Monday Morning Museum: American Scene Painting – Regionalism

Regionalism – In America from 1931 to 1940

Regionalism is an American realist modern art movement that was popular during the 1930s. The artistic focus was from artists who shunned city life, and rapidly developing technological advances, to create scenes of rural life. Regionalist style was at its height from 1930 to 1935. – Wikipedia.org

In addition to Thomas Hart Benton (see art example below), other practitioners of Regionalism are John Steuart Curry and Grant Wood.

Romance, circa 1931-1932 by Thomas Hart Benton (1889-1975)

A painter and muralist celebrated for his regional scenes of daily life in the southern, midwestern, and western United States, Thomas Hart Benton was committed to portraying images of progress and satisfaction in the American heartland. Born to a family of statesmen, Benton was a patriot who saw his art as a means to generate social and political reform. His nostalgic and uplifting scenes of hard work, self-reliance, and individualism garnered broad popular appeal in post–World War I America. This work, painted when the artist was at the midpoint of his life, provides a lyrical view of a young couple on a relaxed evening stroll. Drawing on his knowledge of both Old Master techniques and modernist ideas, which he had gleaned from several years spent studying in Paris, Benton crafted a lively composition whose rhythmic alignment of forms conveys a sense of poignant familiarity. – The Blanton Museum of Art

Last Monday’s Art – Academic Art
Next Monday’s Art – Social Realism

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President Barack Obama's 2013 Inauguration

Monday Morning Museum: Academic Art

Academic Art – Especially the French Academy and Nineteenth century art salons

Academic art is a style of painting and sculpture produced under the influence of European academies of art. Specifically, academic art is the art and artists influenced by the standards of the French Académie des Beaux-Arts. – Wikipedia.org

In addition to Jean-Léon Gérôme (see art example below), another prominent Academic Art practitioner is Adolphe-William Bouguereau.

La Nuit, circa 1850-1855, by Jean-Léon Gérôme (1824-1904)

Pour un plafond de chambre à coucher. Par son iconographie "La nuit", correspond peut-être à "Phoebé" exposé à Vésoul en 1897 à l'exposition locale des Beaux-Arts. Il semblerait être en rapport avec la décoration de la maison de l'acteur Jules François Got qui comportait 4 panneaux illustrant les saisons, exécutée par 4 artistes néo-grecs, dont Gérôme responsable de "l'Eté". Le thème de la nuit était peut-être un complément de ce décor. - Musée d’Orsay

Approximate translation:

For a bedroom ceiling. By iconography "Night" is perhaps "Phoebe" exhibited at Vesoul in 1897 at the local exhibition of Fine Arts. It seems to be related to the decoration of the house of the actor Jules François Got that included four panels depicting the seasons, executed by four neo-Greek artists, including Gérôme responsible for the "Summer". The theme of the night was perhaps a complement to this set.

Last Monday’s Art – Color Field Painting
Next Monday’s Art – Regionalism

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Monday Morning Museum: Abstract Expressionism – Color Field Painting

Color Field Painting – Primarily in New York City from the 1940s to the 1960s

Color Field is characterized primarily by large fields of flat, solid color spread across or stained into the canvas creating areas of unbroken surface and a flat picture plane. The movement places less emphasis on gesture, brushstrokes and action in favour of an overall consistency of form and process. – Wikipedia.org

In addition to Kenneth Noland (see art example below), a major Color Field Painting artist is Mark Rothko.

Blue Extend, 1962 by Kenneth Noland (1924-2010)

Last Monday’s Art – Action Painting
Next Monday’s Art – Academic Art

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Monday Morning Museum: Abstract Expressionism – Action Painting

Action Painting – Primarily in New York City from the 1940s to the 1960s

Action painting sometimes called "gestural abstraction", is a style of painting in which paint is spontaneously dribbled, splashed or smeared onto the canvas, rather than being carefully applied. The resulting work often emphasizes the physical act of painting itself as an essential aspect of the finished work or concern of its artist. – Wikipedia.org

In addition to Willem de Kooning (see art example below), major Action Painting artists are Philip Guston, Franz Kline, Jackson Pollock.

In the Sky, 1982 by Willem de Kooning (1904-1997)

Medium: Offset Lithograph Poster
Size: 26 in. x 30.5 in. (66.04 cm x 77.47 cm

Last Monday’s Artist – Filippo Lippi
Next Monday’s Art – Color Field Painting

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Happy New Year 2013!

Wishing each and every one of you a beautiful and bountiful twenty thirteen! Cheers for a bright year!

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