My Favorite Movements From ART 237

All of the movements we studied in this course were captivating to me (with the exception of DuChamp’s urinal-why was that such a huge influence on art that we are still learning about it today? If anyone can be an artist, then I feel like the appreciation for talented and hardworking artists is lost.) Besides that, I really enjoyed reading and learning about impressionism. I am intrigued that artists were challenged by new technologies like the camera to create something more unique. Monet’s paintings are impressive; I appreciate that he would actually go outside, prop up a canvas and begin to paint as quickly as he could. I am fascinated by his study of light with the haystacks as well. He painted them during every season of the year at various times of the day. The vibrancy of his colors and the fluid quick brushstrokes remind me of my own work. One of my favorite pieces by Monet is Springtime (top). The branches of the trees take up most of the canvas, which is made up of several small brushstrokes. These little brushstrokes give the painting so much energy. I am also impressed with how he handles the sunshine and light.

                Another movement that I really enjoyed learning more about was surrealism. This movement is so interesting because artists were really starting to break away from traditions like portraiture and narratives while instead, creating a dream-like world. Surrealistic artwork gave the viewer the opportunity to venture out of reality. I like incorporating surrealistic elements in my paintings because it is my escape from the burdens of the real world. I like having the ability to manipulate the believability of the image and the ideas behind it. I am so fascinated with strange or abnormal forms and artists like Salvador Dali who can make those forms seem real. One Dali painting that is particularly interesting to me is The Geopolitical Child Watching the Birth of the New Man (bottom). I love the twisted organic shapes that Dali uses in his work and especially in this one. The hanging cloth at the top of the painting has little dangling pieces that draw my attention. I absolutely love the strangeness of Dali’s work and even though it is realistic to an extent, it still doesn’t make sense. For example, in this painting we see a human form breaking free from an egg shaped form, but rather than cracking like an eggshell, it stretches like elastic. Also, the egg form has the definitions of a world map, which doesn’t exactly make sense. 

Rothko

The Abstract Expressionist movement has broadened our sense of meaning for art today, but I have a difficult time appreciating some of the pieces artists from this time period are famous for. Mark Rothko, for example, is one of the pioneers of abstract expressionism from his success with color-fill paintings. Seeing his work in textbooks doesn’t do the paintings justice. When I first learned about him I wondered why on earth we were wasting time studying rectangular canvases with sloppy, colored squares. I have never seen a Rothko in person before, but judging by the massive scale and sensational colors of most of his paintings, I can only imagine the emotion that I would encounter. I decided to research Rothko because I don’t give him much credit for his paintings, as art historians and critics like Clement Greenberg do. Originally, I wanted to focus on one of his earlier works because of their abstract and primitive quality, but as I was browsing through some of his works there was one that immediately caught my attention.  

                No. 7 Orange and Chocolate has one of my favorite qualities in a painting: complimentary colors. This piece is one of Rothko’s later works from 1957 and is 70”x 44”. When I look at this painting, I feel as if I’m in a state of trance; I am hypnotized by the strangely vibrant yellow rectangle. However, I also can’t help but absorb the tension between the three segments because of not only their contrast, but because their soft and uneven edges are just barely touching one another. I am extremely fascinated with this piece. Its color is haunting because it envelops everything I see and I am lost in the perplexity of it.

                In the article “Painting the Page” written by Simon Morley from the University of Southampton, he explains that Rothko’s objective was not for his viewers to analyze his work formally by shape, texture and subject matter, but to have an emotional experience with the “fundamentally tragic” imagery. He explains that Rothko explores the extreme and harsh reality of the modern man. I found this very interesting because Rothko’s color filled paintings definitely give off a dramatic and almost haunting vibe. Morley mentions an article written by Robert Rosenburg called the “Abstract Sublime”, where he argues that modernist art bloomed from the sublimation and essences of awe and terror, branching from Romanticism. This ties back in to Morley’s point that Rothko’s work is based on the modern man. Rosenblum wrote, “These infinite glowing [levels of mysterious light] carry us beyond reason to the Sublime; we can only submit to them in an act of faith and let ourselves be absorbed into their radiant depths”. The way he moved the paint on the canvas, leaving edges un even and faded gives the painting a presence; as if there is something concealed within it, but we don’t know exactly what it is and it won’t be the same for anyone. The viewer is not forced to have a specific experience with subjective imagery, which is exactly what Rothko was going for. Each luminous block of color represents something, but it is up to the viewer to figure out its secret.

Bibliography:

Simon Morley, “Painting the Page,” Journal of Visual Arts Practice Volume 8, Numbers 1 and 2 (2009): 152, accessed May 23, 2012, http://web.ebscohost.com.ezp.lib.cwu.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=4298384b-40f3-42d8-bbea-452c7b077ba2%40sessionmgr115&vid=1&hid=111

Robert Rosenblum, “The Abstract Sublime,” Art News Magazine. No access online. Found article on May 23, 2012 through alternate source, http://www.empireofglass.com/abstract_sublime.pdf

Dadaism and Surrealism

            The destruction of the First World War resulted in an extreme amount of casualties and suffering which in turn, initiated a new trend for artists to reject the rationality of thought as a tool to critique society. This trend is known as Dadaism. Dadaist artists embraced the rejection of expression to eliminate the idea of the subjective art form. They figured if thinking rationally is what brought on World War I, then, thinking irrationally must prevent anything of the like. This is completely against the traditional conventions of art and challenges the artist as subject.

            One artist in particular who had a huge impact on Dadaism was Marcel Duchamp and his piece Fountain of 1917. With a piece such as Fountain, Duchamp questioned artistic convention and critiqued the idea of art itself. This sculpture is an example of what he called a “ready-made”, which is a mass produced, manufactured or a found-man-made object. Basically, he purchased a standard, functional urinal, positioned it with its back facing flat on a horizontal surface, and signed it as “R. Mutt”. Dadaism wanted to bring humor to the somber world by making fun of art. Apparently, his signature refers to the plumbing company called “Mott” and also is a symbol of the comic character, Mutt; this doesn’t really make sense and seems chaotic, just like Dadaism. Duchamp came up with works such as this to create a new thought for already existing objects. He wanted his viewers to wonder if his work should be characterized as art or not, and what exactly should constitute art. Before I learned about art history or any kind of artistic trends, I never considered something like Duchamp’s Fountain art, and I still don’t. However, I do appreciate the point he is trying to make. Art isn’t always about making a statement and I believe that art serves as a different purpose for everybody. I love that he forces a different perspective on mundane objects, and he impresses me with some of his ideas. Certainly, every person has the potential to be an artist, but it’s a combination of technical skill and the creativity to execute a work of art.

            Moreover, Dadaism grew more extreme and became a new art movement called Surrealism. This new style was based on the elements of Dadaism in its critique of society, but its primary focus was on the Marxist and Freudian influences, more specifically, an exploration of sexuality. One artist who is the epitome of surrealism in terms of Freudian values was Salvador Dali. His painting Birth of Liquid Desires of 1931 is the perfect example of the irrationality of dreams and the subconscious. For example, Dali uses imagery that could never be seen in reality, such as the large yellow biomorphic shape in the background. There is a theme of rejection and turmoil based on the two figures in the center of the piece, giving a sense of sexual desire and guilty arousal while the dark cloud looms above them. During the time that Dali painted Birth of Liquid Desires, his father expressed disapproval towards Dali’s wife, which explains the rejection underlying this piece. This is a surrealist work because of the repressed sexual desire and because there are so many different emotions conveyed, the painting doesn’t make any sense.       

Primitivism in the eyes of Henri Matisse

                At the end of the nineteenth century as modernity began to overwhelm western European culture, artists began to use elements of lesser developed societies to embrace the simplicity that modern life started to lack. Artists such as Gauguin, who were spiritually endowed and in tune with their emotions were able to embody the simple part of life in a rustic environment. Only somebody that is different than the norm can truly identify the primitive or advanced characteristics of another culture. One work in particular that embodies the idea of primitive life is Blue Nude: Souvenir at Biskra by Henri Matisse.

                Firstly, Matisse was a French artist so he is native to western culture. However, this painting contrasts the typical western renderings of the reclining female nude. Most western European paintings of nude women depicted them on soft fluffy pillows wrapped in sheets and peering directly at the viewer, flaunting their sexuality. My interpretations of eye contact between the viewer and the nude woman in these kinds of paintings are a stimulation of arousal, or personal affairs with the woman giving the suggestion of prostitution. In Blue Nude: Souvenir at Biskra, the woman is not making eye contact with the viewer. She is looking down, away from the viewer. It is as if she doesn’t even realize that any one is watching her. This demonstrates that this painting was not intended to please male viewers in a sexual way, like some western nude paintings. Furthermore, Matisse’s painting can be considered avant-guarde because it reflects the characteristics based on Griselda Pollock’s three key elements: reference, deference and difference. The reference of this painting is the fact that Matisse chose a conventional composition of the reclining female nude. As for deference, Matisse expresses a similar quality to impressionism with his use of warm and cool colors to suggest highlights and shadows. He also kept his brushstrokes fairly loose which gave the piece a painterly effect, like the impressionists. Lastly, Matisse’s work is different because he placed this reclining nude figure out in a natural, outdoor setting. This contrasts traditional western paintings of the reclining nude and proves that Matisse was an avant-guarde artist for taking a different aesthetic approach to modern art.

                Moreover, this piece ties into the idea of primitivism because of artistic style and the subject matter. Blue Nude: Souvenir at Biskra is not naturalistic, rather it is more abstract. Matisse used thick outlines to define the edges of the woman’s figure, which emphasizes the idea of simplicity. Another detail that I noticed is that her right leg seems to be out of perspective with the rest of her body. It reminds me of ancient Egyptian paintings with depictions of people in twisted perspective, with both legs facing the same direction. Matisse’s painting is similar with ancient Egyptian art in that sense, which also gives it a primitive quality. As I mentioned before, the woman depicted here is completely naked and laying out in the middle of the wilderness with no clothes thrown off to the side, or blanket underneath her; just the simplicity of her own body. There is no reference to modernity in this painting, which emphasizes the primitive identity of this woman and the painting as a whole. One specific detail that caught my attention is the body type this woman has. Although she has an ideal figure, she is fairly muscular for a female. Perhaps her muscular build is supposed to demonstrate that she survives in the world by doing everything herself. For example, in modern culture houses are built for people by machinery and food is conveniently manufactured and mass produced. This woman, however, does all of that herself. One other element of primitivism is evident by Matisse’s choice of composition because women are seen as closer to nature. Throughout art history, women have been a symbol of fertility and sexuality and with Blue Nude: Souvenir at Biskra, Matisse created the perfect example of the simplicity of nature and a simple way of life. 

Isolation in the life of Caillebotte

The boom of industrialization in the late nineteenth century caused impressionist artists to celebrate the new modern life. Gustave Caillebotte, on the other hand, critiqued modernity by emphasizing the isolation that coincided with it. He felt that because of new technology and the high demand of mass produced items, interaction between people was lost and a reliance on machinery took over. Caillebotte stood out from other impressionist artists because he explored the idea of isolationism by utilizing modern gender roles in relation to the unusual interior and exterior space that he puts them in.   

                In most of Caillebotte’s work, he incorporates some kind of barrier or window to the outside world, which demonstrates tension between domestic space and the outside world in modern life, thus establishing a sense of isolation in the viewer. For example, in his work Young Man at His Window, painted in 1875 depicts a finely dressed, modern man standing at an open window. The interior space is much darker and melancholic than the outside space where the sky is lit up by the shining sun and towering buildings loom in his view. The viewer gets the sense of longing and tension because this man is trapped in this internal space. Tension between gender roles is also present in this piece. In the background, a woman walking down the street catches the man’s stare. Perhaps this is a sign of sexual tension or the question of what constitutes masculinity. Up until this point in time, women were mostly seen in domestic spaces, while the men were out and about making the money. Caillebotte incorporates this switch in gender roles to represent what is happening in modern society.              

                Another painting that delved into the idea of gender roles is Luncheon painted in 1876, just two years after his father’s death. Caillebotte’s family history may be the primary source for his central theme of isolation in painting. In fact, during only a span of four years, he lost his father, his brother, and his mother.  Moreover, Luncheon shows a scene of his mother and brother eating at the family table while a servant brings their food. Caillebotte depicted his mother with an authoritative presence in this painting because of the death of his father. Both mother and son seem occupied with their meal and separate from each other. One other theme that Caillebotte seems to use as the underlying composition for all of his paintings is illusionism and a rapid receding space. For example, in Luncheon, the table is at such a steep perspective that the viewer gets the sense of isolation because there is so much space between the two figures. This is a domestic scene, yet there are men painted within the interior space. Caillebotte was promoting the fact that domestic space can be masculine too. This is also evident in his Floor Scraper painting of 1875. The painting shows three men working in a domestic space. The lighting is dim, and the workers’ faces are kept in the shadows. The feeling of isolation is triggered by the men’s scraping motions moving away from the viewer while their shadows creep into the foreground, creating a somber mood. Similar to Luncheon, each figure is given their own space with hardly any interaction. The verticle lines receding into the background not only give a greater sense of depth and interior space, but it leads the viewer’s eye to the open window on the back wall. The decorative metal on the balcony acts as a barrier, blocking them from the outside world.       

Formal Analysis of Degas

Impressionism is perhaps one of the most fascinating art movements discussed in this series of courses. Artists during this time struggled to compete with new technology such as the camera because of its ability to capture a real, unpredictable moment in time. Thus the birth of impressionism, where art became a moment of modern life captured in a painting; unblended brush strokes are evidence of a fast paced and painterly approach while color was used to enhance a certain mood.  One artist that I have grown to appreciate is Edgar Degas. His painting The Rehearsal on Stage, completed in 1874, uses social commentary to evoke a sense of physical, sexual, and moral tension in depicting modern life.

                Firstly, The Rehearsal on Stage exhibits physical tension by the way that Degas painted the dancers. He has put some of them in strenuous and unnatural poses. For example, the dancer in the center foreground is uncomfortably leaning forward with her legs stretched in front of her. The dancers in the background are on the tips of their toes trying to maintain balance, while the girls on the side look tired and bored. . This painting demonstrates the long and gruesome hours that the young dancers experienced during practice.

                Degas also portrays sexual tension in this painting with his use of imagery. These are young women, dancing in more provocative, revealing dresses.  One important aspect of this painting is the two men sitting in the background on the right side. The men sitting there suggest that they have come to the rehearsal and paid to watch the girls dance. Because of Degas’s impressionistic approach to painting, we cannot make out the detail of the men’s faces; however it is obvious that they are simply there to watch. The men don’t seem to be carrying a conversation as if they are waiting for the rehearsal to end; rather they are relaxed, slumped in their chairs, enjoying the private show. Dancers during this time were typically of the lower class, but the strange thing is that the men watching are wearing suits so they must have been wealthy, not to mention that we are assuming that they paid to be there. In light of this, seeing this painting makes me feel as though it was easier to be taken advantage of, especially being a lower class woman, or perhaps that it was okay for the men to watch because these women were of a lesser rank. This can be interpreted as sexual tension. It almost seems as though the social commentary was showing how exhausted lower class women are of being degraded and simply seen as items of sex, which bring up the question of morality and the moral tension in this scene.      

                One characteristic that makes Degas’s work so interesting is that he was an impressionist, but he sometimes broke away from the style and incorporated more realism. For example, in The Rehearsal on Stage represents impressionism with his use of cropping. The dancer on the left closest to the viewer is cut in half; similar to how a photograph would look. On the other hand, he does not have a fascination with color and light like other impressionist artists. Instead he uses neutral colors and keeps a wide range of values without having one direct light source. Other impressionists painted exactly what was in front of them, which is what made them unique. However, Degas did not attend an actual rehearsal for this painting, but he used models instead. This isn’t a quick representation of life in front of him, however it is contrived. He exhibits a fluid, textured surface of brush strokes while still keeping a flat-like quality in his work.  A couple of elements in this painting in particular are the steepness of the floor and the bass clef in the foreground. In 1853, Japan made itself available in Western trade and diplomacy where art objects and prints became popular in France during the late nineteenth century. Degas was heavily influenced by Japanese wood block prints at this time. His work shares some of the same elements of Japanese wood block prints such as steep receding perspectives, flatness, blocks of color and geometric shapes. In The Rehearsal on Stage, Degas uses outline to shape some of the dancers; for instance the dancer’s legs in the middle ground are outlined and also the dresses of the dancers in the foreground are outlined which produces a flat effect. The bass clefs also reflect the blocks of color seen in the Japanese prints because they are immediately in the foreground and impossible to ignore which also gives the piece a flatness because of the solid dark color.   

                Overall, I love the way Degas incorporated different artistic styles into this painting to achieve a snapshot like scene of modern life in the late nineteenth century.  

Gustave Courbet: Political and Artistic Radicalism

In the nineteenth century, the oppression of the lower class by the bourgeois caused a great deal of political and artistic radicalism. Thus, began the socialist revolution in 1848. One of the avant-guarde painters of this century whose subject matter was based on this oppression of the poor was Gustave Courbet.

          For example, Courbet’s painting The Stone Breakers, completed just one year after Karl Marx’s “Communist Manifesto” in 1848, demonstrates the conditions and lifestyle of the proletariats, or lower working class. This painting shows a young boy struggling to carry a heavy basket of rocks as the gentleman to the right is in an uncomfortable back breaking position hammering away at rocks. It is apparent that the man on the left is older because of the wrinkles on his hands and the highlighted wrinkles on his cheeks where the sun hits his face. This man is trying to survive while working, and he is working in order to survive. Coubet exposes political radicalism by glorifying the working class and recognizing its oppressed state.

          Like few other artists, Courbet wanted to paint exactly what he saw in front of him; this led to a movement called realism, which was the painting of modern life. The rise of realism was inspired by the invention of the camera. Artists were suddenly challenged to keep up with new technology in order to produce images similar to what could be captured by a camera. Some artists intentionally cropped their compositions as if cutting off a section that the camera couldn’t see. However, artists still rejected the standards of the Academy simply because their subject matter was not of mythological or religious narratives; rather they painted what was directly in front of them. This is artistic radicalism. The Stone Breakers is a rather large painting, about five feet by eight and a half feet. Looking at this painting as a bourgeois member would be extremely intimidating and quite offensive. Firstly, it was untraditional for large scale works to be dedicated to “lowly” subject matter. Not to mention that these figures take up most of the painting. The wealthy must have been appalled to see this. Another aspect of artistic radicalism is expressed by Courbet with his rough paint application; he did not leave a smooth glossy finished surface like artists of the Academy would have done. Also, his figures are pushed to the foreground, forcing the viewer to acknowledge them and recognize what they do on an average day. This was happening right in front of him, and that is the very point Courbet was trying to make. The faces and the gazes of the figures are not visible, which gives them an anonymous identity, representing the oppressed class as a whole. Although their faces are not attracting attention, the simplicity and darkness of the background brings the figures into focus that much more. Courbet expresses some disinterest in creating depth and the illusion of perspective with this piece, which is also a sign of artistic radicalism.