Category: Modern Art
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When Kandinsky moved mountains
In the midst of spiritual and political turmoil, Kandinsky found an unexpected lifeline. See how classical music inspired his rule-breaking leap into abstract art.
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René Magritte’s unthinkable thoughts
In the aftermath of World War I, Magritte turned his back on academic history painting. Instead, he portrayed life’s ambiguities in witty, thought-provoking ways.
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The baffling paintings of Paul Cézanne
I’m at odds with historians who call Cézanne’s paintings “emotionally detached” or “famously silent.” To my eye, nothing could be further from the truth.
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Thiebaud’s love affair with paint
Wayne Thiebaud painted cakes and freeways—two risky subjects because the art world takes itself very seriously. “There’s room for wit,” he said. “Humor gives us a sense of perspective.”
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Jean Dubuffet’s stranger things
After WWII, Dubuffet mixed paint with whatever he could scrounge up: string, gravel, shards of glass. “Art should make us laugh a little and fear a little,” he said.
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Art history’s marvelous moon dance
Explore the otherworldly art of Miró and Warhol, from starry skies to the lunar terrain. Then, uncover the secret mini-museum smuggled onto the moon.
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Why isn’t Norman Lewis famous?
Abstract Expressionism—America’s first global art movement—promised limitless artistic freedom. But for whom? How many Black Abstract Expressionists can you name?
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Matisse and that cursed armchair
To cope with chronic anxiety, Matisse chose to paint tranquility over turmoil. Did prioritizing his emotional well-being hurt his reputation as a major artist?