Milan, Italy
dynamism: lines of force, vibration and rhythm more important than form, exuberant, anarchic; human behavior as art
all abt movement
glorified violence, conflict, technology, and war (until WW1)
Moscow, Russia
1913-1932
emerged as Bolsheviks came to power in October Revolution of 1917
borrowed from Cubism and Futurism
heated confrontation between mourners and police at the funeral of Italian anarchist Galli
artist was there, feared that corpse fight fall out of the coffin bc of the chaos and be trampled by horses
captures chaos, movement, and violence of a conflict, shows movement with chronophotographic lines
contrasts btwn red casket and black clothing + flags of anarchists
places spectator at the center of the action
depicts a man swiftly moving through time and space, depicted as bent over the handlebars
racing bicycle was considered a Futurist symbol of dynamic modern life
most accomplished studies of movement
depicts a woman (maybe widow in black) walking her dog
painted 15 feet/shoes, 8 dog tails and 4 leashes to show movement
extreme close up, considered comical
painted representation of chronophotography (captures movement in several frames)
inspired by time-lapse photography
depicts a nude in 20-24 static positions
first of many scandalous pieces
displayed at The Armory Show exhibit in New York City in 1913
model for tower to celebrate 1917 Russian Revolution
unstable/unsound engineering because the artist is not an architect + shortage of materials → never went past planning stages
utilitarian, celebrates russian revolution, art of production, etc
geometric shapes creates a picture symbolic of the war
symbolic of Russia Civil War, emphasizes triumph of Red Army
utilitarian
“neo-plasticism”: emphasis on design and structure on a two-dimensional surface
The Netherlands
emphasized vertical and horizontal lines, primary colors, harmony, sobriety, the purest of abstract movements
visual, universal language
makes no sense, reaction to chaotic feelings after WW1
started in Zurich, spread to Berlin, New York, Paris, etc
cult of nonart → later, became overtly political
ordinary, mundane objects can be art, “original” doesn’t matter
readymade:
assisted ready made: taking an already made object and adding to it to create a work of art
pure abstraction, does not attempt to reproduce anything in the natural world
horizontal and vertical lines + primary colors + “non-colors” (black, white, gray)
reaction to destruction of WW1
asymmetrical balance, create harmony through simple shapes and colors
postimpressionist → fauvist → destijl when he met Mondrian
vertical and horizontal shapes (wanted to use diagonal lines), primary colors, and black
reaction to WW1, seeking equilibrium and harmony in basic formal elements of art
created with vertical and horizontal planes, painted in primary colors and black
wanted it to be mass produced (used standard sizes of lumber)
designed for the “well-being and comfort of the spirit”
moustache and goatee on mass-produced postcard of Mona Lisa, painted later copies
first copy assisted readymade
became symbol for Dada movement because it rebelled against traditional art and he “defaced” a priceless work of art
Duchamp’s first assisted readymade
combines two mass produced objects
the original was lost
assemblage of many tools and devices on a wooden “dummy” head
shows no feeling, has no memorable features
represents “typical” man bc lacks sophistication (metaphor for germans that had lost their human spirit and relied on materialism)
more positive than Dada
did not try to recreate reality
depicted the subconcious and objects that don’t appear in their normal function
inspired by Freud (interpreted dreams) and Carl Jung (studied subconcious)
meant to puzzle, challenge, and fascinate, not to be easily understood
psychic automatism: thought is recreated without reason, moral or aesthetic concerns (goes straight from the brain to the canvas)
versimilitude: the appearance of being real
anthropomorphic: giving human traits, emotions, or intentions to nonhuman entities
most famous surrealist painting
very small, “hand-painted dream photograph”
used psychic automatism to paint the “unrestricted rational mind”
real objects arranged very unrealistically
clocks and ants = anxiety about time
figure in the center resembles Dali’s profile
painted with versimilitude but don’t appear realistically
depicts transformation of Narcissus according to Dali
the body of Narcissus mirrors the hand
rejected lovers can be seen weeping and naked in the background
ants appear on the hand (symbol of decay and decomposition)
dog eating bloody meat on the lower right corner
realistic setting and objects with an apple obscuring the view of the face (versimilitude)
self-portrait
private collection, rarely on display
about desire to see what is hidden
part of a series of word-image paintings
asking you to question whether the picture or the words are stronger?
art is a representation of reality, not reality (shows picture of pipe, not a pipe)
creates paradox
anthropomorphic top dances in a vast, empty landscape
recreates character Ubu (symbol of modern man, grotesque symbol of authority) as a mechanical spinning top with hands in a gesture of surprise
surprised that it is stopped (power is gone)
allegory for authority/power and how quickly it can topple
grew in NYC in 1940s and 1950s (many Europeans emigrated to US)
reaction to devastation of WW2
rebellion against tradition, dumped European traditions
considered avant-garde: employs new or experimental art techniques
on large canvases
focus on process of artistic creation rather than end product
no need to suggest recognizable images
express inner life through art (psychic energy and presence)
gestural abstraction: energetically applied pigment; techniques include dripping, dabbing, smearing, and even flinging paint onto canvas
chromatic abstraction: focus on color’s emotional resonance through large fields of flat, solid color across the canvas
express feelings rather than illustrate them
first gestural abstraction painter
balance of chaos and control
squeezed paint out of side of tube onto the canvas
sometimes embedded keys, coins, hand prints, or other trash into the paint on the canvas
gestural abstraction using brush and palette knife to slash and stroke visible lines of paint
known for depiction of women
beauty became childish and preferred the grotesque (ugly, distorted)
rejecting classical nude European traditions
chromatic abstraction
meant to be viewed 18 inches away from the painting
vertical lines called zips compete for your attention when you view the work
encourages meditation and reflection, zips represent how our surroundings overwhelm us
chromatic abstraction
no images/distinct shapes → no narrative, politics, or even geometry
two bold colors leave the viewer thinking about the meaning and the artist’s intentions
abstract expression of basic human emotions
thin veils of color made the paintings luminous
no frames - they make it “unreal”, hung low and viewed 18 inches away
intended to be an immersion into the painting
wooden sculpture
represents family and friends the artist left behind in France when she moved to New York
“figure cannot face the world and is defensive”, may not appear as figures at all
created over 80 in approximately 5 years
1950s-60s
glorifies commonplace using materials of everyday world and mass popular culture
no distinction between “high” art of mass-produced items
reaction against abstract expressionism → presents things and ppl again
could be seen as mocking materialism and consumerism
art may be borrowed from any source, no hierarchy of culture
signature image, in variety of colors and flavors, each canvas corresponds to different flavor
resemble mass produced ads, but hand painted (not uniform)
mimics repetition and uniformity of advertising
displayed in rows like they would be on a grocery shelf
work in two panels, usually applied to Christian art → invites viewer to worship the icon of Marily Monroe
spent 4 months after her death making more than 20 silkscreen paintings of her from Niagara
repetitions represents ubiquitous presence in the media
moved from vivd to black to represent her mortality
themes of death and cult of celebrity
lipstick on tank-shaped base in front of WW1 memorial
known for creating large-scale replicas of everyday objects and installing them in public places
included male and female forms → offended and inspired
focal point for anti-war demonstrations during Vietnam War
originally, inflatable to attract attention
may connect to war and woman attending Yale for the first time or a phallic symbol
break barrier between fine art and mass media
silkscreen painting so it could reproduced
reproductions of original photography, press photos, and other mass media
became homage to Kennedy after assasination
Cuban Missile Crisis + Nude Descending a Staircase + glass of water + oranges + NASA photo + construction site
wanted to capture what was outisde his window
very large, over 6 feet in width
diptych of two panels, interact with each other, blends mechanical reproduction and hand drawing
social activist statement in a cartoon-y way, accused of merely copying comic strips
fighter aircraft firing a rocket that blows up an enemy aircraft
many different interpretations (third hand violence, celebration of comics, comment on glorification of war, mechanized killing, or not serious at all)
includes small color dots to provide shading and color in a drawing (Ben-Day dots), provide shading with less ink
purple shading on the plane and blue sky