Abstract art history

1. A B S T R A C T A R T: C U B I S M

2. L E A R N I N G G O A L S
• Create abstract art that is representative of the second phase of cubism, known as
synthetic cubism
• Create abstract self portraits that put on display your inner self and your likes
• Utilise; shapes, bright colours, real elements (optional)

3. A B S T R A C T A R T
• Abstract art, non-objective art, or nonrepresentational art are paintings, sculptures or
graphic art where the portrayal of things from the real world play little to no part during
the creation
• Abstract, refers to the fact that the art is imagined, vague, theoretical, conceptual,
intangible, basically anything but simple
• Quite simply: Abstract art is art that does not attempt to represent an accurate
description of a visual reality, but instead uses shapes, colours and gestural marks
(addition of the artist emotion or state of mind) to achieve its effect

4. A B S T R A C T A R T ;
E X A M P L E S
F R O M A C R O S S
T H E G E N R E Theodor Seuss Geisel
Jackson Pollock

5. A B S T R A C T A R T H I S T O R Y
• Abstract art and surreal (bizarre) art began to emerge more frequently after World War
2, a great example of this kind of art can be seen during the German Expressionist art
movement
• German Expressionist art was characterised by simplified shapes, bright colours and
gestural marks or brushstrokes
• Abstract art continued to develop and change through the years and is still present
today
• German Expressionist works include, The Scream, Head of a Woman and Church of
St Ursula

6. G E R M A N
E X P R E S S I O N I S
T A R T
Edvard Munch
The scream
Robert Wiene
The Cabinet of dr. Caligari
Wassily Kandinsky
Church of St Ursula
Alexej Von Jawlensky
Head of a Woman

7. O T H E R F O R M S O F A B S T R A C T A R T
• Abstract art can be categorised into the following categories
Before WW2
• Fauvism, art that favours strong colour over representational or realistic values (from 1905)
• Cubism (analytical), art that shows objects as the mind perceives them (from 1907)
• Dadaism, avant-garde (introducing or exploring new subject matter) art movement (from
1916)
• Surrealism, art that aims to activate the unconscious mind through image, like dreams (from
1920)
• Cubism (synthetic), the second phase of cubism, using more colour, shapes, textures and
material aside form paint (from 1912)

8. O T H E R F O R M S O F A B S T R A C T A R T
Henri Matisse
Woman with a hat
Pablo Picasso
Portrait of Ambrosie
Hannah Hoch
Cut paper collage
Salvador Dali
The Persistence of a

9. C U B I S M
S Y N T H E T I C ,
P A B L O P I C A S S O
Still life with a bottle of
rum
1965
Head of a woman
Three musicians Girl with a mandolin

10. Y O U R TA S K
• Create some forms of Cubism art (synthetic) in your art book
• In your art books you can begin generating ideas and drafts
• You must also be thinking of materials you may want to incorporate into your art
• Make sure your art is purposeful and not random
• Mr Racz will request a list of art utensils and additional resources you need by Fridays
lesson