Continuing our tour of the Cleveland Museum of Art, we proceed to the gallery devoted to the "avant garde" movements in art which appeared in Europe during the first half of the 20th century.
"The Port of L'Estaque, the Pier" 1906
by George Braque
Although Braque would go on to be one of the originators of cubism, earlier in his artistic career he was a "Fauve" (Wild Beast), one of the artists whose aim was to liberate color from natural appearances and use it for expressive purposes.
The leader and most famous of the "Fauves" was Henri Matisse. Three of his paintings are on display in the museum.
"Tulips" 1914
"Festival of Flowers, Nice" 1923
"Interior with an Etruscan Vase" 1940
George Rouault dedicated himself to spiritual art. His experience in a stained glass workshop is reflected in his use of luminous colors and black outlines.
"Head of Christ" 1937
The "Nabis" (Hebrew for "prophets") were a group of artists at the end of the 19th century who favored harmonious placement of decorative color over strict adherence to nature. Their works often had a mystical or spiritual theme. One of the leading members of the "Nabis" was Maurice Denis.
"The Blessing of a Yacht on the Belon River" 1899
In this painting, done in the French region of Brittany, the figures are simplified and flattened.
One of the founding members of the "Nabis" was Pierre Bonnard, although later in his career he left the group. His later works deal more often with domestic scenes instead of spiritual themes. His use of color remained interesting.
"The Plaid Dress" 1926
In this portrait of Bonnard's wife, her dress seems to merge into the pattern of the curtains behind her.
"Fight between a Tiger and a Buffalo" 1908
by Henri Rousseau
Rousseau was a self-taught artist who painted in a primitive style. Even though he had never traveled outside of France, his favorite theme was exotic jungle scenes. His paintings are not always botanically correct. In this painting the bananas are hanging in the wrong direction.
"Portrait of a Woman" 1917-1918
by Amadeo Modigliani
The Italian-born Modigliani was influenced by African masks and Cubism as well as Renaissance paintings. Thus his work is a merging of Western and non-Western, modern and traditional.
"Composition in Red, Yellow and Blue" 1927
by Piet Mondrian
This Dutch painter was the first to do completely abstract pictures with flat geometric shapes in primary colors separated by black lines.
In the next entry from the Cleveland Museum of Art, we will continue with the European "avant garde" including the museum's excellent collection of paintings by Picasso.
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