Precisionnism

Precisionism is an artistic movement that emerged in the early 1920s in the United States. Influenced by cubism (Orphic cubism) and futurism, this movement has as main representatives Charles Demuth, Elsie Driggs and Charles Sheeler. Part of the work of Georgia O'Keeffe, whose husband Alfred Stieglitz was also involved, can also be associated with this current. Edward Hopper is not strictly speaking a precisionist, but his style has some characteristics. Certain works (in particular I saw the number 5 in gold by Demuth) will also influence Pop Art much later. The precisionist style is characterized by a cubist but figurative representation (cubo-realism). The themes are often industrial and urban landscapes (factory chimneys, buildings, water towers) represented in a cubist way, sometimes close to abstraction but sometimes realistic or even photorealistic. On the other hand, these idealized figurative representations are generally devoid of any human presence. Precisionism did not have a great impact outside the United States. To tell the truth, the artists cited were a very small group, particularly active in the 1920s and 1930s, and organized a few joint exhibitions. Moreover, no manifesto was created for this movement.