Now painters like Joos van Cleve and sculptors like Benedetto da Maiano accentuated the human qualities of holy figures. Just over a century later, artistic goals had changed. Gerini’s altarpiece is exceptional for being in near perfect state of preservation and demonstrates how early Renaissance artists emphasized the spiritual holiness of Christ and the Virgin. The Currier Museum has a rich collection of European painting and sculpture from the 14th to the 17th centuries, representing the Middle Ages, Renaissance, and Baroque eras. If you want to know if a specific work is currently on view, please write or call ahead. Please note that only a small fraction of the collection is on view at a given time, and the galleries are rotated often. Search the full collection to discover even more. These artists ushered in the next phase of post-modern art and remained influential for decades to come. Works by Abstract Expressionist artists like Joan Mitchell, Hyman Bloom, and Adolph Gotttlieb emphasize personal expression and feature a more gestural painting style, while analytic works such as Joseph Albers’s explore optics and dimensionality through more precise painting techniques. Instead, they looked inward for inspiration, channeling their emotions and intellect into an abstract art form. A younger generation of artists in the 1950s rejected representational art as a means of expression.

Picasso depicts a cubist figure in a shallow, almost claustrophobic space, expressing his anxiety about living in Nazi-occupied Paris.Ĭommon among many of these new styles was the exploration of a non-objective art.

Embracing such styles, German artist Max Pechstein addresses his concern over the impact of industrialization on modern society and the environment in his double-sided canvas. Many artists adopted expressionistic techniques such as an unnaturalistic palette, elaborately patterned surfaces, gestural brushwork, and abstracted forms and figures. During the first half of the century, many artists sought ways to address the anxieties of contemporary society, which were fueled by World War, pandemic, and economic turmoil. The 20th century gave rise to numerous artistic styles that challenged the traditional aesthetics of previous eras.

Andy wyeth