Rulers of Modern Art
12" Wooden Ruler made in U.S.A. of American-grown basswood.
Modern art is widely understood to encompass art created between approximately 1860 and 1970. Before that time, art was often commissioned, whereas in the second half of the 19th century, artists began to create art based on personal experiences and choices of topics. The rapid changes in technology that occurred in this period had a profound effect on artists thus liberated.
Paul Cézanne (1839-1906) was original in using repetitive brushstrokes and planes of color to build up complex areas in his paintings. Both Henri Matisse (1869-1954) and Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) are supposed to have said that Cézanne "is the father of us all".
Many of the artists on our ruler are painters, but we also feature several sculptors, including Auguste Rodin (1840-1917) and Alberto Giacometti (1901-1966). Photography is represented by Man Ray (1890-1976), born Emmanuel Radnitzky in 1890 in Philadelphia, and several of these artists, including Jean Arp (1886-1966) worked in multiple disciplines. The women on the list are American Georgia O’Keefe (1887-1986), and Mexico’s Frida Kahlo (1907-1954).
The dates listed are the years of each artist’s birth and death. We have furthermore identified each artist with the name of a famous work, or the style in which they worked, or perhaps a nickname.
The “head” image is of Andy Warhol (1928-1987), a leading artist of the 1960’s Pop-Art movement. Our illustration is based on several Polaroids that Warhol took of himself in 1986, wearing a fright wig.
If you like this ruler, you might also be interested in Rulers of Art, Great Women Rulers of Art, or Rulers of Architecture.