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Connecting curious minds with uncommon, undeniably Northwest reads

Montana Modernists

Shifting Perceptions of Western Art

Michele Corriel

$32.95

In stark contrast to stereotypical romanticized depictions of the West, a twentieth-century postwar avant-garde art movement, Montana modernism, relied on authentic landscapes and experiences. Ranchers, teachers, and professors, their ideas and work flourished, expanding traditional definitions of western art. The first book solely devoted to the topic, Montana Modernists presents their stunning artwork within the context of place, teaching and artistic lineage, and community.

A 2022 Montana Book Award honor book!

“This book is singular, a milestone. It illuminates a precinct of western American art history that has been neglected by scholars up until now.”—Gordon McConnell, artist, writer, and Montana Governor’s Arts Award recipient

Illustrations / notes / bibliography / index / 10″ x 8″  / 208 pages (2022)

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Description

For many, Charles M. Russell’s paintings epitomize life in the West. But in twentieth-century postwar Montana, an avant-garde art movement—Montana Modernism—brewed. Its pioneers— Jessie Wilber, Frances Senska, Bill Stockton, Isabelle Johnson, Robert DeWeese, and Gennie DeWeese—created a community and pedagogy where, in stark contrast to stereotypical romanticized western art and frontier history themes, modernist ideas and art flourished, expanding traditional definitions of Western art.

The first book solely devoted to the topic, Montana Modernists presents stunning artwork and illuminates a little-known art movement. Divided into three sections, Corriel’s exploration concentrates on place, teaching/artistic lineage, and community. The isolation, beauty, and complexity of their surrounding landscape served as a backdrop and influenced the lives and art of these ranchers, teachers, and professors. Next, Corriel traces artistic lineages to describe how each arrived at their particular artistic style. Community, the third section, offers a thorough study of their teaching styles, art techniques, and social gatherings to demonstrate how a thriving community of like-minded artists, writers, dancers, musicians, and philosophers opposed the grand narrative of the West, a movement that still resonates in contemporary Montana art.

Michele Corriel holds a Master’s in Art History and a PhD in American Studies/American Art from Montana State University, Bozeman. She has been an art writer for the last 17 years and is on the National Advisory Board for the Bozeman Art Museum.

“This book is singular, a milestone. It illuminates a precinct of western American art history that has been neglected by scholars up until now.”—Gordon McConnell, artist, writer, and Montana Governor’s Arts Award recipient

Montana Modernists presents important biographical histories of six Montana artists for the first time in one book, and provides valuable context for understanding how modernism evolved in Montana from the influences of artists like Cezanne to the movements of Dada, cubism, abstract expressionism, and the Bauhaus.”—Steven Jackson, former curator of Art and Photography at the Museum of the Rockies

Illustrations / notes / bibliography / index / 10″ x 8″  / 180 pages (2022)

ISBN 978-0-87422-419-1 Paperback

A 2022 Montana Book Award honor selection!

Read about the Montana Modernist Yellowstone Art Museum exhibit curated by Michele Corriel in the Billings Gazette.

Read an excerpt in Big Sky Journal.

Recognition

“This book is singular, a milestone. It illuminates a precinct of western American art history that has been neglected by scholars up until now.”—Gordon McConnell, artist, writer, and Montana Governor’s Arts Award recipient

Montana Modernists presents important biographical histories of six Montana artists for the first time in one book, and provides valuable context for understanding how modernism evolved in Montana from the influences of artists like Cezanne to the movements of Dada, cubism, abstract expressionism, and the Bauhaus.”—Steven Jackson, former curator of Art and Photography at the Museum of the Rockies

“Montana Modernists is both an analysis of an art movement and a series of biographical sketches of its primary influencers. Corriel clearly loves the land and the artists she describes, alternating between didactic and ekphrastic passages, evoking a sense of the artworks paralleling the way the Modernists evoked their surroundings.”—Rachel Harris-Huffman, Hyperallergic

“Montana Modernists reveals a previously little-known history of the development of Modernism in a region that, in the mid-20th century, was not keen to accept deviation from mimetic and romantic realism. Fans of contemporary artists with western roots like Theodore Wadell, Jerry Rankin, and Patrick Zentz will be particularly interested in this text, as it traces the development and influences of the generation that guided them in finding their voices as artists.”—Rachel Harris-Huffman, Hyperallergic

Additional information

Dimensions 8 x 10 in
Format

Paperback