackson Pollock (American painter)
Jackson Pollock was known as an abstract expressionist. Full Fathom Five, completed in 1947, was one of his first drip paintings. This is the style he is best known for. -
Waiting for Godot (play) by Samuel Beckett (Irish author)
Samuel Becket was considered one of the last major modernist writers. Waiting for Godot is known for blending elements of both tragedy and comedy, and therefore can be classified as a tragicomedy.
