ions Think about which art movements are you familiar with? Perhaps you have heard in the past about Impressionism or Cubism, but really what is the meaning of those terms? What did artists truly want to express by creating artworks in said styles? Were the artists working within the framework of a specific movement restricting their ways of expressing ideas, or were advancing the ideas of their predecessors? These are some of the questions we will address in this discussion board.

There are dozen art movements mentioned in the textbook that emerged in roughly one hundred fifty years in Europe and later in the United States – from the Modernist aesthetic that begins explaining starting Realism all the way to Installation and Socially Engaged art of today. Many political and social events were happening at the time, and artists reacted to these through their artworks (after all, one of the things artists do is reflect the times we live in). Other artists would then react against previous artistic expressions or to particular political uprisings. In this discussion board, you will study two distinct art movements and delve into their context and manifestations providing specific examples to illustrate your research. I suggest looking into the artworks found in the assigned reading and find those paintings or sculptures that speak to you, that you find compelling. Then focus on those to help formulate a complete and thorough discussion board post.  

In a five-hundred-word essay, compare and contrast two art movements from the late nineteenth century or the twentieth century. Often students need to use slightly more words to respond to these questions. As always, make sure to proofread and spell-check all work for clarity and create a concise written response for this assignment.

Select two art movements discussed in chapters 3.8 and 3.9 in our textbook containing the suffix “ism” (such as Realism, Impressionism, Post-Impressionism, Fauvism, Expressionism, Cubism, Bauhaus, De Stijl, Dada, Surrealism, Abstract Expressionism, Pop Art, Minimalism, etc.) addressing the following questions:

1. Briefly define the selected art movements and provide at least two unique characteristics of the style.

2. Discuss factors that contributed to the evolution and emergence of the selected art movement. Mention the context in which the art movement emerged, the antecedents (perhaps the political situation in Europe or North America at the time), and how artists reacted to those conditions. 

2. Select two artworks by two different artists from each of the movements you choose to write about and provide the chapter and image number – for a total of four artworks. Providing the chapter and image numbers will count as the source citation for this board. Mention the name of the artist, title, and date for each artwork. 

3. Discuss how each artwork is a good representation of each selected art movement. Include the vocabulary of art, mentioning two visual elements and two design principles for each artwork.

4. Reflect on the material studied during this discussion board, using the sentence stems:

I used to think… 

But now I think… 

This board might result in a more extended discussion board than previous ones requiring five-hundred words. I would say try not to exceed 1000 words. 

Have fun exploring art movements!