Shatter Rupture Break, now on view at the Art Institute Chicago through May 3, 2015, suggests the common thread between society and life, steeped in the uncertain emotional moments of the era. The artists of the early 20th century responded to the shift, freeing themselves from traditional forms of art and were influenced by a myriad of emotions that explored the revolutionary process of deconstruction and reconstruction through modern forms. This was indeed an age of radical developments in the creation of art.
 |
| Robert Delaunay, Champs de Mars: The Red Tower, 1911/23. Joseph Winterbotham Collection. |
Above: Robert Delaunay's approach to an innovative, fractured perspective of the Eiffel Tower
 |
| Ilse Bing. Eiffel Tower, Paris, 1931. Julien Levy Collection, Gift of Jean and Julien Levy. © Estate of Ilse Bing. |
Above:
Ilse Bing's enigmatic and complex Eiffel Tower view.
Associate Curator of Photography, Elizabeth Siegel and the Gilda and Henry Buchbinder Associate Curator of American Art, Sarah Kelly Oehler, took the lead in organizing the first in the Modern Series of exhibitions that unveils the voices of artists, writers, scientists and other intellectuals of the period.
The exhibition features artworks that represent seven curatorial departments, including the library.
The Art Institute was an early champion of modern artists, including its presentation of the Armory Show in 1913. Shatter Rupture Break highlights a selection of recent acquisitions of modern art, and also includes some long-held works that have formed the core of the modern collection for decades.
The fragmented body also became a perceptive approach as a response to the fractured world. Many artists, including Surrealists, chose to explore creativity from the unlocked mind. In Paris, the surrealists created illusionary body parts to effectuate forms.
Included in the exhibition are selected photographs that range from Alfred Stieglitz's stirring images of Georgia O'Keeffe to the "shattered" self-portrait created by Stanislaw Ignacy Witkiewicz (below).
During this time artists experimented with film that introduced innovative and avant-garde techniques that incorporated unusual perspectives, fast cuts and jarring effects. Fernand Léger's Ballet mécanique 35mm black and white film (1924) is an example of this dynamic, yet incongruous technique. Léger's film is on view along with several other films that run the gamut between humor and surrealism.
Shatter Rupture Break connects the radical, avant-garde and fragmented emotions of the period and is guaranteed to stir the viewer.
Museum Hours
Daily: 10:30-5:00
Thursdays until 8:00
The exhibition features artworks that represent seven curatorial departments, including the library.
The Art Institute was an early champion of modern artists, including its presentation of the Armory Show in 1913. Shatter Rupture Break highlights a selection of recent acquisitions of modern art, and also includes some long-held works that have formed the core of the modern collection for decades.
 |
| Fernand Léger. Composition in Blue, 1921-27. The Art Institute of Chicago. Charles H. and Mary F. S. Worcester Collection. © 2014 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / ADAGP, Paris. |
The real
world had been shattered and broken from the ravages of two world wars, and the
stage was set for artists to piece together new art forms.
 |
| Kurt Schwitters. Mz 13 Call, 1919. The Art Institute of Chicago. Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Maurice E. Culberg. © 2014 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn. |
The fragmented body also became a perceptive approach as a response to the fractured world. Many artists, including Surrealists, chose to explore creativity from the unlocked mind. In Paris, the surrealists created illusionary body parts to effectuate forms.
 |
| Salvador Dalí. City of Drawers, 1936. The Art Institute of Chicago. Gift of Frank B. Hubachek. © Salvador Dalí, Fundació Gala-Salvador Dalí / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York, 2014. |
Included in the exhibition are selected photographs that range from Alfred Stieglitz's stirring images of Georgia O'Keeffe to the "shattered" self-portrait created by Stanislaw Ignacy Witkiewicz (below).
 |
| Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz. Self-Portrait, Zakopane [Broken Glass], 1910. Promised Gift of a Private Collection |
During this time artists experimented with film that introduced innovative and avant-garde techniques that incorporated unusual perspectives, fast cuts and jarring effects. Fernand Léger's Ballet mécanique 35mm black and white film (1924) is an example of this dynamic, yet incongruous technique. Léger's film is on view along with several other films that run the gamut between humor and surrealism.
Shatter Rupture Break connects the radical, avant-garde and fragmented emotions of the period and is guaranteed to stir the viewer.
Museum Hours
Daily: 10:30-5:00
Thursdays until 8:00
.
