We will explore how countless modern artists, from Braques to Brancusi, based many of their most successful works on what they considered “naive” art: made by folk artists and artisans who had no formal art education. We will examine how Picasso appropriated African art to create Cubism, how wealthy collectors exploited Henri Rousseau and many other working class artists by labeling them “naive,” and the reasons why the connection between folk culture and  modern art was swept under the rug after World War II. We’ll also examine modernists that drew on aesthetics from their own cultural backgrounds, such as Jewish artists El Lissitzky and Chagall, and the ways their explicit connections to folk tradition affected their reception by critics, curators, and collectors. 

Faculty Bio:

Isabella Segalovich (Based in Philadelphia) is an artist and educator who studies the intersections of ornament, art, and politics. Since working with antiracist architecture firm Colloqate Design, her focus has been identifying and combating white supremacy in the realms of art and design. She is a contributing author and TikTok correspondent at Hyperallergic, has appeared on podcasts such as Architecture is Political, and was included in an Architectural Digest article of “where to find the best interior design content on TikTok.”

Instagram @interstellar_isabellar