Pierre Roy (1880 – 1950) was an active participant in the surrealist group in Paris in the 1920s and ’30s. With its realistic rendering of ordinary objects placed in a claustrophobic, anonymous setting, The Storm (1928) typifies “the uncanny“ – a feeling often resulting from the encounter of familiar things in illogical arrangements or contexts. The term was popularized in the early 20th century by Sigmund Freud, and became a prime interest of the Surrealists.
Photographed in the LA County Museum of Art (LACMA).
“I want to be the painter of my country,“ artist Tarsila do Amaral (1886 – 1973) declared in 1923, at a moment when Brazilian artists and writers were actively developing a new, homegrown modernism. With his undulating planes, suggesting land, water, and sky, and a human-like cactus, The Moon (1928) offers the artist’s vision of a Brazilian landscape. Continue reading Modern Art Monday Presents: Tarsila do Amaral, The Moon→
On his second stay in New York, Jose Clemente Orozco (1883 – 1959) made many works reflecting the city’s urban expansion and social dimension. The Subway (1928) presents several commuters on New York’s emblematic public transportation system, which first opened in 1904. The shadowy, stone-faced passengers impart a sense of melancholy to the scene, contrasting with the shiny train poles. A highly regarded artist in Mexico, Orozco struggled to find recognition in New York despite showing at several local galleries and completing a five-panel mural cycle at the New School in 1931.
A domestic worker who labored for many years in a convent before becoming a housekeeper, Seraphine Louis (1864 – 1942) painted floral motifs on household items, canvases and boards. Her talent was recognized by one of her employers, the German art critic, dealer, and collector Wilhelm Uhde. The title Tree of Paradise (1928) suggests a concern with religious themes, and the work’s arrangement of jewel-like leaves recalls the stained glass windows of Gothic churches. Louis flattened the elements of landscape into a single plane; a tree extends diagonally across water, as grass and sky weave together to create a decorative interplay of patterns.
German emigre Kem Weber (1889 – 1963) designed original and colorful furniture and interiors devoid of overt historical references and evocative of modern times. Weber came to the US in 1914 to supervise construction of the German Pavilion at the Panema-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco. He settled in Southern California, where he developed a thriving design practice. Continue reading Eye On Design: Serving Table and Arm Chair By Kem Weber→
