MODERN ART1910–1950
Abstract art distorts
the shape and color
of subjects. Jackson
Pollock made
pictures by splashing
paint over a canvas
on the floor.CUBISM
Pablo Picasso, probably one of the most famous
modern artists, experimented with space by breaking
pictures up into distorted and weird shapes. Three
Musicians looks like a mixed-up picture but the
instruments the musicians are playing can be seen.
This style is called Cubism. It shows a scene from
several different points of view all at once.
POP ART
A new popular culture
emerged with television, pop
music, and movies in the 1950s
and 1960s. Pop Art became the
new movement and artists made
simple, brightly colored prints
of popular images, such as soup
cans and movie stars, that could
be printed again and again.1920s
Surrealist artists,
including Salvador Dali
and René Magritte,
began to paint in a
dreamlike style. This is
Magritte’s 1964 self-
portrait The Son of Man.1950s–1960s
Pop art uses ideas and
images from popular
culture, such as food
packaging, comics, or
famous people.1970s–MODERN DAY
Modern art
experiments with new
media. Dressed in
suits, Gilbert and
George Del used
themselves in their art
as “living sculptures.”CULTUREu INSTALLATIONS
Tracey Emin transported the
beach hut where she met her
boyfriend into an art gallery., NEW MEDIA David
Hockney has taken many
photographs and stuck them
together to make a bigger picture.Three Musicians by Pablo PicassoART TODAY
Today, artists are
experimenting as much
as ever, pushing the
boundaries and finding
new techniques. New
Media artists use people’s
possessions and record
people’s emotions and
reactions using the new
digital technologies.
u In the 60s, Andy
Warhol celebrated
popular figures with
colorful screen-print
portraits. This one is
Marilyn Monroe—
he produced similar
images of Elizabeth
Taylor, Elvis Presley,
and Jackie Kennedy.