Max Weber.  Figure Study, 1911, oil on canvas

He was one of the 1st American artists to experiment with Cubism and
Fauvism. He was fascinated by the work of Cezanne and took a class taught by Matisse. He became friends with Picasso and Delaunay. His work was shown in Paris salons in 1907 & 1908. He ran out of money in 1910 and returned to the U.S. and was supported by Stieglitz who gave him a studio behind 291 to work and live in. He developed a cubist characteristic in his paintings because of his experiences in Europe. “Figure Study” 1911 is a very cubist work. There are many similarities between the figures in this painting and Picasso’s “Les Demoiselles”. Like Picasso he was influenced by African masks and their simplified geometric forms. The influence of Matisse is also apparent.

Abraham Walkowitz.  Improvisation of New York City, c. 1916, oil on canvas

Was from Siberia and moved to NY into a Jewish ghetto.
He was interested in art at an early age. He was a member of the Stieglitz camp and he too went to Paris to and was intrigued by Cubism, Fauvism, and abstraction. Max Weber introduced him to Isadora Duncan who was a well known modern dancer who inspired him with her movement and he drew her more than 5000 times. He was fascinated by NY and its energy and rhythms. Like Marin he framed his work to focus the eye on the center
of the canvas. “Improvisation of New York City” 1916 has rushing birds above and rushing people below which portrays energy. The buildings are leaning inward which creates a sense of movement.

Arthur Dove.  Fields of Grain as Seen from Train, 1931, oil on canvas

Here he celebrates fertile farmland and the regenerative power of nature. It’s a view of rolling hilly farmland as seen from a train. He wanted to transmit the spiritual in nature as well as the rhythms of nature. He lived on a house boat on the north shore of Long Island and he tried to capture the essence of nature with simplified landscapes and expressive colors and lines

Marsden Hartley.  Painting No. 46, 1914-15, oil on canvas

Met Stieglitz in 1909 and was involved in the 291 gallery where
he exhibited his neo-impressionist landscape paintings. Stieglitz introduced him to
Fauvism and Cubism, supported him financially and sent him to study in Paris for a year where he studied the works of Cézanne, the Cubists, and the Fauves. In 1913 he went to Berlin and was influenced by the German expressionists. He was struck by the German state of militarism and sense of nationalism. “Painting #46” 1914-15 is full of abstract German military symbols including the iron cross and the German flag.

Georgia o'Keefe.  Black Spot No.3, 1919, oil on canvas

“Black Spot #3” 1919 is an abstract watercolor inspired by nature. Many people saw a sensual quality in this painting with the black rectangle representing a phallus, and the lighter form a female element. O’Keeffe rejected this observation.

worked exclusively on abstract organic forms in watercolor with luminous
color washes and flowing rhythms to celebrate the vital forces of nature.

Georgia o'keefe.  Green Patio Door, 1955, 1955, oil on canvas

She often visited New Mexico starting in 1929 and moved there permanently in 1946 after Stieglitz died. She painted for the rest of her life and became newly inspired by the desert landscape. is painted in simple horizontal bands. The top band the sky, the middle band the door, and the bottom band the sand. She painted her patio door (which was in the house of an old mission) several times.

John Marin.  City Construction, 1932, watercolor

He romanticized the architecture and engineering of the city. He
painted NY in a similar way that Delaunay painted Paris.
“City Construction” 1932 there is a frame drawn within a frame which was a common theme of his. He was recalling the renaissance idea of a painting being a window into the world. He also liked to use watercolor and strove to represent the tension of the architecture in the city. He also was fond of the New England coast and bought a house on the coast of Maine where he spent his summers. He liked to paint the landscape and sea-scape in a slightly abstract manner.

Charles Demuth.  Lancaster, 1921, tempera and pencil on paper on board

He is  best known as a precisionist. He spent from 1912-14 in Paris where he was exposed to cubism. “My Egypt” 1927 the grain elevator was reduced to simple geometric forms. It was seen as representing the grain elevator as the American equivalent of the pyramid. “Lancaster” 1921 His main themes were of industrialism and machine forms. This and “My Egypt” both have images that are recognizable but are disrupted by beams of transparent planes and diagonal lines that threaten to de-stabilize the structure. Both reflected the encouraging strength of technology felt by Americans in the 1920’s

Stuart Davis.  New York Waterfront, 1938, oil on canvas

An American modernist who believed that he created a modern American style by combining the flat shapes of synthetic cubism with a sense of jazz
tempos and energy for a fast paced American culture. He was heavily influenced by
cubism. He was also a heavy smoker whose work was influenced by tobacco products and its packaging. “New York Waterfront” 1938 while many artists were focusing on regionalism he was still interested in the city. The elements of the waterfront in the painting are abstract but are still discernable and the cubist influence is evident. Even though his work has an abstract quality he still considered himself a realist because he painted what he considered to be the real America. An America that was different from the one the regionalists were trying to portray. The bright vivid colors are characteristic of Davis’ paintings.