What was once astonishing and scandalous for the population of 1913 can now be considered a brilliant form of expression. In 1913, the nation was at the end of the Progressive Era. They were developing socially, politically, and scientifically. Of course, with change comes the transformation of art. The Armory Show is a representation of that change. Until then, art was realistic. Most works of art were focused on everyday life. The Armory Show was revolutionary in the fact that it displayed modern art: art that had hardly ever been shown before. It focused on Fauvism, Cubism, and Futurism.

This can be shown in Paul Gaugin’s painting, “Parau na te Varua ino” (Words of the Devil).

This painting portrays a belief in Tahitian culture of a devil that can paralyze a woman by fear. This painting was very controversial, one teacher even calling it “nasty, obscene, indecent, immoral, lewd, and demoralizing.” Others saw this painting as great symbolism. This mixed review exemplifies the gradual and hesitant progression of society towards modern art.

Another controversial piece is the infamous “Nude Descending a Staircase ” by Marcel Duchamp. The nude, once a customary subject, had been turned into an abstract piece. Not only was there much debate about the painting, there were also many parodies to follow. One parody was named “Rude Descending a Staircase (Rush Hour at the Subway)”.

This piece is a mockery not only of ”Nude Descending a Staircase”, but also Cubist art as a whole.

Trying to educate instead of shock the viewers, Chavannes showed a more traditional type of painting, “Le Verger, Les Enfants au verger, L’Automne”.

Shown are children gathering fruit in front of their mother. Both conservative and modern artists admired his work. His painting allowed the more traditional artists to have a taste of modern art without scaring them away.

Even though this work was astonishing to the viewers of 1913, it has become revolutionary to the ways in which art is understood today. Only 100 years after The Armory Show, we have come to the point where we can be open to the constantly changing world of art. Even though we are still progressing, the Progressive movement definitely helped us move forward into a new era of expression.