Working Paper: NBER ID: w11501
Authors: David W. Galenson
Abstract: Paris was the undisputed capital of modern art in the nineteenth century, but during the early \ntwentieth century major innovations began to occur elsewhere in Europe. This paper examines the \ncareers of the artists who led such movements as Italian Futurism, German Expressionism, Holland's \nDe Stijl, and Russia's Suprematism. Quantitative analysis reveals the conceptual basis of the art of \nUmberto Boccioni, Giorgio de Chirico, Kazimir Malevich, and Edvard Munch, and the experimental \nbasis of the innovations of Wassily Kandinsky, Paul Klee, and Piet Mondrian. That the invention of \nabstract art was made nearly simultaneously by the conceptual Malevich and the experimental \nKandinsky and Mondrian emphasizes the importance of both deductive and inductive approaches \nin the history of modern art.
Keywords: No keywords provided
JEL Codes: J0
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Malevich's innovative practices (B14) | invention of abstract art (B10) |
| Kandinsky's experimental methods (C99) | invention of abstract art (B10) |
| Mondrian's extensive body of work (A31) | invention of abstract art (B10) |
| Malevich's conceptual innovations (B14) | establishment of Suprematism (B14) |
| Kandinsky's gradual approach to abstraction (B14) | contribution to the movement toward abstraction (B13) |
| Mondrian's cumulative influence (B24) | reflection in modern art (Z11) |