88 Years: A Survey of Contemporary American Art
The 1913 Armory Show introduced European Post-Impressionist and Avant-Garde aesthetics to the American audiences. At the same time, America was facing rapid changes from industrialization, mass immigration, and cultural fusion, creating the foundations of modernism. 鈥淚t without question set American artists on a new trajectory鈥� color, light and form,鈥� Mark Brock, president and founder of Brock and Co., said.
American artists had two major responses to modernism: realism and abstraction. Realism was not distinct in its technique, but rather in its close documentation of everyday life and a growing suburbia. This can be seen in Edmund Lewandowski鈥檚 watercolors 鈥� sharp lines and geometric shapes that form a boat and an industrial shipping dock. Other representational artists such as Bluemner and Milton Avery toed the line of abstraction, but painted vignettes of landscapes and working class people in the East Coast.
After World War II, American artists continued to preserve avant-garde sensibilities through Abstract Expressionism. Stuart Davis and Fannie Hillsmith pushed the boundaries of color and form鈥� Davis through his jazz and advertising influences, Hillsmith through her Cubist motifs.
鈥淣on-representational art is both interpretative and a departure from traditional styles,鈥� Brock said. 鈥淭he composition becomes so distorted from reality the viewer can interpret as they wish.鈥�
Consumerism and counterculture in the later half of the 20th century gave rise to Pop and Feminist Art. Deborah Kass and Hannah Wilke spearheaded the feminist movement by celebrating sensuality and empowerment in their work. While the two artists have contrasting visual styles, both dare to question where women stand in fine art and in a post-war society.
88 Years thus strives to highlight the spontaneous, dimensional nature of America in the past century. From intimate works on paper to bold collages, it is a dialogue between artists about living in a promise of progress and change.
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The 1913 Armory Show introduced European Post-Impressionist and Avant-Garde aesthetics to the American audiences. At the same time, America was facing rapid changes from industrialization, mass immigration, and cultural fusion, creating the foundations of modernism. 鈥淚t without question set American artists on a new trajectory鈥� color, light and form,鈥� Mark Brock, president and founder of Brock and Co., said.
American artists had two major responses to modernism: realism and abstraction. Realism was not distinct in its technique, but rather in its close documentation of everyday life and a growing suburbia. This can be seen in Edmund Lewandowski鈥檚 watercolors 鈥� sharp lines and geometric shapes that form a boat and an industrial shipping dock. Other representational artists such as Bluemner and Milton Avery toed the line of abstraction, but painted vignettes of landscapes and working class people in the East Coast.
After World War II, American artists continued to preserve avant-garde sensibilities through Abstract Expressionism. Stuart Davis and Fannie Hillsmith pushed the boundaries of color and form鈥� Davis through his jazz and advertising influences, Hillsmith through her Cubist motifs.
鈥淣on-representational art is both interpretative and a departure from traditional styles,鈥� Brock said. 鈥淭he composition becomes so distorted from reality the viewer can interpret as they wish.鈥�
Consumerism and counterculture in the later half of the 20th century gave rise to Pop and Feminist Art. Deborah Kass and Hannah Wilke spearheaded the feminist movement by celebrating sensuality and empowerment in their work. While the two artists have contrasting visual styles, both dare to question where women stand in fine art and in a post-war society.
88 Years thus strives to highlight the spontaneous, dimensional nature of America in the past century. From intimate works on paper to bold collages, it is a dialogue between artists about living in a promise of progress and change.
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LaiSun Keane is showcasing a new exhibition opening on October 6th, and on view through October 29th, 2023, titled 88 Years: A Survey of Contemporary American Art organized by Brock and Co.
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