Exercise 1

Between 1900 and 1945, a group of American artists drew from European models to develop their own versions of modernist painting.  Along with Georgia O'Keefe, about whom you have read, these artists belonged to the circle the formed around the photographer and gallery owner, Alfred Stieglitz.  This group included Marsden Hartley, whose works include Portrait (c. 1914/15) and Still Life (1912); Joseph Stella, who painted  Battle of Lights (1913) and Brooklyn Bridge, Night (1922); Charles Demuth, painter of  Turkish Bath with Self Portrait (1918) and  My Egypt (1927); Arthur Dove, who painted Nature Symbolized (1911), Thunderstorm (1917-20); and John Marin, who produced Abstraction (1921) and Movement #2 (1926).  As you examine these paintings, consider the ways in which they resemble and differ from the works by European modernists you have studied.  What European styles/artists seem to have influenced these painters? What, if anything, strikes you as distinctly American about these versions of modernism?

Exercise 2

In an earlier exercise you considered the role of propaganda images during World War I.  As you have read, the totalitarian regimes of the twentieth century used propaganda, as well as terror and brute force, to control the minds and actions of their citizens.  However, few mastered the craft of manipulating images and information as thoroughly as the propagandists of Nazi Germany.  Led by Propaganda Minister Josef Goebbels, these functionaries expertly played upon the fears, frustrations, and dreams of many Germans, steering those toward the realization of Nazi ideological goals.

Read a brief article on the work of propagandists written by a Nazi journalist.  When you have finished, examine the following posters on themes ranging from charitable giving to anti-Semitism to military might: Storm Trooper Competition, National Socialist People's Charity, Buy German, Military Will to Military Strength, "Eternal Jew", "The Jew", Smash Enemies, Victory at Any Cost, Infantry Recruiting Poster.  What types of imagery do these posters employ? How would you characterize the essential goal of these posters? How do these posters represent the German people and their capacities? How do the enemies of the Volk appear in these posters? To what extent do these images illustrate the principles discussed in the article on the work of propagandists?