he work of European modernists to the attention of American artists, many for the first time. Succeeding developments fostered a uniquely American abstraction, based on precedents of cubism and expressionism.
John Marin «s Storm over Taos <javascript:OpenBrWindow(»images/l15.htm«,»l15«,»resizable=yes,width=215,height=225«)>contains elements of both these movements, synthesized into a dynamic landscape.
Lyonel Feininger »s Storm Brewing <javascript:OpenBrWindow(«images/l16.htm»,«l16»,«resizable=yes,width=230,height=225»)> has a different conception of a similar subject.
Georgia O «Keeffe <javascript:OpenBrWindow(»images/l17.htm«,»l17«,»resizable=yes,width=230,height=255«)>»s unique form of organic abstraction involved distilling the natural world to its fundamental elements, creating works of dramatic simplicity.
Joan Mitchell used the gestural painting techniques <javascript:OpenBrWindow(«images/l18.htm»,«l18»,«resizable=yes,width=230,height=240»)> of abstract expressionism to convey her conception of the world around her. Sometimes recognizable places, sometimes only colors and textures reminiscent of landscape motifs, these works show that even in modern, industrialized society, the American landscape still has the power to elicit artistic expression [7].
.3 Still Life
The depiction of inanimate objects is called «still life <javascript:OpenBrWindow(«images/s1.htm»,«s1»,«resizable=yes,width=190,height=300»)>.» Common subjects include flowers and fruit, tableware, books and newspapers, and musical instruments. The function of a still life may be straightforward representation, or the artist may intend to convey a more subtle, moral message. Traditionally, still lifes and still-life elements of larger compositions have complex iconographical significance. For example, the presence of books, maps, or writing materials in portraiture refers to the sitter «s knowledge and education. Cut flowers, a snuffed-out candle, or signs of decay in fruit and other food represent the transience of life and are meant to remind viewers of their own mortality.life painting flourished in Europe particularly in Holland in the seventeenth century, and examples were brought to America by the Dutch. Early still-life painters <javascript:OpenBrWindow(»images/s2.htm«,»s2«,»resizable=yes,width=210,height=280«)> in America were mainly self-taught; their work is among the best examples of early American folk art. Shop signs <javascript:OpenBrWindow(»images/s3.htm«,»s3«,»resizable=yes,width=210,height=295«)> from this period often incorporated elements of still life-an effective method of advertising to those customers who could not read [9, p. 135-138]. First truly accomplished American masters were members of the Peale family of Philadelphia. The Peales excelled in painting pristine tabletop groupings of glassware and ...
