GE218- ART APPRECIATION

Learner Worksheet 6

Student Name: BETHANY PALINO Score: _______

Course/ Year/ Section: BSCD 1A

Readings : Why is contemporary art beating out the old classic?

INTRODUCTION:

Modern art made way for many different trends and movements, including futurism,
cubism, abstract expressionism, pop art, and many more. Al Held and Roy Lichtenstein
were two very influential modern artists who helped define the trends within modernism,
and we are proud to have works by both included in the Escalette Permanent Collection
of Art. Al Held was primarily focused around abstract expressionism, but particularly
favored playing with geometric shapes, layers, and illusion. All three of these components
are clearly exhibited in his work Stoneridge, which is currently on display in Beckman
Hall, third floor,Roy Lichtenstein, on the other hand, was a passionate participant and
leader of the pop art movement. Early on in his career, he would depict widely recognized
images from comic books and advertising, putting his own spin on the illustrations using
bright colors and large shapes. Later on in his career in the 1970’s, however, he began to
experiment with more abstract forms, as can be seen in his work Mirror #5, which is also
on display on the third floor of Beckman Hall.

BODY:

The majority of the Escalette Permanent Collection of Art features some intriguing
pieces by contemporary artists. Two of these artists are Lisa Adams and Ellina
Kevorkian, both of whom have their works on display on the fourth floor of Beckman
Hall. Lisa Adams primarily works to create paintings and gouaches, and typically depicts
scenes of nature. In The Wood Family, Adams further incorporates nature into her piece
by adding wood as a medium in the work itself. Further exploring the idea of mixed
media within a singular piece of art is Ellina Kevorkian, who, as she advertises on her
own website, “creates hybridized relationships between painting, photography, video, and
performance using tropes, humor, and the visual languages of art and popular culture.”
Kevorkian is “contemporary” in every sense of the word,  and her work cannot be
represented better than in her piece Last Night My Tears Were Falling, I Went To Bed So
Sad And Blue, Then I Had a Dream Of You. Using glitter, spray paint, acrylic paint, lace,
and puff paint, Kevorkian creates a rich world poking fun at the trope of what is widely
considered, “feminine.”

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CONCLUSION:

While contemporary art and modern art may sound similar, in form and practice
they are quite contrasting. In many ways, modern art has laid the groundwork for
contemporary art, as both seem to have arisen directly as a result of technological
advancements in society and are concerned with being indicative of popular culture or
social issues of their respective time period. We here at the Escalette Collection invite
you to take a look at the artwork on display all around Chapman University’s campus,
exploring our vast collection of modern and contemporary artists and seeing if you can
define what makes each unique to one another!

Submitting Your Work. If you do not have Internet Connectivity, neatly detach this page from
your module and submit via University Drop Box or by courier/ mail together with your other
Learner Activity Worksheets once you reach the prescribed Learning Checkpoint. If you have
Internet connectivity, you may answer directly on the online version of this worksheet through the
University Virtual Environment.

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