Reference no: EM133736220

Problem

A. Inequalit New forms of labor and new professions, often shaped by emerging technologies, transformed the lives of artists and non-artists alike in the second half of the 19th century. Using at least three examples, discuss how artists captured and commented upon these changes in the nature of labor.

B. The rights of women became the focus of much debate in the second half of the 19th century. Often these debates centered on women's bodies-e.g. where and by whom they should be seen, and how they were to be adorned. Using specific examples, discuss how these debates were taken up in the world of art and how they influenced both the creation of, and responses to, works of art.

C. Changes in the social and economic relations of production in the second half of the 19th century had a significant impact on the nature of domestic labor, i.e. the work that was carried out in the home in terms not only of the type of work done, but also who did it. Discuss the nature of and reasons for these changes, and how they were represented in the work of at least two artists.

D. The fine arts have a long association with powerful and wealthy individuals, kings, popes, "Robber Barons"-but in the late 19th these arts became intertwined with a more anonymous force of economic power: industrial production. Discuss the ways in which these two worlds fine art and industrial or mass-produced goods intersected, and consider the responses of artists and critics to this development.

E. Various theories circulated in the second half of the 19th century in the U.S.-among intellectuals and within the popular media that justified racial hierarchies. Identify at least two of these theories and discuss how they were made visible in works of art and architecture.

F. Several artiest were involved with political organization that advocated for the rights of workers and poor people in the first two decades of the twentieth century. Discuss how this political activism appeared in their artwork, using at least two examples. Also address some of the arguments that emerged over which type of art would most effectively promote workers' causes.

G. Two of the most significant groups of contemporary artists in the early 20th century were those gathgred around the artist Robert Henri on the one hand and Alfred Stieglitz on the other. Compare and contrast the styles, subject matter, and artistic concerns of the members of each group.

H. Exhibitions of modern art have often produced scandals. Discuss the nature of three such scandals: the exhibition of "The Eight" at the Macbeth Gallery in 1908: the Armory Show . . . in 1913; and the first exhibition of the Society of Independent Artists in 1917. Be sure to identify particular works of art and particular critical responses in each case.

I. The female body has long been a popular subject for painters and photographers. Discuss how American artists in the early 20th century attempted to rethink the nature of the female body, and female sexuality, in their work. Use at least three examples.

J. Discuss the cultural assumptions and economic circumstances that affected the ability of Native American and African American artists to control their self-image and the marketing of their work. Include in your discussion examples of artworks by both groups of artists that engage with these assumptions and circumstances.