Lesson 4-Artists and Their Artworks

Many artists break away from the tradition in their desire to depict the inner world of emotion and imagination. Modernists include Paul Klee, Wassily Kandinsky, Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque, Paul C’ezanne, Henry Matisse, Edvard Munch, and manyb more. Most of these modern artists distorted or exaggerated the real world to convey a particular feeling or an idea.

Wassily Kandinsky was a Russian painter. While studying art in Munich, he and his progressive young painter friends founded the New Artists Federation. Later, he led the Blaue Keiter group.

Edvard Munch was the immediate father of German revolution in art. He was an advocate of nature-distortion controlled for expressive effect. He used harsh combinations of colors, distorted forms, and exaggerated perspectives to give visual forms to the alienation of the individual in modern, industrial society.

Paul Klee was born in Switzerland. He became one of the greatest names in the 20^th century art. During the last two years of his life, his work showed an undertone of tragedy.

Pablo Picasso of Spain founded cubism o\in 1907. Guernica is a painting whose symbolism was meant to shock and serve as a warning terrorism, violence, and war.