Cross-curricular Connections

So last week I mentioned a little bit about how this semester’s art history classes are an inspiration to me. Last post, it was African art. This post, it is 19^th/20^th c European art, which includes such details as…

1. Impressionistic colors. The 19^thc artistic movement comprised of Parisian-based artists known as Impressionism is characterized by visible brush strokes and changing light. In order to achieve the effect of shimmering light, artists such as Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and Edgar Degas applied strokes of bold color side by side without mixing them. This creates an illusion wherein the optical mixing occurs in the eye of the viewer, which is really awesome. Additionally, black was typically avoided in favor of using complementary colors to create the illusion of shadowy light. The effects and illusions created with these optical techniques are inspiring because of the emotional effects that they create. A similar emotional color pallet is employed by the artists of the subsequent …

2. Expressionism movement, which originated in 20^thc Germany. Philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche had a great influence over the artists of the movement, who sought to express subjects emotionally, rather than how they existed in reality. This intense need to express emotion came from the political and social stress that society was experiencing in the Post-WWII era. Bold, clashing colors added to a sense of anxiety and unrest that society was feeling at the time. One artist of the era,…

3. Wassily Kandinsky, also acted as a shaman-type figure who was interested in turning the emotional aspects of expressionism towards a more spiritual movement. In Brenda’s class, we were required to read “Concerning the Spiritual in Art” this week. It was incredibly eye-opening. Here, Kandinsky speaks about the superiority of internal truths as opposed to external form. He draws connections between modern artists and “the Primitives.” Instead of “art for art’s sake,” he believes that the artist should take advantage of art as a channel for spiritual relationships. Art can simply imitate life, or create the impression of life, or just be pleasant to look at, but Kandinsky believes that it also holds the incredible power to activate a spiritual connection that our society has been repressing since the dawn of commercial consumerism.

Keeping it academic,

Ali