4. Private vs. state patronage of the arts (throughout the 1900's)
The stock market crash of
1929, the Great Depression of the 1930's, the clash of capitalism and
Communism, and the global economy of today were among the major economic
developments that affected art in this century. Artists' communes, such
as the Bauhaus (1919) in Germany, aimed to bring good design and building
to the masses. Public art sponsorship in both capitalist and Communist
countries considered artists to be workers needing employment (the New
Deal and the WPA in the United States--1930's).
Governments supported conservative,
realistic styles and easily understood social messages (Regionalism
in the United States). In idealistic terms, governments and private
individuals might see art as a means for spiritual and intellectual
education, sometimes bordering on indoctrination. As a commodity, art
contributed to the strength of the art market in the 1900's, with New
York City, London, Paris, and Hong Kong as centers. Developing countries
(the Third World) found art to be an effective lure for tourism, and
a valuable and desirable commercial product (for example: African textiles
and sculpture).
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Marilyn Stokstad
is the Judith Harris Murphy Distinguished Professor of Art History at the University of Kansas. For her Top 10 list, Stokstad selects broad cultural movements of global significance seen in the light of the American experience. She generally notes a few specific events that triggered or characterized the larger issue or movement. She also expresses the impact on art either by a general movement or by a specific work of art.
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