1.
Art Movements of
the Post WWI Years
1919-1939
Raphaella W. Chappaqua, NY

2.
modernism
1916 - 1940

3.
Principles of Modernism
The expression of the
Artist’s right to
freedom of choice in
subject and style.
Departure from literal
representation – no
longer needed with
birth of photography.
“Art for Art’s sake”
Reject tradition and
society.

4.
Art movements as part of
Modernism
Dadaism (1916 – 1924)
Bauhaus (1919 – 1933)
Art Deco (1920 – 1935)
Surrealism [early] (1920 - 1935)

5.
dadaism
1916 - 1924

6.
Tristan Tzara – founder of Dadaism
“ Freedom : Dada Dada Dada, a
roaring of tense colors, and
interlacing of opposites and all
contradictions, grotesques,
inconsistencies: LIFE”
“Dada Manifesto” [1919]

7.
Dadaism
Began in neutral
Switzerland in WWI
Also big in Paris.
Reached its peak
between 1916 – 1924
“Anti – Art”
A movement against
rigidity of society and
art, and the barbarity
of war – the public
didn’t deserve art
after the war.

8.
Characteristics of Dada Art
Nonsensical drawings
Pastel and faded colors
Used collages and layers – to confuse
the “unworthy beholder.”
“The beginnings of surrealism” –
many Dada artists went on to become
members of the Surrealist movement.
Subjects sometimes mundane, called
art as irony. (e.g.– bicycle wheel, flyer.)

9.
Important Artists
of the Dada Movement
Tristan Tzara (1896 – 1953)
Francis Picabia (1879 – 1953)
Kurt Schwitters (1887 – 1948)
Max Ernst (1891 – 1976)
Marcel Duchamp (1887 – 1958)

10.
Kurt
Schwitters
The Cherry
Picture
1921

11.
Kurt
Schwitters
Merz 448
(Moscow)
1922

12.
Kurt
Schwitters
Kleine
Dada
Soiree
1922

13.
Example covers of
Dada Magazine
(1917 & 1920)

14.
bauhaus
1919 - 1933

15.
Walter Gropius:
Founder of Bauhaus
“The School will gradually turn
into a workshop…
Art and Technology - a
new unity.”

16.
Bauhaus
Began in 1919 with
Bauhaus School in
Weimar, Germany.
Lead by Walter
Gropius, Hannes Meyer,
& Ludwig Mies Van Der
Rohe.
Wanted to create new
art to reflect the new
times they were living
in after WWI.
Artist should be trained
to work in the industry.

17.
Walter Gropius
Born in Berlin in 1883
Served as Sgt. Major
in WWI.
In 1919 was employed
as the new master of the
Grand-Ducal Saxon
School of Arts and Crafts
in Weimar – became the
Bauhaus School.
Fled Germany and the
Nazi Party in 1934.
Died in Boston, MA in 1969.

18.
Characteristics of Bauhaus
A lack of recognizable objects – wanted
to find the true meaning of art through
disassembling it.
Clean lines, geometric shapes layered.
In architecture: clean, functional.
Like Dadaism, was a step toward
surrealism for artists such as Wassily
Kandinsky.
Stylistic patterns altered as leaders of the
school changed – earlier Bauhaus is
different to later Bauhaus.

19.
Important members of
the Bauhaus school
Walter Gropius (1883-1969)
Wassily Kandinsky (1866-1944)
Josef Albers (1888-1976)
Herbert Bayer (1900 - 1985)

20.
Bauhaus School in Dessau, Germany

21.
Wassily
Kandinsky
Contrasting
Sounds
1924

22.
Wassily
Kandinsky
On White II
1923

23.
Wassily Kandinsky
Yellow Red Blue
1925

24.
Josef Albers
Figure (Glass,
Colour and
Light)
1921

25.
Like Dada,
Bauhaus also
published
periodicals and
magazines.
Head of printing
and design for
Bauhaus Magazine
was Herbert Bayer.
The Bauhaus
school also
published books
called
Bauhausbücher

26.
art deco
1920 - 1935

27.
Art Deco
Center: Paris.
Gained the title “Art Deco”
from Exposition
Internationale des Arts
Decoratifs et Industriels
Modernes in 1925
A new kind of decorative
and elegant art.
Reached its high point in
the mid ’20s – mid 30’s.
Reaction to the forced
austerity caused by WWI.

28.
Characteristics of Art Deco
Geometric shapes
Although not the flowing swirls of Art
Nouveau, had bolder curves and less
“fussy” designs.
Bold colors, and new ways of shading
pictures.
Idealistic images of the “flaming
youth” of the “roaring twenties”.
Carried a theme through pieces,
especially in interiors and architecture.

29.
Exposition Internationale des arts
Decoratifs et Industriels Modernes
April – November 1925
Held in Paris
To show the world that
France once again led
the way in a new
evolving international
style – “Art Deco”.
Changed the perception
of Bauhaus, Colonial Art
and, predominantly, the
Art Deco style as
legitimate movements.

30.
Important Art Deco Artists
Tamara de Lempicka
(1898 – 1980)
“Erte” - Romain De Tirtoff
(1892 – 1990)
William Van Allen (1883 – 1954)
“Cassandre” - Adolphe
Mouron (1901 – 1968)

31.
Tamara de
Lempicka
Self Portrait in
the Green
Bugatti
1925

32.
Erte
Design for
Lanternbearer in
“Venise XVII”
1919

33.
Erte
L’Arc En Ciel
(Cover for
“Harpers
Bazaar”)
1929

34.
Cassandre
L’Atlantique
1932

35.
early surrealism
1920 - 1935

36.
Surrealism
Inspired by new psychology of two men:
Sigmund Freud & Carl Gustav Jung

37.
Basic Principles
Freud Jung
Human development Neuroses are caused
is best understood as by conflicts between
changing objects of individuals
sexual desire subconscious and
Wishes are repressed greater world.
and emerge from the Sexual desire does
subconscious in not play as huge a
“accidental” bursts – role.
Freudian slips.
Must make a healthy
Neuroses are caused relationship between
by repressed the conscious and
memories and unconscious –
unconscious shouldn’t be cut off
conflicts. from it, but shouldn’t
ID, Ego and Super be swamped by it.
Ego.

38.
Surrealism
Divided into two groups
based on different
interpretations of Freud and
Jung – the Automatists and
the Veristic Surrealists.
Automatists - suppress
conscious in order to free
the subconscious, inspired
by more “Dadaist” ideals,
shouldn’t be overly
analyzed.
Veristic Surrealists - follow
the images of the
subconscious so they can
be interpreted; art is a way
to freeze ideas of the
subconscious.

39.
Surrealism
Lead by Andre Brenton, a
French doctor who had
served in the trenches
during WWI.
Subject matter was varied:
– some pieces show a
complete dislocation
from any sort of literal
“reality” (for example,
Max Ernst’s works)
-- other pieces show
“normal” situations
with a spark of absurdity
(for example, Rene
Magritte's works.)
Bright colors among sometimes dull
backgrounds.

40.
Max Ernst
Hydrometric
Demonstration
Of How To Kill
By Temperature
1920

41.
Max Ernst
Kupferblech
1919

42.
Max Ernst
The Elephant
Celebs
1921

43.
Max Ernst
The Couple in Lace
1925

44.
Rene Magritte
Voice of Space
1931

45.
Rene Magritte
The False Mirror
1928