Worksheet to be used with Readings for 20th Century Art:
Name__________________
Readings are intended to provide students with a base of information and a broader perspective regarding art of the 20 th
Century. There are articles relating to abstract art, terminology and lexicon of Contemporary art and reviews .
Worksheets are designed to help identify key aspects of the readings. Please use and fill in the blanks as you read, bring
to class and be prepared to discuss.
Another World by Edward Gomez, Art and Antiques Magazine, Sept 2004
[Excellent article to help with a basic understanding of the often confusing area of Abstract Art.]
Subtitle: Evaluating and ________________________Abstract Art.
Pg.47: Second column: Often, abstract artists have taken a __________________approach to
representing subject matter from the real world, reducing it to fundamental ___________,
__________________ or ________________.
Several important artists are mentioned; identify what the article indicates they are significant for
and/or their signature style or contribution;
Pollock’s_______________________________________________________________
Frankenthaller’s________________________________________________________
Hesse’s_______________________________________________________________
Kelly’s________________________________________________________________
Serra’s_______________________________________________________________
(“All are exercises in – and celebrations of - pure, proud, unembellished form.”)
Wendy Snyder says “It (abstract art) has to be ______________ _______________” to be good.
“Good abstraction has an unmistakable sense of ___________ and ____________you can feel.”
Pg 49: Abstract art may have..innovative techniques, compelling themes, or emotional power..
Sometimes titles can provide clues to its intended historical, literary, or other references
Encaustic definition: a method of painting with ________ _________.
Pg. 51: The Menil Collection in Houston has special buildings housing monumental canvases by
Rothco and Cy Twombly. Check out these artists, visit some of the web sites listed.
Expressing Art by Joel Groover, Art and Antiques Magazine, Sept. 2004
[Article discusses writing about art, including selection and use of words, (sometimes deliberately
verbose) and ways to stay informed about new and current art and art trends.]
Pg.42: Lexicon of contemporary art
Periphrastic: definition/meaning ________________________________________________.
Philip Yanawine, wrote Key Terms for __________________. Abrams 1995.
Books that help define terminology. Thomas Patin book Arwords, Greenwood Press 1997 and
Artspeak, subtitle: A Guide to Contemporary Ideas, Movements and ______________________.
Pg 44: Ann Swartz defines terms:
“Modernism – emphasis is on the ____________, with the artist as the __________.”
“Postmodernism: emphasis is on the __________, with the artist as a ___________________.”
What does Patin consider/define as, Deconstruction:__________________________________
Pg 45: Patin’s point is that meaning emerges through _______________, but it takes time to develop.
Free online art dictionary is: Artlex.com
(Erudition: deep extensive learing; scholarship)