Collage and the Modern Age
Both scholars listed below agree on the centrality of collage to modernist art; they disagree only in how broadly they define Modernism. Greenberg focuses wholly on developments within the field of painting, while Hopkins speaks of culture in the broadest sense: literature, film, etc.
Scholarly Reading: Two Perspectives on Collage
- Clement Greenberg, “The Pasted-Paper Revolution” (1958) (Blackboard)
- Budd Hopkins, “Modernism and the Collage Aesthetic” (1997) (Blackboard)
Viewing: Analytic and Synthetic Cubism
- Pablo Picasso, Les Demoiselles d’Avignon (1907)
- Georges Braque, Violin and Palette (1909)
- Pablo Picasso, Still Life with Chair Caning (1911)
- Georges Braque, Homage to J. S. Bach (1911-12)
- Pablo Picasso, Guitar, Sheet Music and Wine Glass (1912)
- Juan Gris, The Table (1914)
Reading: T.S. Eliot, The Waste Land, parts 1 and 2 (Norton 1154-1159). Edit: you may find it valuable to listen to Eliot’s poem read by professional actors Jeremy Irons and Eileen Atkins: YouTube. They bring to life the very different “voices” that form the patchwork of Eliot’s poem.
Writing: Respond to ONE of the following prompts. Keep your response short, posting as a reply under the appropriate heading in the comments section:
- An American living in Europe (mostly London), Eliot was likely struck by the rigid class hierarchies of the old world. Where does class enter into The Waste Land?
- Eliot’s poem is a challenging one—quote a line you find confusing. Then take a shot at making sense of it.