Graphics II 2nd Semester Artist

3rd 9 weeks:Romare BeardenJohn BiggersKieth HarringJanet FishRene MagritteSurrealism

4th 9weeks:Piet MondrainKatsushika HokusaiChristo & Jeanne-ClaudeWayne ThiebaudLois Mailou Jones

Romare Bearden1912 to 1988

• Born in North Carolina but at age 3 moved to Harlem with his family.

• A child hood friend taught him how to draw.

• He was a Math Major at New York University.

• However he loved painting and began to paint in 1935.

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• After serving in the Military during WWII. He had 3 solo exhibitions of his work from 1945 to 1947.

• After that showing he went back to improve on his basic drawing abilities. He would enlarge old master paintings using black and white photos and in his studio he would create copies of the work using his own plate of color.

• In the 1960’s he finally found success as an artist was able to support his family from the sales of his artwork.

• He drew his inspiration from Jazz Music.• He help pave the way for future African-American artist to

gain success.

Bearden's Artwork

John Biggers1924-2001

• Born in North Carolina.

• His father died when John was a young teenager. As a result he had to help his mother with a great deal of the responsibilities running a household.

• Many of his experiences and memories of this time played heavily into his artwork.

• While studying at Hampton University, he was influenced by the art and ideas of Victor Lowenfeld, who tried to get his students to use imagery and symbols they saw in their every day life for their compositions.

Biggers Cont…

• After graduation he got a teaching job at Texas Southern University were he was able to help build the art program.

• He encouraged his students to paint from their experiences and life.

• Biggers work continued to showcase the heritage of the African-American.

• 1957 Biggers got a grant to go to Africa to study the art of his ancestors. When he returned him this influence was scene in his artwork.

• Much of Biggers work remains in Huston where he lived and painted.

John Biggers Work

Keith Haring1958 to 1990

• Harring was born in Pennsylvania .

• Loved drawing from and early age. His inspiration was Dr. Seuss and Walt Disney.

• In college he started out majoring in commercial art and later dropped that and transferred schools.

• 1978 he had is first solo exhibition.

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• He was influenced by the culture of the 60’s and 70’s which helped developed his style.

• He wanted art to be accessible to the public.• We would paint murals in the subways of New York

City. • In 1982 he had is first showing of his work.• “Haring completed numerous public projects in the

first half of the 80’s as well, ranging from an animation for the Spectracolor billboard in Times Square, designing sets and backdrops for theaters and clubs, to developing watch designs for Swatch and creating murals worldwide.” http://www.haring.com/about_haring/bio/index.html

Haring Continued.

• In 1988 he was diagnosed with AIDS.

• 1989 he established his own foundation to help bring awareness to AIDS and create programming for children.

• Haring died in 1990 at age 31. He left a legacy of artwork and good charities behind.

Haring’s Work

Janet Fish1938-

• Born in Boston, Mas.• “A realist, Fish is well known for her richly

executed oil paintings and pastels of glass objects, fruit and flowers.” http://www.stewartstewart.com/artists/fish_janet/

• She attended and graduated from Smith College and Yale University.

• In 1993 she was awarded the American Artist Achievement award.

Janet Fish Continued

• Fish’s work has been featured on the covers and in several artist magazines.

• “Fish thinks of herself as a "painterly realist," primarily interested in light, atmosphere, motion and lush, saturated color. Motion and energy pervade Fish's compositions.” http://www.stewartstewart.com/artists/fish_janet/

Fish’s Work

Rene Magritte(1898-1967)

• Born In Belgium.

• When Rene was 14 years old his mother committed suicide by drowning in a local river.

• • Magritte was present when his mothers body was pulled from

the water. Her dress was obscuring her face which ended up being a major factor in his artwork especially in his Amant series.

• In 1922 he married Georgette Berger.• Magritte worked in various jobs. One job was in a wallpaper

factory and then also designing advertisements and posters.

• In 1926 he was able to start painting full time.

Magritte• In 1926 he created his first Surrealist painting, The Lost

Jocky.• In 1927 he had a showing of his paintings. The critics

were harsh on him. • He was depressed from the reviews and moved to Paris

where he met other Surrealist artist. One such person was Andre Breton.

• He moved back to Belgium and started an advertising agency.

• During WWII he stayed in Belgium but broke with Breton due to his radical views.

• He continued painting and in 1936 his work was shown in New York City.

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• He continued painting and had several showings. Most often his work would disturb or shock people.

• Magritte continued to work until his death in 1967.

Magritte’s Work

Surrealism• Was a movement that was extreamly popular

during WWI to WWII. • Surrealism not only was an art style but a literature

movement as well.• Surrealism grew out of Dada movement.• “Surrealism was a means of reuniting conscious

and unconscious realms of experience so completely that the world of dream and fantasy would be joined to the everyday rational world in "an absolute reality, a surreality." “ http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/glo/surrealism/

Surrealism• This movement drew upon

the writings and theories of Sigmund Freud.

• Jean Arp, Max Ernst, André Masson, René Magritte, Yves Tanguy, Salvador Dalí, Pierre Roy, Paul Delvaux, and Joan Miró were some of the major Surrealist artist.

• The Surrealist had their own manifesto as well as other publications.

Surrealism Works

4th 9 weeks

Piet MondrainKatsushika Hokusai

Christo & Jeanne-ClaudeWayne Thiebaud

Lois Mailou Jones

Piet Mondrain(1872-1944)

• Mondrain was a Dutch painter.• He was an important contributor to the De Stiil art

movement.– “de Stijl. Dutch nonfigurative art movement, also called neoplasticism. In 1917 a group of

artists, architects, and poets was organized under the name de Stijl, and a journal of the same name was initiated. The leaders of the movement were the artists Theo van Doesburg and Piet Mondrian. They advocated a purification of art, eliminating subject matter in favor of vertical and horizontal elements, and the use of primary colors and noncolors. Their austerity of expression influenced architects, principally J.J.P.Oud and Gerrit Rietveld. The movement lasted until 1931; in architecture a few de Stijl principles are still applied.” http://the-artists.org/movement/de_Stijl.html

• He is best known for his rectilinear designs the use the primary colors plus black.

• His work is often down played or trivialized. But there is a complexity behind his work.

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• He was a primary school teacher who painted on the side.

• His early work was very impressionistic.

• Later he moved to Paris and changed his name from Mondriaan to Mondrian.

• While in Paris he was influenced by the work of Picasso and Braque.

• He saw Cubism as a path to end in relation to his style.

Mondrian Cont…

• He tried to combine his painting with his spiritual pursuits.