Historical and Cultural Connections – Symbolism and Imagism

Spring by painter Charles Demuth

Have you ever heard the phrase "beauty is in the eye of the beholder"? What this means is that every person has his or her own sense of what is beautiful or meaningful. This is true of all art, whether it is sculpture, paintings, photography, dance, music, or even literature. What appeals to one person may not appeal to another person. Of course, art is not just meant to provide beauty. Art is meant to be expressive, to capture and project emotion.

Take some time to conduct an Internet search for the artwork of the Modern artists listed below. Choose one piece of art that speaks to you. You do not have to find it beautiful as long as it is intriguing or interesting. Then, in a journal entry, describe the image. What colors are used? What is in the image? Why do you like the piece or find it interesting? What about it sparks your imagination? What does it make you think of? What do you see and feel when you look at the artwork? If you need assistance on writing a journal entry, please visit the Developmental Module for more information. Once you have completed your journal entry, please save it with a file name of mod9top1_modernart and submit it to the journal dropbox.