New York is a beautifully diverse state, full of rich culture which includes the visual arts. Several influential artistic movements have taken place in the state, including the Harlem Renaissance and American Pop Art Movement. New York City, especially, has been a global center for both national and international art markets. The museums and art galleries of the Empire State feature the works of both historically famous artists like Picasso, as well as that of up-and-coming local artists.
Early Art Scene
Early in the 20th century, it became clear that New York was a trail-blazer for the art world in the United States. In 1913, the Armory Show in New York City brought the works of European modern artists to the U.S., a move that influenced American art culture for the rest of the 20th century. Photographer Alfred Stieglitz and painters Charles Demuth and Marden Hartley helped to establish American viewpoints in the fine arts.
After World War II, a group of New York artists known as the "New York School" formed the first original school of painting in America. This modern movement was founded on Abstract Expressionism, which was an unspecific attitude more than a categorical style of art. Abstract Expressionism was a term first used in 1936 by a journalist from the New Yorker. Morality, individuality, and expedient spontaneity were all ideas shared by Abstract Expressionist artists. The belief in the right to freely express oneself was the muse for many of these artists, who drew their inspiration from all directions. Vacationers can view art from this period at places like the Agora Gallery, located in the Chelsea district of Manhattan. Check with the museum to find out their schedule of exhibits.
Pop Art Movement in New York
American artists began to gain international recognition in the 1940s and 1950s, when New York's art scene began to boom. In the late 1950s and into the 1960s, the Pop Art Movement hopped the pond from England to America. At the 1964/1965 New York World's Fair, pop art got its first major public display.
New York City's status as a quickly growing metropolis for consumerism helped fuel the Pop Movement's use of consumerism as a subject in its art. Pop art focused mainly on familiar images of the pop culture like billboards, comic strips, magazine ads, and supermarket products. Responding to the new trend in U.S. commercialism, pop artists burst onto the scene, particularly in New York and Los Angeles. Famous pop artist Andy Warhol said of the genre, "Everything is beautiful. Pop is everything." Warhol's works greatly influenced the American Pop Art Movement, and though he wasn't originally from New York, the Slovak immigrant was among NYC's most popular painters.
Harlem Renaissance
At the dawn of the Jazz Age came the Harlem Renaissance, also known as the Negro Movement. This period of social revival occurred in NYC's Harlem neighborhood, and was an outburst of African American creativity in the various art fields. The movement lasted from the 1920s until the 1940s, and was fueled by the "Great Migration" of almost five million African Americans from the South to Northern states. Harlem, New York was the center for a large African American population which brought with them their traditions and culture, including art.
African American artists of the Harlem Renaissance used their art work for the goals of civil rights and equality. Well-known artists from the Harlem Renaissance include Langston Hughes, who often painted rural and folkloric images. Another artist from the renaissance was Aaron Douglas, who was considered a "Father of African American art." Douglas was especially well-known for his mural paintings, including the one he painted on the 135th Street branch of the NYC Library. Other artists from the Harlem Renaissance include Romare Bearden, Jacob Lawrence, and Archibald Motley. Works from the period are on exhibit at museums and galleries throughout New York, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Smithsonian Museum of Art.
Body Art
The art of tattooing goes back at least to the Stone Age period, and the earliest documentation of it in the U.S. were accounts of sailors in the early 19th century. Mechanical tattooing was invented in New York City by Samuel O'Reilly. O'Reilly modified Thomas Edison's engraving pen to create the first device that could mechanically inscribe a tattoo into the skin. O'Reilly's invention was patented in 1881. New York has many tattoo parlors and practicing tattoo artists throughout the state, so you can make your vacation in the Empire State a truly unforgettable experience.
Vandalism vs. Art
Graffiti has existed since the days of ancient civilizations, and when it emerged in NYC, it caused much controversy. Typically associated with the hip-hop culture, modern graffiti consists of markings on private or public property. These pictures, drawings, words, and other decorations are usually made without permission of the property owner.
Signatures of graffitos are called tags, and are mostly made with aerosol spray paint. In the 1970s, grafs, or urban frescoes, covered NYC's walls, buses, and subway cars. "Whole car" works covered entire trains. The first identified tagger was New York's Taki. The graffiti works of Basquiat and Haring have won the acclaim and attention of influential art dealers. Today visitors can still see the works of graffiti artists in the city.
New York Museums and Artists
Many of New York state's art museums and galleries are located in NYC, but you can also find art in other cities throughout the state. The Albany Institute of History and Art, the Parrish Art Museum in South Hampton, and the Albright-Knox Art Museum in Buffalo are just a few of the state's art offerings. Some of the local artists you can check out at galleries and museums include Dana Schutz and Thomas Countey. Art colonies also thrive in some of New York's smaller towns, like Woodstock.
New York's art scene has been a major part of the state's culture. Whether taking in famous works at the Guggenheim or browsing at an upstate art studio, New York's art makes an interesting addition to any vacation.
Bring home a handmade souvenir from New York.
