Artwork from this VERY exciting time period!!

During this time period, there were many new forms of art being developed. Rather than just painting or sculpting what they see in real life, artists began to express themselves and create unique pieces of art that originated in their imagination.

Just a few examples..

Surrealism was a strong art movement that "sought to link the world of dreams with real life." This style was used by artists such as Salvador Dali, Joan Miro, Max Ernst, and several others. In the 1920's and 30's, the proponents of Surrealism, a European visual arts and literary movement, explored the direct expression of the unconscious unobscured by rational thought. Surrealism was influenced by Sigmund Freud's psychoanalytical theories, but the movement was also very much a reaction against the "reason" that had led Europe into the tribulations and effects of World War I.

Cubism was pioneered by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque. This style broke down a normal object into pieces and then rearranged the pieces into geometric forms.

Expressionism was dominated by painters such as Paul Klee and Wassily Kandinsky, who used bold colors and distorted or exaggerated shapes and forms in their art.

This piece is entitled "Woman with a Guitar" and was painted by the famous Cubist artist Georges Braque in 1913 and was popular during the time period leading up to World War II. It is clearly Cubism, as you can see the different parts of the original picture broken into geometrical shapes and rearranged into something new. Cubism was popular during the "years of crisis," because it was something new and different from previous forms of art.










This piece has many names... Some refer to this as "The Persistence of time" but it is also known as "The Persistence of Memory," "Melting Clocks," "Soft Watches" and "Droopy Watches." Officially, however, it is known as "La persistencia de la memoria," or, in English, "The Persistance of Memory."

Created in 1931 by Salvador Dali and owned by the Museum of Modern Art in New York since 1934, this seminal work of surrealistic art is certainly Dali’s and the Surrealist movements most recognizable icon. The painting represents Dali’s thoughts on softness and hardness, which was a theme of much of his work during that part of his life.
The imagery of The Persistence of Memory is often interpreted as an illustration of Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity, where gravity can be seen to distort time.


This painting titled "Woman Before a Mirror" was painted by Pablo Picasso, a famous surrealist artist. While Picasso was mainly known for his surrealist artwork, this is considered an example of Cubist artwork, as the different parts of the woman is somewhat broken up and rearranged. Picasso was a well-known artist from Spain and his artwork was revolutionary and remains extremely popular.










Painted by Max Ernst, "The Blessed Virgin Chastises the Infant," shows an irrational and unique interpretation of The Virgin Mary and the baby Jesus. Max Ernst was one of the leaders in Surrealist artwork.