Quarter I:

MODERN ART

ABSTRACTIONISM
 ABSTRACTIONISM
Another group of artistic styles emerged at the same time as
the expressionist movement. It had the same spirit of freedom
of expression and openness that characterized life in the 20th
century, but it differed from expressionism in certain ways.
arose from the intellectual points of view in the 20th century
 In the world of science, physicists were formulating a new
view of the universe, which resulted in the concepts of
space-time and relativity. This intellectualism was reflected
even in art. While expressionism was emotional,
abstractionism was logical and rational. It involved analyzing,
detaching, selecting, and simplifying.
 ABSTRACTIONISM
In 20th century abstractionism , natural appearances
became unimportant.
Artists reduced a scene into geometrical shapes, patterns,
lines, angles, textures and swirls of color. The resulting works
ranged from representational abstractionism, depicting still
recognizable subjects (as in the artwork on the left), to pure
abstractionism, where no recognizable subject could be
discerned.
 ABSTRACTIONISM
Grouped under abstractionism are the
following art styles:
A. Cubism
B. Futurism
C. Mechanical Style
D. Nonobjectivism
ABSTRACTIONISM
 CUBISM
The cubist style derived its name from the cube, a three
dimensional geometric figure composed of strictly measured
lines, planes, and angles. Cubist artworks were, therefore, a
play of planes and angles on a flat surface. Foremost among
the cubists was Spanish painter/sculptor Pablo Picasso.
In earlier styles, subjects were depicted in a three-dimensional
manner, formed by light and shadow. In contrast, the cubists
analyzed their subjects’ basic geometrical forms, and broke
them up into a series of planes. Then they re-assembled these
planes, tilting and interlocking them in different ways.
 CUBISM
 In addition, the art of the past centuries had depicted a scene from
a single, stationary point of view. In contrast, cubism took the
contemporary view that things are actually seen hastily in fragments
and from different points of view at the same time. This was reflected
in the depiction of objects from more than one visual angle in the
same painting (e.g., the bull’s head in Picasso’s Guernica)
 Human figures as well were often represented with facial features
and body parts shown both frontally and from a side angle at once.
This gave a sense of imbalance and misplacement that created
immediate visual impact. It also gave cubism its characteristic feeling
of dynamism and energy. To this day, variations of cubism continue
to appear in many contemporary artworks.
CUBISM
 FUTURISM
The movement known as futurism began in
Italy in the early 1900s. As the name implies, the
futurists created art for a fast-paced, machine-
propelled age. They admired the motion,
force, speed, and strength of mechanical
forms. Thus, their works depicted the dynamic
sensation of all these—as can be seen in the
works of Italian painter Gino Severini.
FUTURISM

Armored Train
Gino Severini, 1915
Oil on canvas
 MECHANICAL STYLE
As a result of the futurist movement,
what became known as the
mechanical style emerged. In this style,
basic forms such as planes, cones,
spheres, and cylinders all fit together
precisely and neatly in their appointed
places.
MECHANICAL STYLE
This can be seen in the
works of Fernand Léger.
Mechanical parts such as
crankshafts, cylinder blocks,
and pistons are brightened
only by the use of primary
colors. Otherwise, they are
lifeless. Even human figures
are mere outlines, rendered
purposely without
expression.
 NONOBJECTIVISM
The logical geometrical conclusion of
abstractionism came in the style known
as nonobjectivism. From the very term
“non-object,” works in this style did not
make use of figures or even
representations of figures. They did not
refer to recognizable objects or forms in
the outside world.
NONOBJECTIVISM
Lines, shapes, and colors were
used in a cool, impersonal
approach that aimed for
balance, unity, and stability.
Colors were mainly black,
white, and the primaries (red,
yellow, and blue). Foremost
among the nonobjectivists was
Dutch painter Piet Mondrian.
New York City
Piet Mondrian, 1942