Modern art is a broad term that encompasses art that is not based on external reality or nature. In Monroe, Louisiana, local artists have used their artwork to express their identity and values through a variety of techniques. The Masur Museum's annual jury competition began in 1964 when Ida Kohlmeyer won a prize for her painting, which was the first addition to the museum's permanent collection. The Ross Lynn Charitable Foundation (RLCF) and the North Central Louisiana Arts Council (NCLAC) have also worked together to foster a collaborative environment for artists to process life experiences in their art.
A common view is that art requires a certain level of creative experience on the part of the artist. This could be demonstrated through technical skill, an originality in the stylistic approach, or a combination of both. Kerry James Marshall is one example of an artist who explores the idea of black identity in the United States and in Western art. Pointillism and Expressionism are two modern art techniques used by local artists in Monroe to express their identity and values.
Pointillism is a painting technique developed by French artists Georges-Pierre Seurat and Paul Signac in which small, differentiated dots of colors are applied, not mixed into patterns, to form an image. Expressionism is a representative artistic style that was developed in the 1920s in Germany by artists such as Max Beckmann, Otto Dix and George Grosz. Sol LeWitt gave his name to this new genre in his essay “Paragraphs on Conceptual Art”, in which he wrote: “The idea itself, even if it is not made visual, is as much a work of art as any finished product.”In collaboration with RLCF and NCLAC, this is the second year of a virtual program that supports and supports artists in creating new works of art. Mark Tansey's 1981 work entitled The Innocent Eye is one example - a critique of the climate of disagreement prevailing in the philosophy of art during the last decades of the 20th century.
The Mexican Muralism movement began in Mexico in the early 1920s when José Vasconcelos commissioned artists to create monumental educational murals representing the history of Mexico on government buildings. Judy Chicago is another example - a feminist artist known for her large collaborative art installations exploring the role of women in culture and history. Local artists in Monroe have used their artwork to express their identity and values through modern art techniques such as Pointillism and Expressionism. Through collaborations with organizations such as RLCF and NCLAC, these artists have been able to create works that critique contemporary taste and explore themes such as black identity and gender roles.
