American art to World War II

American Impressionism

c. 1900 -1920

European Impressionism took everyday life as one of its subjects, as did its practitioners in the United States.

Symbolism

c. 1890 - 1940

Henry Ossawa Tanner broke boundaries by becoming the first African-American artist of note in the 19th century.

Ashcan School

c. 1908 - 1940

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For the first time in the twentieth century, American painting took on a populist commitment dedicated to depicting the reality of life in a changing, diverse, cosmopolitan society.

291 and the American avant garde

1908 - 1917

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Though short-lived, Alfred Stieglitz's New York gallery forged a path for avant-garde art in the United States.

The American South and Southwest

c. 1900 - 1940

Artists from the northern United States sought an authentic America in the Southwest, in the southeast things were very different.

Harlem Renaissance

c. 1900 - 1940

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Harlem attracted brilliant artists, musicians, and writers in the early 20th century making it an important center of cultural achievement.

Social Realism

c. 1930 - 1945

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Many artists in the Depression era looked at American life straight on.

Sculpture

c. 1900 - 1945

Alexander Calder rethought what sculpture could be by adding movement to his mobiles.

Photography

1900 - 1945

Photographers in the United States pioneered a candid, direct style of photography that persists today.