Alienation and Disillusionment: the art of the Twentieth Century

The increasing de-personalization of industrial society combined with the horrors of two world wars led to growing feelings of alienation and disillusionment in the twentieth century. This was especially reflected in much of the art. While Picasso continued in the spirit of experimentation made possible by the impressionists and the camera in the 1800s, these more abstract forms of expression lent themselves to expressing the growing anxiety of the century. Following is a brief overview of some of that art, starting with Picasso and the somewhat disturbing combat art of such men as Otto Dix in World War I and running through the surrealists and modern abstract art.

Pablo Picasso (1881-1973), Self Portrait, 1907

Pablo Picasso (1881-73), Les Desmoiselles d’Avignon, 1907

Pablo Picasso (1881-1973), La Granade, 1911

Pablo Picasso (1881-1973), Woman with a Guitar, 1912

Pablo Picasso (1881-1973), Guitar made from cardboard (later destroyed), 1912

Pablo Picasso (1881-1973), Guitar, 1913

Pablo Picasso (1881-1973), Woman with a Flower, 1932

Pablo Picasso (1881-1973), Portrait of a Girl before a Mirror, 1932

French gun crew with gas masks

Medical aid station at Verdun

Felix Vallotton, In the Shadows

Masereel, Arise, You Dead, Infernal Resurrection

Otto Dix, Trench Suicide

Crump, Airburst

Paul Nash, Ypres Salient at Night

Nevinson, Bursting Shell

Paul Nash, Night Bombardment

Nevinson, Explosion, 1916

Otto Dix, The Flare, 1917

Nevinson, The Machine Gun

Albin Egger-Linz, Those Who have Lost their Names

George Leroux, Hell

William Orpen, Dead Germans in a Trench

Thiepval, a battle fought as part of the Somme campaign

Paul Nash, Void

Nevinson, Harvest of Battle

Nevinson, Paths of Glory, 1917, Censored by British Gov. for its impact on public morale

Otto Dix, Flanders (1934-6). His last painting with its strong anti-war message was strongly disapproved of by the new Nazi regime then ruling Germany

Georg Grosz, Explosion

George Grosz, Leichengegangnis

Pablo Picasso (1881-1973), Guernica, 1937

Pablo Picasso (1881-1973), Guernica (detail),1937

Fernand Leger (1881-1955),Sketch for the Railway, 1919

Fernand Leger (1881-1955), Divers on a Yellow Background, 1941

Fernand Leger (1881-1955), Woman Holding Flowers, 1954

Joan Miro (1893-1983), Catalan Landscape, The Hunter, (1923-4)

Joan Miro (1893-1983), Dutch Interior (1928)

Joan Miro (1893-1983), Personages in the Night Guided by the Phosphorescent Tracks of Snails, 1940

Joan Miro (1893-1983), The Poetess, 1940

Joan Miro (1893-1983), Ciphers and Constellations in Love with a Woman, 1941

Joan Miro (1893-1983), Woman Dreaming of Escape, 1945

Joan Miro (1893-1983), The Gold, The Azure, 1967

Joan Miro (1893-1983), Woman surrounded by a Flight of Birds in the Night, 1968

Joan Miro (1893-1983), May, 1968, 1973

Rene Magritte (1898-1967), Time Transfixed, 1938, Art Institute of Chicago

Rene Magritte (1898-1967), Gradations of Fire, 1939

Rene Magritte (1898-1967), Threatening Weather,

Rene Magritte (1898-1967), L’ Arte de Vivre

Rene Magritte (1898-1967), The Glass Key

Rene Magritte (1898-1967), The Tree

Rene Magritte (1898-1967), Difficult Crossing

Rene Magritte (1898-1967), Companions of Fear

Rene Magritte (1898-1967), Manet’s Balconey: Perspective II, 1950

Rene Magritte (1898-1967), Manet’s Balconey: Perspective II, 1950

Rene Magritte (1898-1967), Empires of Light, 1954

Rene Magritte (1898-1967), Souvenir of a Journey, 1955

Rene Magritte (1898-1967), Castle in the Pyrenees, 1959

Rene Magritte (1898-1967), Le Beau Monde, 1962

Rene Magritte (1898-1967), The Great War, 1964

Rene Magritte (1898-1967), The Blank Check, 1965

Robert Gribboek, Epyphyllum, 1953

Salvador Dali (1904-89), The Persistence of Memory, 1931

Salvador Dali (1904-89), Eclipse and Vegetable Osmosis, 1934

Salvador Dali (1904-89), Anthropomorphic Cabinet, 1936

Salvador Dali (1904-89), Burning Giraffe, 1936

Salvador Dali (1904-89), Sshirley Temple, 1939

Salvador Dali (1904-89), Baby Map of the World, 1939

Salvador Dali (1904-89), Perverse Polymorph, Bulgarian Child eating a rat

Salvador Dali (1904-89), Nuclear Cross, 1952

Salvador Dali (1904-89), Exploding Madonna, 1951

Salvador Dali (1904-89), Maximum Speed of Raphael’s Madonna., 1954

Salvador Dali (1904-89), Set for the Film Spellbound, 1945

Salvador Dali (1904-89), Basket of Bread, 1945

Salvador Dali (1904-89), Portrait of Picasso, 1947

Salvador Dali (1904-89), 1946

Salvador Dali (1904-89), Three Sphinxes of Bikini, 1947

Salvador Dali (1904-89), Celestial Ride, 1957

Salvador Dali (1904-89), Christ of St. John of the Cross, 1951, Same painting from 2 different web sites

Salvador Dali (1904-89), Crucifixion, 1954, Same painting from 2 different web sites

Ed Garman, No. 319, 1945

Ed Garman, No. 343, 1945

Andy Warhol, Marlon Brando

Andy Warhol, Elvis, 1964

Andy Warhol, 10 Liz Taylors, 1963

Andy Warhol, Jackie, 1964

Andy Warhol, Marilyn 3 Times, 1962

Andy Warhol, Marilyn, 1964

Andy Warhol, Campbell’s Soup, 1968

Andy Warhol, Mao and Mao 2, both done in 1972

Lucio Fontana, Concetto Spaciale, 1949

Lucio Fontana, Concetto Spaziale, 1958

Josef Albers, Homage to the Square, 1956

Josef Albers, Homage to the Square, 1958

Josef Albers, Homage to the Square, 1959

Josef Albers,Etude Pour Homage au Carre, 1965

Piero Manzoni, Achrome, 1959

Enrico Castellani, Superficie Angolare Bianca N˚ 6, 1964

Daniel Buren, Manifestation III 1967,

Michel Parmentier, Rouge, 1968

Robert Morris, Wall Hanging, 1969-70

Jean Debuffet, Jardin De L’Hiver, 1968-70

Alan Charlton, Peinture, 1971

Gerhard Richter, 1024 Farben N deg 350-3, 1973

Dan Flavin, Untitled (Monument for Vladimir Tatlin), 1975

Richard Estes, Café Express, 1975

Richard Estes, Central Savings, 1975

Ulrich Ruckriem, Dolomit, 1976

Alberto Burri, Cumbustione Plastique, 1978

Carl Andre, Hearth, 1980

Bertrand Lavier, Mademoiselle Gauduchau, 1981

Richard Serra, N˚9,1984

Francois Morellet, Superposition et transparence Carre derriere 0˚-90˚, carre devant 20˚-110˚, 1980

Robert Ryman, Chapter, 1981

Agnes Martin, Untitled, 1984

Laura Owens, Untitled (Floorboards), 1997