Notes on The Cult of the Artist

The Cult of the Artist

Philosophy and Aesthetics
PhDr. Lenka Šimková, Ph.D.

Historical Context of Artists

  • Ancient Greece
    • Very few paintings by Ancient Greek artists survive, known mainly through written descriptions. Most notable accounts come from Pliny the Elder's Historia Naturalis.
    • Anecdotes of Artists:
    • The contest between Zeuxis and Parrhasius exemplifies the goal of ancient artists to deceive the eye with realism.
    • Zeuxis's Grapes: Painted grapes so realistic that birds attempted to eat them.
    • Apelles: Renowned as the greatest painter of Antiquity, served Alexander the Great, known for impeccable imitation of nature.

Transition from Middle Ages to Renaissance

  • Medieval Period

    • Artists were considered craftsmen; their works often went unsigned. Known by significant works (e.g., "Master of…").
    • Focus was primarily functional and not on artistic innovation.

  • Renaissance Shift

    • Emergence of individual artistic identity and creativity; artists began to gain recognition.
    • Giorgio Vasari's Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects:
    • Created archetypes of artists that sometimes included fictionalized information.

Evolution of Self-Portraits

  • Significance of Self-Portraits

    • Evolved into a common form of personal expression and experimentation for artists.
    • Representations often emphasized individual confidence and introspection.
    • Romanticism: Established the artist as a solitary, misunderstood figure.

  • Key Figures:

    • Charles Baudelaire: Art critic and theorist who advocated for Romanticism and influenced Impressionism through his essay "The Painter of Modern Life" (1860).

The Rise of Modern Artists and Movements

  • Impressionism

    • Defined as the first modernist movement, characterized by depicting 'modern life' in settings like cafes and bars in Montmartre.
    • Artists formed the Salon of the Refused to showcase their avant-garde works.

  • Emerging Archetype of the Artist

    • Artists began to embody a bohemian lifestyle intertwined with modern expression.

Notable Works from 19th and 20th Centuries

  • Visual Illustrations:

    • Self-Portrait by Albrecht Dürer (1500)
    • Wanderer above the Sea of Fog by Caspar David Friedrich (1818)
    • Bonjour, Monsieur Courbet by Gustave Courbet (1854)
    • The Persistence of Memory by Salvador Dalí (1931)
    • Goat Skull and Bottle by Pablo Picasso (1951-52)
    • The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living by Damian Hirst (1991)

  • The progression of artistic styles and philosophies deeply influenced both personal expression and societal perspectives towards art and artists.

Conclusion

  • The perception of artists evolved from craftsmen in the medieval period to celebrated individuals in the Renaissance, and finally to modern figures embodying complex identities and lifestyles.