Northern New Mexico remained a destination for American artists long after the Taos Society of Artists disbanded in 1927. To this day, its landscape and people have maintained their appeal for artists working in a wide range of modern styles. Modernism is a catch-all term for multiple experimental art styles emerging from Europe in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Though visually varied, these styles rejected realistic imagery and emphasized experimentation with form, line, light, and color; and the process and materials used to create art.
The 1913 Armory Show, which originated in New York and traveled to Chicago and Boston, helped introduce these new art styles to US audiences. In its New York showing, the exhibition included more than a thousand works by European and American artists and presented art from as early as 1800 through the brand-new modernist styles.
Types of Modernist Styles Seen in The Anschutz Collection
Impressionism: A modernist art style focused on capturing the mood of a scene rather than specific details. It is often characterized by visible brush strokes and a dynamic depiction of light.
Expressionism: An early 20th-century art style that emphasizes emotional experience over physical reality, often using bold colors, exaggerated forms, and dramatic brushwork to convey inner states.
Cubism: A modernist style developed in the early 1900s that breaks down subjects into geometric shapes and presents multiple viewpoints simultaneously, challenging traditional perspectives.
