American Modernist Painters of The First Half of The 20th Century

This companion course to Richard Voigt’s earlier presentation on American realist painters will immerse you in the many experimentations in color and form that surged through American art in the first half of the 20th century. American modernist painters functioned as the bridge between realism and the abstract expression and pop art which emerged in the middle of the 20th century. Many modernist painters started out as realist painters but then, by altering the planes, vantage points, and colors of realist images, created bold new styles and artistic works which resonate to this day. Some of the modernist painters covered in the course, such as Georgia O’Keefe, Stuart Davis, Jacob Lawrence, and Milton Avery, are relatively well known. But others, such as Francis Criss, Ernest Crichlow, Stanton MacDonald-Wright, and Alice Neel, are less well known. The course will explore how the innovation and creative determination of a variety of modernist painters were essential to America’s artistic definition of itself. Lawyer and American historian Richard Voigt will be leading the discussion.