Hofstra University Museum of Art: Changing Perceptions: World War I and the Visual Arts

HOFSTRA UNIVERSIT Y MUSEUM

Changing Perceptions:

World War I and the Visual Arts

HOFSTRA UNIVERSIT Y MUSEUM

Changing Perceptions:

World War I and the Visual Arts

September 4-December 14, 2018 | Emily Lowe Gallery

Cover Image: Conrad Felixmüller (German, 1897-1977) The Happy Marriage/The Married Couple in Winter (Glüchkliche Ehe Iv/Ehepaar Im Winter), 1919 Oil on canvas, 26 x 22 1/8 in.

Hofstra University Museum Collections, gift of Mr. and Mrs. Alexander Rittmaster, HU78.28 © 2018 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn

© 2018 Hofstra University Museum All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior permission of the Hofstra University Museum.

This exhibition is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.

How can one exhibition provide a sense of the countless issues and attitudes of a particular period of time – a period that has been profoundly influenced by a cataclysmic event affecting everyone who lived through it? Such is the challenge to which this exhibition attempts to respond. Changing Perceptions: World War I and the Visual Arts commemorates the centennial of the end of World War I, providing a view into the human experience and spirit of Europe 100 years ago. The exhibition offers art as a lens for catching a glimpse of Europe during the Great War, and especially after the war came to an end in 1918. The Western world, embroiled in sweeping conflict, changed in unprecedented ways as the glory of nationalism, the power of longstanding rulers – far removed from those they ruled – and the heroic vision of war came crashing down. Idealism gave way to a new reality that few could have imagined before the war. For many, the devastation and surreal battlefields, the product of new industrial weaponry, wrought a changed mindset of melancholy and disillusionment that greatly altered the cultural world. Next to the raw expressions of surrealism, dadaism, and expressionism, much of Western traditional art seems naïve.

Foreword

Artists, many of whom served in the war either through conscription or voluntary enlistment, responded in myriad ways to the horrors they saw. Some graphically represented their experiences, while others, longing for a nostalgic past, reverted to earlier traditional styles. Other artists forged ahead, inventing unfamiliar forms and movements to express the trauma of this new world. Modernism, which had begun decades before World War I, took an accelerated leap forward during and after the war, propelling transformations in all the arts. This reshaped world generated new perspectives and sensibilities that are reflected in the many movements seen in the arts after WW I, changes that remain part of our contemporary world.

The political, cultural, and technological trajectory launched by WW I is still being felt today. The exhibition leaves us knowing that the aftermath of the “war to end all wars,” in fact, set the stage for the next global inferno.

I hope Changing Perceptions: World War I and the Visual Arts prompts reflection and encourages conversations about the many issues, with roots in the not-so-distant past, we continue to confront in the 21st century.

I wish to thank Karen T. Albert, Hofstra University Museum deputy director and chief curator, who curated this exhibition in association with the conference Artistic Expressions and The Great War: A Hundred Years On to be held November 7-9, 2018, at Hofstra University. The exhibition features works of art drawn from the Hofstra University Museum collections, with additional selections from the Weingrow Collection of Avant-Garde Art and Literature at Hofstra University, part of Special Collections at the Joan and Donald E. Axinn Library. We are grateful for the generosity of the following lenders: Galerie St. Etienne, New York; The Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center, Vassar College; John Szoke Gallery, New York; and Syracuse University Art Galleries and Collection.

Nancy Richner

Director Hofstra University Museum

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The Great War The Great War, as it was originally known, forever changed the perception of war from the classical heroic and romanticized concept to the horrific reality of combat. The perception of what art was and could be was also transformed by this cataclysmic event. This exhibition provides a glimpse into the artistic worlds of France, Germany, and Russia following World War I and examines a selection of the vast activities and styles occurring in the visual arts in its aftermath.

The period preceding World War I in Europe, from the end of the Franco-Prussian War in 1871 to the beginning of the war in 1914, was known as La Belle Époque (Beautiful Era). It was characterized by optimism, economic prosperity, and innovations in science and technology. The visual arts flourished, particularly in Paris, which was considered the center of the art world. The modern era brought with it a range of new sensibilities and aesthetic responses to the industrial age. New ideas and artistic movements were transforming the visual arts.

Changing Perceptions:

World War I and the Visual Arts

World War I began in 1914 and lasted through 1918. During the conflict, the Central Powers, consisting of Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, and the Ottoman Empire, fought against the Allied Powers, composed of Great Britain, France, Italy, Japan, Romania, Russia, and the United States. By the time the war was over and the Allied Powers claimed victory, millions of people — soldiers and civilians alike — were dead. World War I contributed to the demise of four imperial dynasties, those of the Ottoman Empire, Austria-Hungary, Germany, and Russia.

On the Eastern Front from 1914 to 1916, Russia fought unsuccessfully to break through German lines. Russia’s defeat on the battlefield, scarce supplies, and economic instability resulted in a growing discontent from the Russian population, particularly among the struggling lower classes. Their hostility was directed toward the Tsarist regime and gave rise to the Russian Revolution of 1917, led by Vladimir Lenin and the Bolsheviks. With the end of imperial rule, Russia reached an armistice with Germany and the Central Powers in December 1917.

Along the borders of Germany and France, on the Western Front, the two armies dug into trenches defending their territory. This hopeless trench warfare lasted for years and involved the heaviest and most severe fighting, resulting in the death of millions of people. Often referred to as the first “modern war,” many new military technologies, such as machine guns, tanks, hand grenades, poisonous gases, airplanes, and radio communication, were utilized for the first time on a large scale and yielded unprecedented carnage, destruction, and horrors for soldiers and civilians.

The Avant-Garde Responds Visual artists had wide ranging and nuanced reactions to the war; there was not a single, straightforward response or artistic style. Many artists served in the military, on both sides of the conflict, and for some their wartime experiences became the subject and substance of their work, while others left the battlefield behind. A tension existed between remembering the horrors of war and forgetting the awful experiences. The pre-war beginnings of the avant-garde in Europe, encompassing ideas of post-impressionism, cubism, and futurism, resurfaced after the war and became the foundation of modern art.

In 1909, Filippo T. Marinetti (Italian, 1876-1944) published his manifesto of futurism, Le Futurisme, in the Paris newspaper Le Figaro. Marinetti and his peers denounced the past and instead embraced the future and the modern world of technology and industry, particularly focusing on concepts of space, speed, and time. While this was initially a literary movement, Marinetti later expanded his ideas to encompass the visual arts.i In a later publication, Les Mots en Liberté Futuristes, Marinetti included “visual poems” along with his theories. The poem After the Marne, Joffre Visited the Front by Car (Après la Marne, Joffre visita le front en auto) (1919) is an example of this combining of art and poetry. The dynamic image commemorated the Battle of the Marne, in which the Allies 6

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halted the German advance and established the Western Front. The visual qualities of the letters and words (fonts and scale) are integral elements of the poem’s meaning. In this map-like image, the letter M referred to both Marne and the mountainous region. The smaller words denoted the opposing sides with Viva la France and Mort aux boches (Death to the Germans). Other phrases like “ta ta ta ta” and “toumb toum” evoked the sounds of gunfire and canons. The innovative layout of the page mimics the speed and dynamism of the modern era as it rejects conventional grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure, capturing the chaos of the war. Although initially emboldened by the outbreak of war with its emphasis on machines and speed in the modern era, the harsh reality of World War I led many futurists to espouse anti-war beliefs. The resulting chaos and instability after the war led to the rise of fascism in Italy. While in the strictest sense futurism was confined to Italy, its theories influenced artistic movements in other countries, notably rayonism in Russia. Although futurism did not last long, its confrontation of culture and social order, use of experimentation, and interdisciplinary approaches would influence many movements to come.

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Beginning around 1913, the Russian art movement suprematism was founded. The style, which focused on nonobjectivity (not representing actual objects), utilized basic geometric forms such as squares, circles, and rectangles along with the limited use of color to convey a sense of uncomplicated purity. Alexander Rodchenko (Russian, 1891-1956) believed that art had the power to transform society and could be used to promote a new era in a nonimperial Russia. Rodchenko, who appreciated the suprematist focus on abstraction, was part of an art movement known as constructivism, in which industrial forms and the practical order of modern technology were embraced.

He is perhaps best known for his photographs and graphic design motifs, which were used by the Soviet regime to promote the new state.iv In Man in Tuxedo (1923-1925), Rodchenko deconstructed the human figure, reducing it to simple basic shapes, such as a circle for the man’s head and top hat. The figure’s shoulders were squared to form a rectangle.

During the conflict, both patriotic and anti-war viewpoints were expressed by artists. Jean-Louis Forain (18521931), a French artist known for his piercing and mocking cartoons, served as a member of the camouflage corps beginning in February 1915. In addition, he was a correspondent for the Paris newspaper Le Figaro, creating satirical condemnations of the war. His watercolor The French People Do Not Know How to Make War (Les Français ne savent pas comment faire la guerre) (1915) illustrated his critical point of view by commenting on France’s ineptness in the conflict. One man is seated on a crate while the other figure is laden with objects. They are arranged around their apparent pile of loot, including framed works of art, an ornate clock, and fabric. One comments to the other, “Where are we taking all this, Fritz?” and the other replies, “To predetermined locations.” During the war, “Fritz” was a common slang term used by the French and British for a German soldier. The drawing made reference to the Germans invading France and taking the spoils of war.ii

Marc Chagall (Belorussian, 1887-1985) had been living and studying art in Paris since 1910. While on a trip to his Russian home (present-day Belarus) in 1914, war broke out and he was forced to remain there. Chagall was initially enthusiastic about the revolution of 1917 and was appointed commissar for the arts in Vitebsk. After aesthetic and political disagreements with other faculty, he was removed from the position and his teaching post. Leaving the Soviet Union in 1923, he traveled to Berlin and on to Paris. During this time he learned printmaking techniques and produced illustrations for the well-known art publisher Ambroise Vollard to help support himself and his family.

One of the projects he worked on with Vollard was an illustrated publication of Jean de La Fontaine’s Fables. The drypoint etching The Young Widow (La Jeune Veuve) (1927-1931) from this series shows Chagall’s mastery of the printmaking medium. He created a painterly and expressive image that reveals the woman’s grief over her recently deceased husband. The subject of the Fables meshed well with the artist’s interest in themes of love, death, and human folly. Chagall continued to live and work in Paris, gaining renown until the growing threat of war with Nazi Germany caused him to leave for America in 1941, ultimately returning to France in 1948.v

On the Eastern Front

Traditional Impulses

In 1916, Germany and Russia brokered an armistice. The following years in Russia were a time of political turmoil.

The abdication of Tsar Nicholas II in 1917 necessitated the transfer of power to a provisional government, which was then overthrown by the Bolsheviks during the 1917 October Revolution. In 1918, members of the imperial family were executed, and the new government signed a treaty with Germany, and eventually the Soviet Union was formed in 1922.

During and after World War I, the disruption and chaos of the war years brought about desire for stability and tradition. There was a backlash against modernist ideas from some writers and critics; likewise, some artists rejected avant-garde trends and returned to traditional themes and classical motifs. Cubism in particular was, incorrectly, associated with Germany and caused some French artists to distance themselves from it.

At the beginning of the 20th century, Russian artists, many of whom traveled to Paris and were well aware of the avant-garde movements in Western Europe, were particularly interested in abstraction. Initially, many of these same artists were supportive of the revolution, and their work supported the revolutionary government. Later, however, as the artistic style known as socialist realism became the only acceptable standard to the state, Soviet government officials became hostile to the experimental and abstract artists.

Juan Gris (Spanish, 1887-1927) and Pablo Picasso (Spanish, 1881-1973) resided in France during the war years, but as both were Spanish citizens, neither served in the military. They did, however, witness the physical and psychological effects of the conflict on their friends and colleagues. As noncombatants in a country at war, both artists and their work came under review from the media and observation from the government. Partly as a result of this scrutiny, in the 1920s Gris and Picasso both produced series of more traditional works, reflecting a widespread return to realism in Europe during this time.

Natalia Sergeevna Goncharova (Russian, 1888-1962) was a prominent member of the avant-garde movements in Moscow and one of the founders of rayonism, a group that grew out of cubist and futurist theories. She explored the many ideas and artistic styles circulating through the art world, combining them with her interest in Russian icons and folk art. Goncharova pushed the limits of tradition with her continuing artistic experimentation. In 1914, Goncharova moved to Paris with her partner, Mikhail Larionov, and, after the Russian Revolution, they remained there. Her painting Peonies (c. 1920) illustrated her clear understanding of the work of Parisian artists, particularly Paul Cézanne. Later, she became particularly well known for her stage and costume designs.iii

Gris limited the scope of his subject matter during and after the war years to primarily portraiture and other figurative compositions. While visiting in Bandol, France, located on the Mediterranean Sea, from 1920 to 1921, he created a series of lithographs portraying the local French people. Gris used a clear and concise line to create these individual and identifiable portraits. The subjects are posed in a traditional three-quarter view and rendered realistically; Gris even included the subject’s name in the work.vi Picasso frequently changed his style throughout his long career, often working in seemingly contradicting ways. While Picasso never specifically portrayed World War I in his work, in the 1920s his artistic approach changed as he returned to elements of classical and traditional

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art. In his drypoint and etching titled The Three Women (Les Trois Femmes) (1924-1925), Picasso depicted three female figures in classical drapery who are rendered in a traditional manner using tonal values and highlights to model the figures. Both Picasso and Gris, perhaps in response to the chaos of war, reached into their pasts to create these more traditional figurative images, rejecting the avant-garde cubist ideals of the early 20th century.

Edouard Leon Cortès (French, 1882-1969) depicted a nostalgic and romantic view of the early 20th century. Like many other artists, he served in the military on the front lines. After recovering from a wound, he was assigned a staff position and served until 1919. A pacifist, he refused to accept the Légion d’Honneur when awarded. Cortès had trained and worked as a painter prior to the war, and returned to painting and to Paris after the war. In 1925, he moved to Normandy where he painted landscapes, interior scenes, and still lifes, although his primary theme remained the city of Paris. His realistic paintings, such as Street Scene of Paris, Facing Notre Dame (1940), depicted a Paris of the past. The horse-drawn carriages and diffused light show a city untouched by the horrors and desolation of war.vii

Artists After the War Artists who had served in the military frequently created works of art centered on their personal feelings and experiences rather than reflecting patriotism or artistic tradition. Many of them explored the artistic styles and trends of the modern era that had begun prior to the war and continued to question what art could be.

Fernand Léger (French, 1881-1955) served in the French military from 1914 to 1917. Prior to the war, his work was strongly influenced by cubism and became increasingly abstract. In Cubist Still Life (1928), Léger combined the traditional still life genre with modern characteristics. Cubist elements can be seen in the flatness of the picture plane and the multiple viewpoints of the same object, which gives no illusion of depth and the ability to see the table’s top and edge at the same time. While Léger did not visually reference his military service in his work, his style after the war took on a “machine” look, characterized by rounded forms and mechanical references to this new industrial age.viii Like Léger, although on the opposing side, painter and printmaker Conrad Felixmüller (German, 1897-1977) served in the German military. Felixmüller was a medical orderly from 1917 to 1918.ix His work during and after the war reflected a more pessimistic view of the world. Associated with the expressionist movement, he contributed work to periodicals such as Der Sturm and Aktion. The distorted angles and fragmented images in his painting The Happy Marriage/The Married Couple in Winter (Glüchkliche Ehe Iv/Ehepaar Im Winter) (1919) suggest the discord and conflict he saw around him. The couple are bundled up against the frigid weather and, rather than appearing as one, they are two distinct and separate figures, perhaps reflecting the emotional distance between them. Felixmüller was involved in several politically oriented artist groups and became a member of the Communist Party. In the 1930s, his work was included in “degenerate art” exhibitions, and numerous works in public collections were confiscated and destroyed under the Nazi regime.x Otto Dix (German, 1891-1969) served as a soldier on the front lines and in the trenches. He was known to travel with a sketchbook and captured the horrific events surrounding him. In the drawing Soldier (c. 1917), a helmeted and armed soldier marches ever forward, stepping on the neck of a fallen man. Dix describes the brutality of war using an economy of strong black lines with little detail to identify nationality or rank. In 1924, Dix created a series or cycle of prints titled The War (Der Krieg). These images depicted his experiences during his service, showing the barren landscape and the bodies of fallen soldiers such as Dead Man (St. Clement) (1924). The detailed etching of a man’s face emphasizes the horror of Dix’s wartime experiences. The book Der Krieg was published in Berlin in 1924; a copy of the book is included in the exhibition.

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The war also took a toll on the civilian population. Käthe Kollwitz’s (German 1867-1945) son died fighting on the Western Front. Her work had always addressed social and political themes such as poverty, hunger, motherhood, bereavement, and death. The first woman to be admitted to the Prussian Academy of Arts (1919) and to receive the highest honor of the Weimar Republic (1929), Kollwitz’s work was often published in newspapers and used on posters. In memory of her son, her work became a commemoration of all the fallen soldiers and the grief of the families left behind. Kollwitz created a series of seven woodcuts, War (Krieg) (1923), based on her personal experience. In the stark black-and-white print The Mothers (Die Mütter) (1921-1922), she simplified the composition to focus on the shared sorrow of the women. The theme of death remained with her throughout her career. In the 1934 lithograph The Call of Death (Ruf des Todes), death reaches out to the artist herself.xi Max Beckmann (German, 1884-1950) volunteered as a medical orderly during the war. After his service, Beckmann’s artistic style changed dramatically from academic depictions to distorted images, reflecting his altered viewpoint. While successful during the years of the Weimar Republic (1919-1933), he was dismissed from his teaching post upon Hitler’s rise to power in 1933. His work was confiscated by the Nazi government in 1937 and was included in the degenerate art exhibition in Munich. Beckmann left Germany for the Netherlands, later settling in America. Beckmann’s work was an expression of his emotions and spirituality, often stylistically blending naturalism with abstraction to amplify the mood. Nightclubs and circus performances were frequent subjects of his paintings.

On the surface, his interest was in the seemingly jovial aspects of life, but Beckmann treated the subjects in a very somber way. Works such as Circus Horse (1930) were accomplished with heavy outlines and a muted color palette.

The sparkle and glitter of the circus performance are infused with a pervasive sadness.xii Similar to Beckmann, Georges Rouault (French, 1871-1958) was interested in the contrast between the superficial brightness of the clown and the sadness of circus life. Rouault was in his 40s when World War I began, and he continued to work in Paris. He was influenced by medieval artistic traditions such as stained glass, which can be seen in his use of simplified forms outlined in black lines. Rouault’s Clown (1920-1925) is a tragic figure of melancholy, barely camouflaged by the colorful costume. For him, the clown became an icon of the disconnection between appearance and reality.xiii Stephen Csoka (American, born Hungary, 1897-1989), served in the Hungarian army during World War I. After his service, he attended the Royal Academy in Budapest. Csoka’s work, while grounded in naturalism, unites aspects of traditional and modern art.xiv Endless Is the Road Leading Home (1931) illustrates the narrative of soldiers left on their own to return to their homelands from the front. The group, exhausted and injured, are walking across the seemingly vast and barren landscape. The print reflects the universal experience of people devastated and displaced by monumental events and their yearning to return to a home that has changed irrevocably.

In spite of the ongoing battle, new ideas about artistic expression continued to develop during wartime and the ensuing years. Dada, an artistic and literary movement, began in Zurich during World War I in 1916, and the movement’s ideas traveled internationally until about 1922-1923. The anti-war dadaists opposed the nationalism and materialistic values that they felt emerged after the war. They were united in their rejection of traditional conventions but did not promote a specific artistic style. Dadaists sought to provoke and shock their audiences through unconventional works of art, performances, and writings. While some dada activities continued, many artists and writers later moved on to surrealism.xv Prior to the war, André Breton (French, 1896-1966) was a medical student; he then served in a psychiatric ward during the war. He studied Freudian principles of psychoanalysis in an attempt to aid the traumatized patients.

Breton had been active in the dadaist movement, and the theories he further developed became the basis for

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surrealism. His Manifeste Du Surréalisme: Poisson Soluble was published in 1924. The surrealists reacted to the chaos of the postwar period by replacing artistic norms with unconventional techniques, unexpected juxtapositions, elements of surprise, and automatism flowing from the subconscious.xvi Marcel Duchamp (French, 1887-1968) was influenced early on by futurism and cubism but was most closely associated with dada. He created his first “readymade” in 1913. These were ordinary objects that were often altered and declared works of art by the artist. His emphasis was on the conceptual value of the work of art, subverting the traditional art-making methods. After the scandalous success of his work in the New York 1913 Armory show (Duchamp was exempt from military service for medical reasons), he left for the United States in 1915. He continued to live and work in both France and America, traveling frequently between the two countries.xvii The Green Box. The Bride Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors, Even (La boîte verte. La Mariée Mise à Nu Par Ses Célibataires, Même) (1934) contains a collection of documents, production notes, and photographs related to the production of Duchamp’s renowned work The Bride Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors, Even (La mariée mise à nu par ses célibataires, même), also known as The Large Glass (Le grand verre). The Green Box highlights the artist’s thought process and emphasizes the conceptual nature of Duchamp’s work. The arrangement of the items is intended to be random and individualized.xviii Breton’s theories of surrealism continued to attract artists to its objectives. Pablo Picasso produced works of art that now veered from the traditional images he created in the 1920s. With his return to avant-garde ideals, his work became more expressive and surrealistic in style. Picasso continued to work in a broad range of media throughout his career, including printmaking. Two of the prints included in this exhibition demonstrate his awareness and knowledge of the avant-garde art movements of the 1920s and 1930s. The abstracted figure in Bather in a Cabin (Baigneuse a la Cabine) (1929) remained recognizable with a sense of dimension created through modeling and tonal variations. In Bathers on the Beach (Baigneuses sur La Plage), III (1932), Picasso used an expressive line to show the action and to heighten the sense of playfulness of the figures. Picasso did not belong strictly to one artistic movement but drew freely from a wide variety of ideas.

A pioneer in the dada and surrealist movements, Max Ernst (German, 1891-1976) returned to Germany traumatized from four years of military service. In 1922, he settled in Paris, where he became a founding member of surrealism with Breton. He remained in France until the Nazi invasion of World War II, when he took refuge in the United States. Ernst delved into his subconscious, creating works of art with fantastic and mythical images, often in imaginary landscapes, which are considered icons of the surrealist style.xix One the unconventional methods Ernst used to explore the unconscious mind was frottage, a process of placing paper over a textured surface and rubbing it with a pencil or crayon to transfer the texture to the paper. The highly detailed images from Natural History (Histoire Naturelle) (1926) were created in this manner. Ernst enhanced and added to the initial image, transforming the textures into strange creatures or landscapes. The prints in Natural History are collotypes based on his frottages.xx Photographer August Sander (German, 1876-1964) served in the medical corps during World War I. He was involved with many of the artistic movements of the time, particularly Otto Dix’s new objectivity (neue sachlichkeit), which promoted a return to realism and social commentary in the arts. People of the Twentieth Century (Menschen des 20. Jahrhunderts) was Sander’s lifelong project, from the 1920s until his death, to create a comprehensive portrait of the German people. He categorized his subjects by social class and occupation, photographing everyone from farmers and tradesmen to intellectuals and artists.xxi Three of his photographs of artists (Otto Dix, Raoul Hausmann, and Anton Räderscheidt) taken in 1926 and 1930 are included in this exhibition.

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George Grosz (German, 1893-1959), who served in the military from 1914 to 1916, was recalled in 1917, then discharged and committed to an asylum for the remainder of the war. After observing the horrors of war, Grosz focused his art on social critique. He published drawings in many critically satirical periodicals and participated in social protests. His work from the Weimar Republic era sharply criticized what Grosz viewed as the decay of German society. Ecce Homo, published in 1923 Berlin, was a satirical observation of postwar Germany. Filled with images of the drunken antics of politicians, businessmen, and prostitutes, along with ones showing the despair of disabled veterans and beggars, the publication was banned by the German government and Grosz was charged with public offense.xxii Grosz’s disillusionment and anger against the military industrial complex were clearly evident.

The rise of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party in the 1930s led to his immigration to the United States. Grosz continued to give expression to his despair and cynicism, painting A Mighty One on a Little Outing Surprised by Two Poets in 1942. The tyrannical central figure, whether representing Adolf Hitler or Josef Stalin, looms over the small, crouching figures of the poets. Details in the painting, such as the tattered clothing and whip marks, show the subjugation of the people, particularly artists and writers, to the authority of the state.

Decades after the end of World War I, visual artists continued to express their personal wartime experiences in a variety of ways. Some artists moved away from avant-garde influences, while others were drawn to the new ideas.

Many artists created works of art that addressed social and political issues, while others focused on aesthetic questions and debates. The seeds of artistic growth were planted prior to World War I and blossomed in its aftermath.

Visual artists responded to the horrific reality of the events of World War I with greater artistic experimentation and a need for personal expression.

Karen T. Albert

Deputy Director and Chief Curator Hofstra University Museum

John Musgrove. “Futurism.” Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online. Oxford University Press. Web. Accessed 7/13/2017.

Alicia Craig Faxon. “Forain, Jean-Louis.” Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online. Oxford University Press. Web. April 4, 2012. iii Naomi Blumberg. “Natalya Goncharova.” Encyclopedia Britannica. Web. March 29, 2017. iv Yvonne Jones. “Rodchenko, Alexander (Aleksandr).” The Oxford Companion to Western Art. Oxford Art Online. Oxford University Press. Web. Accessed 9/20/2017. v Susan Compton. “Chagall, Marc.” Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online. Oxford University Press. Web. Accessed 9/20/2017. vi Christopher Green. “Gris, Juan.” Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online. Oxford University Press. Web. Accessed 10/18/2016. vii Catalogue Raisonné: Edouard Leon Cortès. www.eduardlcortes.com/bio.html (accessed 9/20/2017). viii Roy Donald McMullen. “Fernand Léger.” Encyclopedia Britannica. Web. March 27, 2017. ix Starr Figura. German Expressionism: The Graphic Impulse. New York: The Museum of Modern Art, 2011. x Beatice V. Bismarck. “Felixmüller [Felix Müller], Conrad.” Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online. Oxford University Press.

Web. Sept. 20, 2017. xi Josephine Gabler. “Kollwitz, Käthe.” Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online. Oxford University Press. Web. October 13, 2016. xii The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica. “Max Beckmann.” Encyclopedia Britannica. Web. May 24, 2018. xiii Danielle Molinari. “Rouault, Georges (Henri).” Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online. Oxford University Press. Web. September 20, 2017. xiv Hofstra University Museum artist exhibition information. 1997. xv Dawn Ades, Matthew Gale. “Dada.” Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online. Oxford University Press. Web. Accessed 7/13/2017. xvi Dawn Ades with Matthew Gale. “Surrealism.” Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online. Oxford University Press. Web. Accessed 7/13/2017. xvii Rosenthal, Nan. “Marcel Duchamp (1887-1968).” In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000-. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/duch/hd_duch.htm (October 2004). xviii Harper Montgomery, in Deborah Wye, Artists and Prints: Masterworks from The Museum of Modern Art. New York: The Museum of Modern Art, 2004. xix Naomi Blumberg. “Max Ernst.” Encyclopedia Britannica. Web. May 25, 2018. xx A collotype is a printmaking process that exposes a sheet of light-sensitive gelatin photographically to an existing image and is printed without using a screen. xxi Reinhold Misselbeck. “Sander, August.” Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online. Oxford University Press. Web. Sept. 20, 2017. xxii The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica. “George Grosz.” Encyclopedia Britannica. Web. January 25, 2016. i

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Works of Art

Max Beckmann (German, 1884-1950) Circus Horse, 1930 Oil on canvas 9 x 13 1/8 in.

Courtesy of the Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center, Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, New York Gift of Mrs. Margaret S. Lewisohn, 1954.8.1 © 2018 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn

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Marc Chagall (Belorussian, 1887-1985) The Young Widow (La Jeune Veuve) Plate 72 from Jean de La Fontaine’s Fables, 1927-1931 Published by Tériade, Paris, 1952 Drypoint 11 5/8 x 9 3/8 in.

Hofstra University Museum Collections, gift of an anonymous donor, HU78.2

Edouard Leon Cortès (French, 1882-1969) Street Scene of Paris, Facing Notre Dame, 1940 Oil on canvas 17 7/8 x 21 7/8 in.

Hofstra University Museum Collections Gift of Romano Tobakman and Suzanne Hall, HU92.28 © 2018 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/ADAGP, Paris

© 2018 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/ADAGP, Paris

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Stephen Csoka (American, born Hungary, 1897-1989) Endless Is the Road Leading Home, 1931 Etching 12 1/2 x 16 1/4 in.

Hofstra University Museum Collections Gift of Frank and Wendy Csoka, HU97.1

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Otto Dix (German, 1891-1969) Dead Man (St. Clement), plate 42 from the cycle The War, 1924 Etching on white watermarked BSB machine-made Butten paper 11 7/8 x 10 1/4 in.

Courtesy of Galerie St. Etienne, New York © 2018 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn=

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Otto Dix (German, 1891-1969) Soldier, c. 1917 Black chalk drawing on heavy cream wove paper 16 x 15 1/2 in.

Courtesy of Galerie St. Etienne, New York © 2018 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn

Marcel Duchamp (French, 1887-1968) The Green Box. The Bride Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors, Even (La boîte verte. La Mariée Mise à Nu Par Ses Célibataires, Même) Paris, Édition Rrose Sélavy, 1934 13 x 11 1/8 in (Box) Courtesy of Special Collections, Joan and Donald E. Axinn Library, Hofstra University © Association Marcel Duchamp/ADAGP, Paris/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York 2018

20

21

Max Ernst (German, 1891-1976) The Fugitive (L’Évadé) from Natural History (Histoire Naturelle), 1926 Collotype after frottage 10 1/4 x 17 in.

Courtesy of Special Collections, Joan and Donald E. Axinn Library, Hofstra University © 2018 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/ADAGP, Paris

Max Ernst (German, 1891-1976) Untitled, no date Oil on aluminum 6 x 8 in.

Courtesy of the Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center, Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, New York Gift of Leon Despres in memory of Marian Alschuler Despres, Class of 1930, 2008.27.8 © 2018 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/ADAGP, Paris

22

23

Max Ernst (German, 1891-1976) The Wheel of Light (La Roue de la lumière) from Natural History (Histoire Naturelle), 1926 Collotype after frottage 10 1/4 x 17 in.

Courtesy of Special Collections, Joan and Donald E. Axinn Library, Hofstra University © 2018 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/ADAGP, Paris

Conrad Felixmüller (German, 1897-1977) The Happy Marriage/The Married Couple in Winter (Glüchkliche Ehe Iv/Ehepaar Im Winter), 1919 Oil on canvas 26 x 22 1/8 in.

Hofstra University Museum Collections Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Alexander Rittmaster, HU78.28 © 2018 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn

24

25

Jean-Louis Forain (French, 1852-1931) The French People Do Not Know How to Make War (Les Français ne savent pas comment faire la guerre), 1915 Charcoal, ink, and watercolor on paper 12 1/2 x 17 1/4 in.

Hofstra University Museum Collections Gift of Carole and Alex Rosenberg, HU86.172

26

Natalia Sergeevna Goncharova (Russian, 1888-1962) Peonies, c. 1920 Oil on canvas board 24 x 18 in.

Hofstra University Museum Collections Gift of Roman Tobakman and Suzanne Hall, HU92.30 © 2018 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/ADAGP, Paris

27

Juan Gris (Spanish, 1887-1927) Jean Le Musicien, 1921 Lithograph, edition 13/50 14 1/4 x 10 3/4 in.

Hofstra University Museum Collections Gift of Louis Shorenstein, HU90.13

28

Juan Gris (Spanish, 1887-1927) Marcelle La Blonde, 1921 Lithograph, edition 39/50 14 1/2 x 10 3/4 in.

Hofstra University Museum Collections Gift of Louis Shorenstein, HU90.12

29

Juan Gris (Spanish, 1887-1927) Marcelle La Brune, 1921 Lithograph, edition 28/50 14 1/2 x 10 3/4 in.

Hofstra University Museum Collections Gift of Louis Shorenstein, HU90.11

George Grosz (German, 1893-1959) A Mighty One on a Little Outing Surprised by Two Poets, 1942 Oil on paper mounted to Masonite 28 x 20 in.

Hofstra University Museum Collections Gift of the Estate of Arnott J. White, HU93.9 © Estate of George Grosz/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY

30

31

Käthe Kollwitz (German, 1867-1945) The Call of Death (Ruf des Todes), 1934-1935 Lithograph on wove paper 14 x 14 1/2 in.

Courtesy of the Syracuse University Art Galleries and Collection, 1974.065

32

Käthe Kollwitz (German, 1867-1945) The Mothers (Die Mütter), 1921-1922, plate 6 from War (Krieg), published 1923 Woodcut on wove paper 13 1/2 x 15 3/4 in.

Courtesy of the Syracuse University Art Galleries and Collection, 1975.039

33

34

Fernand Léger (French, 1881-1955) Cubist Still Life, 1928 Oil on canvas 17 13/16 x 25 3/8 in.

Courtesy of the Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center, Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, New York Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Malcolm Pitt (Juliet Thompson, Class of 1922), 1973.12.5

Pablo Picasso (Spanish, 1881-1973) Bather in a Cabin (Baigneuse a la Cabine) From Le Manuscrit Autographe, May-June 1929 Lithograph in black printed on transfer paper 9 x 5 1/4 in.

Courtesy of John Szoke Gallery, New York

© 2018 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/ADAGP, Paris

© 2018 Estate of Pablo Picasso/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

35

Pablo Picasso (Spanish, 1881-1973) Bathers on the Beach (Baigneuses sur La Plage), III From La Caisse à Remords series, 1932 Etching printed on Arches paper, edition of 50, printed by Frélaut, 1961 Published by Galerie Louise Leiris, 1981 6 1/16 x 4 9/16 in.

Courtesy of John Szoke Gallery, New York

Pablo Picasso (Spanish, 1881-1973) The Three Women (Les Trois Femmes), 1924-1925 Drypoint and etching printed on Arches wove paper with Arches watermark From the edition of 60 on Arches wove paper, printed by Macquart, Paris, 1947 7 x 5 1/8 in.

Courtesy of John Szoke Gallery, New York © 2018 Estate of Pablo Picasso/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

© 2018 Estate of Pablo Picasso/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

36

37

38

Alexander Rodchenko (Russian, 1891-1956) Man in Tuxedo, 1923-1925 Ink, watercolor, and gouache on paper 17 1/2 x 9 1/2 in.

Hofstra University Museum Collections Gift of Midwood Medical Services, HU92.45

Georges Rouault (French, 1871-1958) Clown, 1920-1925 Oil on paper 6 1/4 x 4 5/8 in.

Hofstra University Museum Collections Gift of Jerry and Emily Spiegel, HU75.10

© Estate of Alexander Rodchenko/RAO, Moscow/VAGA, New York, NY

© 2018 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/ADAGP, Paris

39

40

August Sander (German, 1876-1964) The Dadaist Raoul Hausmann, Posing, 1930/1974 Gelatin silver print 11 1/4 x 8 1/8 in.

Hofstra University Museum Collections Gift of Herb Hochberg, HU2007.5.6

August Sander (German, 1876-1964) The Painter, Anton Räderscheidt, 1926 Gelatin silver print 13 3/8 x 9 1/2 in.

Hofstra University Museum Collections Gift of Long Beach Friends of Hofstra, HU72.66

© Die Photographische Sammlung/SK Stiftung Kultur – August Sander Archiv, Cologne/ARS, NY 2018

© Die Photographische Sammlung/SK Stiftung Kultur – August Sander Archiv, Cologne/ARS, NY 2018

41

EXHIBITION CHECKLIST

Changing Perceptions: World War I and the Visual Arts Max Beckmann (German, 1884-1950) Circus Horse, 1930 Oil on canvas 9 x 13 1/8 in.

Courtesy of the Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center, Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, New York, gift of Mrs. Margaret S. Lewisohn, 1954.8.1 Max Beckmann (German, 1884-1950) Dostoyevsky II from the Ganymede portfolio, 1921 Drypoint 6 1/2 x 4 3/8 in.

Courtesy of Special Collections, Joan and Donald E. Axinn Library, Hofstra University André Breton (French, 1896-1966) Manifeste Du Surréalisme: Poisson Soluble, Paris, Éditions du Sagittaire, 1924 7 1/2 x 4 3/4 in.

Courtesy of Special Collections, Joan and Donald E. Axinn Library, Hofstra University

August Sander (German, 1876-1964) The Painter Otto Dix and Wife, 1926/1974 Gelatin silver print 8 1/8 x 11 1/4 in.

Hofstra University Museum Collections Gift of Brenda Hochberg and David Dalgarno, HU2007.6.4 © Die Photographische Sammlung/SK Stiftung Kultur – August Sander Archiv, Cologne/ARS, NY 2018

42

Marc Chagall (Belorussian, 1887-1985) The Young Widow (La Jeune Veuve), Plate 72 from Jean de La Fontaine’s Fables, 1927-1931, Published by Tériade, Paris, 1952 Drypoint 11 5/8 x 9 3/8 in.

Hofstra University Museum Collections, gift of an anonymous donor, HU78.2

Edouard Leon Cortès (French, 1882-1969) Street Scene of Paris, Facing Notre Dame, 1940 Oil on canvas 17 7/8 x 21 7/8 in.

Hofstra University Museum Collections, gift of Romano Tobakman and Suzanne Hall, HU92.28 Stephen Csoka (American, born Hungary, 1897-1989) Endless Is the Road Leading Home, 1931 Etching 12 1/2 x 16 1/4 in.

Hofstra University Museum Collections, gift of Frank and Wendy Csoka, HU97.1 Otto Dix (German, 1891-1969) Dead Man (St. Clement), plate 42 from the cycle The War, 1924 Etching on white watermarked BSB machine-made Butten paper 11 7/8 x 10 1/4 in.

Courtesy of Galerie St. Etienne, New York Otto Dix (German, 1891-1969) Der Krieg. Vorwort von Henri Barbusse. Berlin, Verlag Karl Nierendorf, 1924.

10 x 8 in.

Courtesy of Special Collections, Joan and Donald E. Axinn Library, Hofstra University

Otto Dix (German, 1891-1969) Soldier, c. 1917 Black chalk drawing on heavy cream wove paper 16 x 15 1/2 in.

Courtesy of Galerie St. Etienne, New York Marcel Duchamp (French, 1887-1968) The Green Box. The Bride Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors, Even (La boîte verte. La Mariée Mise à Nu Par Ses Célibataires, Même). Paris, Édition Rrose Sélavy, 1934 13 x 11 1/8 in. (Box) Courtesy of Special Collections, Joan and Donald E. Axinn Library, Hofstra University Max Ernst (German, 1891-1976) The Fugitive (L’Évadé) from Natural History (Histoire Naturelle), 1926 Collotype after frottage 10 1/4 x 17 in.

Courtesy of Special Collections, Joan and Donald E. Axinn Library, Hofstra University Max Ernst (German, 1891-1976) Untitled, no date Oil on aluminum 6 x 8 in.

Courtesy of the Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center, Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, New York, gift of Leon Despres in memory of Marian Alschuler Despres, Class of 1930, 2008.27.8

43

EXHIBITION CHECKLIST continued

Max Ernst (German, 1891-1976) The Wheel of Light (La Roue de la lumière) from Natural History (Histoire Naturelle), 1926 Collotype after frottage 10 1/4 x 17 in.

Courtesy of Special Collections, Joan and Donald E. Axinn Library, Hofstra University Conrad Felixmüller (German, 1897-1977) The Happy Marriage/The Married Couple in Winter (Glüchkliche Ehe Iv/Ehepaar Im Winter), 1919 Oil on canvas 26 x 22 1/8 in.

Hofstra University Museum Collections, gift of Mr. and Mrs. Alexander Rittmaster, HU78.28 Jean-Louis Forain (French, 1852-1931) The French People Do Not Know How to Make War (Les Français ne savent pas comment faire la guerre), 1915 Charcoal, ink, and watercolor on paper 12 1/2 x 17 1/4 in.

Hofstra University Museum Collections, gift of Carole and Alex Rosenberg, HU86.172 Natalia Sergeevna Goncharova (Russian, 1888-1962) Peonies, c. 1920 Oil on canvas board 24 x 18 in.

Hofstra University Museum Collections, gift of Roman Tobakman and Suzanne Hall, HU92.30

44

Juan Gris (Spanish, 1887-1927) Jean Le Musicien, 1921 Lithograph, edition 13/50 14 1/4 x 10 3/4 in.

Hofstra University Museum Collections, gift of Louis Shorenstein, HU90.13 Juan Gris (Spanish, 1887-1927) Marcelle La Blonde, 1921 Lithograph, edition 39/50 14 1/2 x 10 3/4 in.

Hofstra University Museum Collections, gift of Louis Shorenstein, HU90.12 Juan Gris (Spanish, 1887-1927) Marcelle La Brune, 1921 Lithograph, edition 28/50 14 1/2 x 10 3/4 in.

Hofstra University Museum Collections, gift of Louis Shorenstein, HU90.11 George Grosz (German, 1893-1959) Ecce Homo. Berlin, Malikverlag, 1923.

14 x 10 3/8 in.

Courtesy of Special Collections, Joan and Donald E. Axinn Library, Hofstra University George Grosz (German, 1893-1959) A Mighty One on a Little Outing Surprised by Two Poets, 1942 Oil on paper mounted to Masonite 28 x 20 in.

Hofstra University Museum Collections, gift of the Estate of Arnott J. White, HU93.9

Käthe Kollwitz (German, 1867-1945) The Call of Death (Ruf des Todes), 1934-1935 Lithograph on wove paper 14 x 14 1/2 in.

Courtesy of the Syracuse University Art Galleries and Collection, 1974.065 Käthe Kollwitz (German, 1867-1945) The Mothers (Die Mütter), 1921-1922, plate 6 from War (Krieg), published 1923 Woodcut on wove paper 13 1/2 x 15 3/4 in.

Courtesy of the Syracuse University Art Galleries and Collection, 1975.039 Käthe Kollwitz (German, 1867-1945) Self-Portrait (Selbstbildnis), 1912 Etching, ink on paper 5 1/2 x 4 in.

Hofstra University Museum Collections, gift of Philip James, HU70.104 Fernand Léger (French, 1881-1955) Cubist Still Life, 1928 Oil on canvas 17 13/16 x 25 3/8 in.

Courtesy of the Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center, Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, New York, gift of Mr. and Mrs. Malcolm Pitt (Juliet Thompson, Class of 1922), 1973.12.5

Filippo T. Marinetti (Italian, 1876-1944) Les Mots en Liberté Futuristes.

Milan, 1919 7 5/8 x 5 in.

Courtesy of Special Collections, Joan and Donald E. Axinn Library, Hofstra University Pablo Picasso (Spanish, 1881-1973) Bather in a Cabin (Baigneuse a la Cabine) from Le Manuscrit Autographe, May-June 1929 Lithograph in black printed on transfer paper 9 x 5 1/4 in.

Courtesy of John Szoke Gallery, New York Pablo Picasso (Spanish, 1881-1973) Bathers on the Beach (Baigneuses sur La Plage), III, from La Caisse à Remords series, 1932 Etching printed on Arches paper, edition of 50, printed by Frélaut, 1961, published by Galerie Louise Leiris, 1981 6 1/16 x 4 9/16 in.

Courtesy of John Szoke Gallery, New York Pablo Picasso (Spanish, 1881-1973) The Three Women (Les Trois Femmes), 1924-1925 Drypoint and etching printed on Arches wove paper with Arches watermark, from the edition of 60 on Arches wove paper, printed by Macquart, Paris, 1947 7 x 5 1/8 in.

Courtesy of John Szoke Gallery, New York

Alexander Rodchenko (Russian, 1891-1956) Man in Tuxedo, 1923-1925 Ink, watercolor, and gouache on paper 17 1/2 x 9 1/2 in.

Hofstra University Museum Collections, gift of Midwood Medical Services, HU92.45

August Sander (German, 1876-1964) The Painter Otto Dix and Wife, 1926/1974 Gelatin silver print 8 1/8 x 11 1/4 in.

Hofstra University Museum Collections, gift of Brenda Hochberg and David Dalgarno, HU2007.6.4

Georges Rouault (French, 1871-1958) Clown, 1920-1925 Oil on paper 6 1/4 x 4 5/8 in.

Hofstra University Museum Collections, gift of Jerry and Emily Spiegel, HU75.10 August Sander (German, 1876-1964) The Dadaist Raoul Hausmann, Posing, 1930/1974 Gelatin silver print 11 1/4 x 8 1/8 in.

Hofstra University Museum Collections, gift of Herb Hochberg, HU2007.5.6 August Sander (German, 1876-1964) The Painter, Anton Räderscheidt, 1926 Gelatin silver print 13 3/8 x 9 1/2 in.

Hofstra University Museum Collections, gift of Long Beach Friends of Hofstra, HU72.66

45

HOFSTRA UNIVERSITY STUART RABINOWITZ President Andrew M. Boas and Mark L. Claster Distinguished Professor of Law GAIL M. SIMMONS Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs

HOFSTRA UNIVERSITY MUSEUM NANCY RICHNER Director KAREN T. ALBERT Deputy Director and Chief Curator NICOLE BERBERENA Museum Educator ELISA BRUNO Museum Educator ELIZABETH DYSART Director of Education and Engagement KARLA ODERWALD Senior Assistant to Director PAMELA K. OLLENDORFF Coordinator of Education and Public Programs KRISTEN RUDY Collections Manager AMY G. SOLOMON Museum Educator CHARMISE WOODSIDE-DESIRÉ Communications Director GRADUATE ASSISTANTSHIP Cassandra Oswald GRADUATE ASSISTANTS Lauren Grasso, Kerry Lattuga UNDERGRADUATE ASSISTANTS Hayley Combs, Sky Dellasala, Jacob Ferrandi, Jonathan Fidis, Shaina Martin, Eiryn Sheades, Allison Wolf