Associating artists, periods, schools...

If you'd like to gain some knowledge of art, literature, or music, you might want to learn and associate artist and period, title of painting and artist, literary work and author, or piece of music and composer.

If you wanted to remember that Marcel Duchamp was of the dadaist school of painting, you would associate a Substitute Word or phrase for Duchamp to a Substitute thought for dada. Seeing a toe chomping on a baby crying for its da da might do it for you. Or, you could use two champs or due champs to remind you of Duchamp.

Braque and Picasso were cubists. See yourself breaking (Braque; or breaking with a rock) a gigantic cube with a pickax (Picasso).

Monet and Renoir were impressionists. You might picture old money (Monet) being renewed (Renoir) to appear as an impressionist (one who does impersonations or impressions).

Of course, for each of the last two examples, you could associate one artist at a time to the school or period. You'd simply associate first Braque and then Picasso to cubism.

Rembrandt was a humanist. You might picture a ram branding a human.

Van Gogh and Cezanne were postimpressionists. One picture of a van going to press a post and sieze Ann would do it. Or, use two separate associations; a van goes to press a post, and a post that's pressing clothes (ironing) sees Ann.

Edvard Munch (pronounced Muhnk) was an expressionist. Picture this: You're trying to express yourself to a monk.

Dali is a surrealist. Picture a doll that's "sure real." Dali is often considered to be a superrealist, so you can see that doll being real and eating soup.

An example of a nonobjective painter is Kandinsky. You might form a silly association of candy skiing and throwing objects at a nun; or can did ski to nonobjective.

Jackson Pollock's work is considered abstract-expressionist, or action painting. Picture a gigantic pole locked in a room where it obstructs (abstract) all expression and action. Or, a pole with a lock on it is being very active (running) and obstructing express trains.

Rauschenberg is a pop artist; picture a roach on an iceberg drinking soda pop.

Rousseau was of the primitive school of painting. Associate a trousseau or Ruth sew to primitive (see Ruth sewing primitive clothes). One of Rousseau's wellknown paintings is "The Dream." Get something into your picture to represent dream, and you'll be reminded of that, too.

Mondrian was a constructivist; perhaps you'd like to remember that one of his paintings is titled "Broadway Boogie-Woogie." Picture a man dryin' a huge construction as he dances the boogie-woogie on Broadway.

-The Memory Book, Harry Lorayne and Jerry Lucas, page 167