At the beginning of 20th century, with social, economic and technological changes in the states, there were remarkable transitions in American art. Alfred Stieglitz’s 291 Gallery in New York City introduced Americans, especially New York audiences, to new art movements leading Europe at that time such as Impressionism, Cubism and so on, thereby changing the trend that American artists had depicted figures on the canvas realistically and naturalistically into the challenge to create paintings more expressive and conceptual, which is called Modernism. At the same time, Stieglitz promoted photography as fine art, which encouraged American artists to be on the way to abstraction against photography, to imitate precise details of photography being inspired by it or to be on middle way. Through those attempts during this period, American artists began to establish American Modernism distinguished from European Modernism.
Among three ways pf American Modernism as I mentioned before, there are Charles Sheeler's Ore into Iron, 1953 and Georgia O’Keeffe's Patio with Black Door, 1955, which compares the difference of subject matter and contrast in the paintings. Charles Sheeler, a typical Precisionist, mainly painted American modern cityscape with machines, factory and technology to celebrate and welcome the changes to modern society of America. The most important thing to analyze his work is brushwork, which shows sharp edges, precise outlines and obvious colors evoking the effect of photography. Actually, he was one of American artists influenced by photography and wanted to capture the images of development in America, with linear precision. In Ore into Iron, machines and factories are presented as subject matters, and clear contrast caused by accurate and geometric lines and colors is also seen. According to descriptions of the work at MFA Boston, before he drew sketches and painted it, he took photos of these blast furnaces at steel plant, rearranged them with overlapping, reversing and layering and recreated the images as an oil painting. After all, abstract shapes, carefully planned composition and thick and heavy colors such as blue, gray and purple evidently reveal magnificence, overwhelmingness and beauty of machine that he felt from the plant at that time.
On the other hand, Georgia O'Keeffe, a female painter, followed the way to abstraction. Although she also had painted American modern city in Precisionism at the beginning of her career, she has been well-known for close-up pictures with abstraction. Her main technique of painting, distinguished from other American Modernists, is to focus on shapes, lines, curves, proportion, structure and composition the subject matters have, which means identification of subject matters is less important in understanding her works. For example, Patio with Black Door, the work created while she stayed in New Mexico, represents illusion she had during the time, with abstract pieces such as geometrically distorted wall, balanced black door and soft brown color. The simplified lines, shapes and composition make the viewers forget what it is and concentrate on its own structural beauty. Unlike Ore into Iron, symbolic meaning of subject matter and motif she wanted to convey lessen, and abstraction is getting stronger.
In conclusion, at the turn of 20th century, American art that has been affected by European art began to build its own characteristics in earnest, and American Modernists tried to paint American landscapes and changes on their canvas. In the process in establishing their own art, American art movements evolved from European art movements, for instance, Futurism and Precisionism, but they eventually invented American modern art through abstraction.
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