art 143 individual widad

Francis Bacon, Three Studies of George Dyer. Oil on canvas. 1966.

Individual Experience

Chapter 17: Postwar European Art

Read History of Modern Art, pp. 411-443. Watch video supplements.

In your reading for this week, you will learn more about different forms of Postwar European art. Following the end of WWII, many European artists were heavily influenced by the intellectual movement Existentialism, which is reflected in their attempts to grapple with the meaning of the isolated figure in the postwar world. With the exception of Concrete Art, the majority of Postwar European art (both figurative and abstract) is very emotionally charged.

In your post for this week, you will choose an artist discussed in the chapter, and present an example of their work. I encourage you to choose a work that is not shown in your textbook. Please write a brief personal interpretation in which you examine the emotional impact of this work of art. How does the artist use form, color, and materials to communicate their ideas? What do you think they are trying to communicate? How does the painting make YOU feel? Why?

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