Modernism

Modernism is a combination of impressionism, post-impressionism, fauvism, cubism, futurism, constructivism, dada-ism, surrealism, expressionism, abstract impressionism. Most women made art only after retiring from their day job. If their husband was an artist they got the shine for the wives' innovations, even though the wives' didn't want to outshine the men in their lives. In the 20th century change occurred because women gained the freedom to vote, more freedom gave them more chances to become an artist. Woman were more integral in applying the techniques because they didn't care what the critics said about it being a male's work some took it as a compliment. They kept putting their work out hoping that one day they will be acknowledged and that the audience will see that art isn't just for male to do.

Sonia Delaunay and her husband "developed a theory of color they named simultanism" (Geurilla Girls 60). This means that she took several bold colors and put them together in paintings in shapes mainly rectangles. When she got married to Robert she made "simultaneous" designs. Meaning she made it on fabrics, on furniture, clothes environments, even on cars! In her house she put it all over her ceilings, walls, and floors which were boldly painted with her simultanism style of art. Sonia grew her idea and style by opening her own boutique, then designed rugs, tapestries, costumes, set for operas, ballets and films. It didn't bother Sonia that her husband was seen as the mastermind of the idea. Robert's paintings barely changed over the years but Sonia really switched it up over her career.

Hannah Hoch and Raoul Hausmann met up in school and got involved with Dada together. Dada "challenged every convention except male supremacy and scandalized bourgeois society"(Guerilla Girls 66). Hannah created art by making photo-montages with images from the media. The Dadas didn't want any woman so they opposed her inclusion so she protested by doing a skit and after she performed it they let her into the show. Her photomontages were mainly based off of "the new women the German media's glorification of the independent, modern female." (Guerilla Girls 66). The ones who could smoke, wear revealing clothes, vote and had a job. Hannah dumped Raoul when he refused to leave his wife and only wanted Hannah to give him a child and support his artwork.The Nazis becoming big made Hoch have to stop showing her work until the coast was clear. Hannah went low when her work was aimed at the Nazis and when they started taking over she hid her collection of Dada art and didn't put her work out until the war was over.

Sonia Delaunay

Alma Thomas was an African-American painter who lived in Washington D.C. almost her whole life. She was also an abstract expressionist artist. she was associated with the Washington color field painters. One of her paintings Elysian fields 1973 was in the national museum of art, the Smithsonian institution and also in the bequest of Alma Thomas.

Elysian Fields

She attended Howard University and was the first art student. Alma and her colleagues focused on European modernism. Her artwork really started to be acknowledged and admired when she was in her eighties. She had exhibits and shows that presented her work to a crowd. Alma learned how to become a color field painter at the American University.

Lee Krasner

Lee Krasner is a Jewish-American painter that attended some of the best art schools in New York. She had to work harder than the males, and it was not easy to get her work shown. Her husband Jackson was a famous artist and many of the critics and art historians think that she stole his designs and ideas. With these circumstances she would not show the artworks that looked similar to Jackson's. People also believed that only one artist between a couple could come up with the style. When her husband died it aided her art career. Many interviewers questioned her identity and this made her come back even stronger. She renovated his studio then started making canvases that were big. She was being a "Widow of Action" since her husband was an "Action Painter".

Lastly, is Frida Kahlo she is an artist from Mexico City and was married to famous artist Diego Rivera. Her art could be considered surrealism but the problem with that is that Frida was painting from her view on reality. Frida and Diego had several problems in their relationship and that's what she started to paint about later in her career.  She had tons of miscarriages, got into a horrible bus accident that broke her pelvis, mangled her spinal cord, and she was sewn back together. She was pretty much put on bed rest for the rest of her life after her accident. She asked her mother to put a mirror on her ceiling so she could make self portraits while she was on bed rest. Diego had Frida were married and divorced then remarried Diego cheated on Frida so she cheated too because it tormented her. She painted her stories of them in her paintings unlike Diego he didn't put any of this out there in his political murals. Frida was canonized after here death not during her lifetime.

Frida Kahlo