1. The Guernica by Pablo Picasso is most famous and most powerful political statement. This painting was the immediate reaction to the Nazi's bombing on the town of Guernica in the Spanish Civil War. This piece shows the tragedies that can be inflicted on someone by war and suffering.
2. The Old Guitarist by Pablo Picasso was painted in 1903, after Picasso's close friend's suicide. During this time, he was very sympathetic and painted canvases depicting people who were poor, ill, or cast out from society. He too knew what it was like to be impoverished, having little to no money in all of 1902.
3. Hammamet with its Mosque by Paul Klee was inspired by the bright light of Tunis. It follows Robert Delaunay's proposal to use colors and their contrasts.
4. The Twittering Machine by Paul Klee shows a child's toy of four mechanical birds that sit on a hand crank. They ready themselves to sing when the crank gets turned. The birds show an intimidating impression while in their still state.
5. Alchemy by Jackson Pollock was one of his earliest poured paintings and was executed in the most revolutionary technique that constituted his most significant contribution to 20th century art.
6. The Flame by Jackson Pollock was worked on at the time he was not under his teacher's, Thomas Hart Benton, direct tutelage anymore. More than any other Pollock, The Flame proposes that art's greatest and deepest powers are rooted in patterns of energy.
7. Black Reflection by Franz Kline is an early example of Kline's attempts at introducing color back into his work. The focal point for this piece is the black shape that Kline previously employed in the Untitled composition of 1954.
8. Four Square by Franz Kline is an example of Kline's experimentation with angular compositions. Although apparently structured in its compositional rigidness, Four Square is a great example of his gestural approach to the painting.