The Regional Climate And Hiatus Of Discourse In The Early American Modern Art

George Ault,the American artist who was doomed in the untimely death is,by no means,a conspicuous artist in the early modern American art history.His artistic carrer,however,certainly was not an unruffled and senseless one that could be omitted easily,nay,there envolved so much niceties that lurked in the primary clues of early modern American art history.This dissertation,therefore,is going to delve into the artist.Probing into an extensive and multi-dimensional artistic world that constructed upon certain social and cultural climate,embedding in a period which remained so much disputable and equivocal remnants to disentangle,this dissertation anchored in a period loaded with illusion and enchantment which expanded from the1920 s to 1940 s in the United States,it is also the exact time that had known for its unstable and incoherent artistic prospects before Abstract Expressionism began to rise officially.The pivotal concentration over the dissertation is,however,focusing on George Ault's position remaining in the history of early modern American art and the relationship between the artist and the narrative of the early modern American art throughout his artistic career spaned from 1915 to 1948.Never situated at a prominent position in the history of early modern American art,George Ault,the artist always reduced to a footnote alongside the grand narrative in the official literatures,drifting inside the streams and barely acquired the deserved reputation that one outstanding artist should have obtained.Ault,however,not the only artist from that period that fallen into the “forgotten club”,subjected to an relatively coarse narrative that trying to fit him into some unreasonable category hastily for the purpose of the integrity in terms of historical narrative,sinking into the floating and ephemeral stage only lasted for less than one decade that eventually facilitating the consciousness of the native American artists and fermenting the unique amalgamation amongst the art environment that mingled with issues of identity,race,sex and politics since the 1950 s.George Ault served as a convictive sample in furthering the examination regarding to the history of early modern American art due to his prominent and subtle interaction with the main stream of official narrative at different times,of equal conclusive factor is his highly syncretic artistic style that defied rashly classification.It left with no doubt that,the rediscovery of Ault's artistic career will help to reveal the abundant of details that covered behind the surface previously,thereout,appropriated trajectories will be found to acknowledge the relevant issues that suspended in the midair of early modern American art history,especially those who concerned with Ault.The footing of this monograph is,therefore,to present the twisted roots and branches that inserted in the territory of the history of early modern American art that in terms of George Ault as much as possible,and as objective as possible.In order to contain the structure eloquently,two sorts of narrative erected over the monography: the former one contains the representation and reflection of the relationship between artist and the time he lived in,regarding to the political and social background,which supposed to compose of the horizontal aspect and tend to shape an open-ended form;the later one,aiming at the exploration based on the physical and metaphysical layers that impacting on the artist's works respectively,to build a relatively closed structure that enabling the dynamic evolution of his artistic style that both bounded by personal experience and emotional factors which constantly trapped the artist,made him struggled in the dilemma of mental disorder.Chapter 1 examines the primary period that based upon Ault's British experience and academic artistic education that he received during his childhood to adolescence,leading up to the most crucial period throughout his career around the1920 s,that was the time he was engaging in the art movement named Precisionism in his own specific way.Chapter 2 contends the profound correlation between George Ault and two art schools: Metaphysical Art and Surrealism,penetrating into the mindset of the artist as to the motivation of the artworks he created around1930S-1940 S.Chapter 3 considers the later part of the artist's life,when he lived in the art colony Woodstock around 1937-1948,which was relatively a tranquil duration within his lifetime.Ault created his most recognizable products that known for its otherworldly and eerie characteristics over the eleven years,some of them are really phenomenal and self-evident in illustrating the tension between premodern era and modern era,urban and country,oneself and otherness.Such as the series of Russell's Corners.Chapter 4 argues the ambiguity and paradoxy concerning to Ault's precise status in the history of early modern American art,suggesting and indicating the extremely delicate situation that overshadowed the assorted and alternative artistic vista which resulted in the distortion and misinterpretation of Ault to a great extent,along with,of course,other peer artists whom involved in the analogical plight.