Four American Artists

In this course we will examine the art and lives of four masters of American modernism: Ansel Adams, Georgia O'Keeffe, Man Ray, and Joseph Cornell. While Adams and O'Keeffe projected nationalist and environmental themes in their work, Man Ray and Cornell offered a European-based Surrealist approach. Through examining these artists and the interconnections between them, we will consider photography, painting, sculpture, and film in the context of American modernist art. We will consider the following questions: What makes art modern? What is the role of national identity? How do artists work in a variety of media? What makes these artists important?