> of the Ashcan school were intended to document the grim realities of city life and spark social change. The work of Edward Hopper also has an element of social commentary. A realist artist, he painted both urban andrural subjects <javascript:OpenBrWindow(«images/l13.htm»,«l13»,«resizable=yes,width=230,height=245»)>, but throughout there is a dimension of the isolation of American society between the World Wars. The regionalist painters <javascript:OpenBrWindow(«images/l14.htm»,«l14»,«resizable=yes,width=230,height=250»)>, a group of artists working primarily in the Midwest during the 1930s, had a different tone but similar goals. They were interested in uniquely American activities and places, which for them meant glorifying the labor and lifestyle of rural regions.artists of the twentieth century approached landscape with a variety of strategies. The Armory Show of 1913 brought the 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].
2.3 Still Life
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...
