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Contextual notes:
These early examples of abstract paintings by Wassily Kandinsky (1866-1944) and Max Weber (1881-1961) highlight a totally new way of thinking about art that evolved in the first two decades of the twentieth century.
The 1915 painting ‘Chinese Restaurant‘ by Max Weber may have been inspired by a visit to a restaurant but the jagged lines, strong colors and juxtapositions have created forms that bare little relationship to the physical restaurant. The title Composition VII selected by Kandinsky for his 1913 painting is significant because it doesn't even hint at a connection with a physical object or place - it is simply a composition.
At the time these works came out the predominant trend in salon photography was Pictorialism which was about as far removed from abstraction as an image could be. As photographers with imagination saw these paintings they appreciated that change was on the way. |
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Street
Crosstown
Helen Levitt (Photographer); & Francine Prose (Introduction) |  |
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