Charles Demuth
Download as PPTX, PDF5 likes2,301 views
Charles Demuth was an American artist known for pioneering the Precisionist style of art in the early 20th century. He blended cubist ideas with realism to create graphic works. Demuth was introduced to influential photographer Alfred Stieglitz by his friend Marsden Hartley, and Stieglitz later gave Demuth his first solo exhibition. One of Demuth's most famous works is "The Figure 5 in Gold", inspired by a poem by his friend William Carlos Williams, which some believe anticipated elements of later Pop Art. Demuth lived and worked in Pennsylvania until his death from diabetes complications at age 51.
Charles Demuth
- 1. Charles Demuth THE LIFE AND PAINTINGS OF CHARLES DEMUTH CREATED BY: BRUCEBLACKART.COM
- 2. Charles Demuth, (1883 – 1935) is best know for the style of art he created called, precsicionism. This poetic style blends cubist ideas with realism to create striking graphic works. He was introduced to photrapher Alfred Stieglitz through his friend Marsden Hartley. Stieglitz arranged a one man show for him in 1926 at his gallery, Intimate Gallery. Trees and Barns: Bermuda 1917 Watercolor over pencil on paper 9 1/2 x 13 7/16 in (24.1 x 34.1 cm) Williams College Museum of Art, Williamstown, Massachusetts
- 3. Describing its importance, Judith H. Dobrzynski in The Wall Street Journal wrote: "It's the best work in a genre Demuth created, the "poster portrait". It's a witty homage to his close friend, the poet William Carlos Williams, and a transliteration into paint of his poem, "The Great Figure". It's a decidedly American work made at a time when U.S. artists were just moving beyond European influences. It's a reference to the intertwined relationships among the arts in the 1920s, a moment of cross-pollination that led to American Modernism. And it anticipates pop art." The Figure 5 in Gold 1928 Oil on composition board 36 x 29 3/4 in. (91.4 x 75.6 cm) Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
- 4. "The Great Figure," by his friend William Carlos Williams: Among the rain and lights I saw the figure 5 in gold on a red firetruck moving tense unheeded to gong clangs siren howls and wheels rumbling through the dark city. Some say that this painting predicted Pop Art. Do you think Andy Warhol knew of Demuth’s work?
- 5. Demuth lived and worked in the Chadds Ford area of Pennsylvania. His house is now a museum. Modern Conveniences 1921 Oil on canvas 25 3/4 x 21 3/8 in. (65.4 x 54.3 cm) Columbus Museum of Art, Ohio
- 6. Compare and contrast the cubist work by Picasso with this painting by Demuth. How are they similar? How are they different?
- 7. Flowers and flames. And color. Color as color, not as volume or light – only as color. (Charles Demuth) My Egypt 1927 Oil on composition board 35 3/4 x 30 in. (90.8 x 76.2 cm) Whitney Museum of American Art, New York NOTICE HOW HE USES DIAGONALS TO BREAK UP THE VERTICALITY OF THE SILOS. WHY MIGHT THIS BE CALLED “My Egypt?”
- 8. In 1927, Demuth started a series of seven panel paintings depicting factory buildings in his hometown. He finished the last of the seven, After All in 1933 and died two years later. Six of those paintings are highlighted in Chimneys and Towers: Charles Demuth’s Late Paintings of Lancaster, a 2007 Amon Carter Museum retrospective of his work, displayed in 2008 at the Whitney Museum of American Art. Buildings, Lancaster 1930 Oil on board 24 x 20 in (61 x 50.8 cm) Whitney Museum of American Art, New York
- 9. Demuth suffered either an injury when he was four years old or may have had polio or tuberculosis of the hip that left him with a marked limp and required him to use a cane. He later developed diabetes and was one of the first people in the United States to receive insulin. He spent most of his life in frail health, and he died in Lancaster at the age 51 of complications from diabetes. Bathers 1916 Watercolor and pencil on paper Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution.
- 10. Red Chimneys “Paintings must be understood through the eyes, and that's not the word either. No writing, no talking, no singing, no dancing will explain them. They are the final, the tenth whoopee of sight.” (Charles Demuth)
- 11. Bermuda Landscape 1917 watercolor and pencil on paper mounted on cardboard Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution.
- 12. Boxer 1907 crayon, ink, and Chinese white on paper Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institute.
- 13. Business 1921 oil on canvas Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL
- 14. Circus 1917 watercolor and pencil on paper Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution Washington, D.C.
- 15. Flowers (Cyclamen) 1920 Watercolor and graphite on off-white woven paper Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL
- 16. Mt. Gilboa #5 1912-1915 Watercolor on paper Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution Washington, D.C.
- 17. Woman with Black Hair and Two Children Pencil and watercolor on paper Smithsonian American Art Museum Paintings must be looked at and looked at and looked at... No writing, no talking, no singing, no dancing will explain them. (Charles Demuth)
- 18. END OF SLIDE SHOW This slide show was created by: bruceblackart.com