Visual Culture II Midterm

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    Industrial Revolution

    -Made modernism and capitalism happen
    -product of mass production (Machine Age)
    -exploration of industry = expansion of art medias
    -also created tension between engineers, designers, artist, writers as there is more possibilities
    -creation of applied art = functional (ex. design) as appose to only fine arts
    -remember - the people lived in a world that is changing faster than ours (now)
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    Modernism

    Modern = break from the past and the traditional values
    Modern art = subject matter of the modern world
    More about the individual and his/her view
    Technique in art no longer about illusions/copy
    Relate to Marxism
    - Bourgeois (the middle class/ ruling class/ most power)
    -Proletariats (labour class) enemy of the bourgeois
    -Marxism believes capitalist exploits the labourer
    -Bourgeois, not work, high profits
    -Labourer, work, wages remain same -few artists are one media
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    Art Nouveau

    -Meanings = young art/ new art including architecture, interior design, advertisement, etc.
    -Total Style - considered a hip culture for bourgeois
    -Focus on organic forms
    -Use of machine
    -Believe better design = better life
    -Happened around the same time as an Art and Crafts Movement that is against machines and pro hand crafts
    -1st movement to spread using magazines and such
    -remember Gaudi and his crazy buildings, sudden new possibilities of technology = crazy ideas
    -textbook page 723
  • Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, At the Moulin Rouge, 1892

    Artist -from an upper class yet was an oddity
    -had leg of a 12 year old and upper body of a man
    -therefore hanged out with "bohemian class" (prostitutes/ free spirit)
    -of modern subject matter
    -loose brush strokes
    -liberated perspective influenced by Japanese block prints -Also did lithographs - limestone slab
    -used for newspaper
    -First artist to explore art in the field of advertisement
    -but most images of his friends in the lower class
    -bring out issue of possible capitalist gain
  • Victor Horta, Tassel House,Brussels, Belgium, 1892-3

    -became popular design through circulation in magazine
    -international recognition
    -organic forms
    -use of machine/ possibility brought by Industrial Revolution
    -Smooth/ relaxed feel
    -Elegant - remember which class this must be build for
    -can tie in with capitalism/Marxism -textbook page 724
  • Henry van de Velde, Tropon, 1898

    -advertisement for food company
    - 1st image of brand/logo
    -example of new possibilities of artist in capitalist world -bring in the importance of Individualism
    -stressing for originality and authenticity
    -Self - sovereign, independent, self reliant
    -all defines modern art
    -but also relate to free market economy and capitalism again
    -is it as it seems?
    -new idea of comsumption
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    German Expressionism

    -highly influenced by "The Scream"
    -focus on urban vs. rural life and how it changes the mental capability of ppl
    -art not viewed as decoration but something from the artist that connects to viewer
    -reflects/ influenced by war, pain, death, ect. -1 term two movements -Bridge and Blue Rider Expressionism = use of colour, line, and form to express the physiological state of the artist
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    Fauvism - "Wild Beast"

    -First to move from local colour (colour natural to eye)
    -used colour for expression
    -same interest as Impressionist's in nature
    -and post-Impressionist's interest in colour
    -Financed by dealers - critic-dealer system
    -commission of 60% of sold work
    -demonstrates capitalist nature of art world
    -Financial freedom from academy and therefore created notions of Ad Van-Garde
    -shown in salons juried by non-academy
    -work very popular though artist viewed themselves as avant-garde
  • Henri Matisse, The Green Stripe (Portraitof Madame Matisse), 1905

    -inspired by African Dance Mask
    -Primitivism - did not care what the mask really is used for
    -can be viewed as negative barbaric, etc
    -or liberation for artists
    -believed in "doing what I want" - marketing individuality
    -some works are almost abstract, with raw canvas peeking through
    -Matisse's work as viewed as offensive
    -to the extent that his wife cannot go view work for danger
    -Interest in aesthetics - art as a good armchair (soothing)
    -inspiration of abstract art
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    Bridge

    -Had a manifesto - laid out artistic viewpoint
    -anyone older than 70 is dead - youth movement
    -young, forceful, original
    -believed in change = move to a perfect human
    -believed in arts and crafts
    -worked together, not a day job but life style
    -Prioritize nature - organized trips together
    -annual portfolio with printed version of work
  • Maurice de Vlaminck, The Blue House, 1906

    -Viewed himself as political Avant-garde
    -Ad Van-Garde="elite troops"
    -break from tradition, detach from main stream
    -2 branches - political and aesthetic
    -"throw pot of paint at public's face"
    -read political work during war commission
    -Anarchy - refuse to submit individualism to authority
    -Work has lots of texture - squeezed paint right on canvas
    -remember that Fauvism became so popular that they lost critical edge even if they did want to throw paint at public's face
  • Pablo Picasso, Les Demoiselles d’Avignon, 1907

    -had interest in painting the outcasts even before "cubism" style
    -Concern about sexual disease in Paris - the prostitution health care for prostitutes to protect the upper class
    -Analytical Cubist style
    -Picasso was in a dealer/critic system, same dealer as Fauve artists
    -again, capitalist issues
    -also, became so popular that dealer afraid to lose artists (brings up other issues)
    -believed artist have sexual liberality
    -still traditional subjects but different way of painting it
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    Analytical Cubism

    -fragmented, use of canvas, mainly earth tones
    -believed/influence by quote "perception is subjective"
    -tried to created the view of artist by using multiple viewpoints thus eliminating space
    -also in dealer/critic system
    -style became more and more fragmented to the point of abstraction
    -made point to not go that far
    -during which Piccaso and Braque worked together closely
    -influenced abstract artist to go that far?
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    Cubism

    -influenced by Cezanne who never shown in salon (considered a mockery)
    -Picasso and Braque main artists but did not "create" Cubism
    -did not start off with the style but quite "normal" looking paintings until...
    -also inspired by African sculpture both representational and anti-naturalistic
    -bring in primitivism again
    -2 stages -Analytic and Synthetic
    -did not wish to be abstract and made point to include known objects to steer away from it
    -invented collage
    -lead to abstraction?
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    Futurism

    -mainly in Italy but spread international (had a manifesto)
    -interested in WAR! Believed it will lead to better world
    -if the old doesn't leave, the new can't come
    -over 30 = dead
    -remind one of Bridge?
    -politically avant-garde
    -First to sign up for war...
    -short lived as once war started, most died or traumatized
    -more like an ideology than style
    -believed in burning museums (out with old)
    -SPEED
    -borrowed ideas from Cubism and Expressionism
  • Erich Heckel, Fränzi with Doll, 1910

    -Bridge artist
    -speak about role of women again
    -Interesting - this model used by many of the Bridge artist, 12 years old
    -many work of her in very different styles
    -see "Self Portrait with Model"
    -almost barbaric the position and with the doll included
    -might speak to the position of women as sexual object and child bearing
  • Ernst Kirchner, Self Portrait with Model, 1910

    -Bridge artist
    -suggest sexual relation with model (plus the position of the paint brush)
    -model = object, artist = subject
    -positions of women were improving during those times (allowed to wear pants)
    -artist showing his viewpoint on the change
    -fear of the changing role of women and how that will effect men
    -display women as nature and man as culture
    -use of almost colour blocks for composition = solid/factual his view point?
  • Franz Marc, The Little Blue Horses, 1911

    -Blue Rider artist
    -believed spiritual art through animal/ animal = spiritual harmony
    -wrote a lot about his artwork
    -Believed war as purifying fire - laid ground to something better
    -First to enlist into WWI
    -after WWI started, soon BR were viewed as silly and died -non-local colours
    -why a horse butt? smooth....
  • Georges Braque, La Portuguese, 1911

    -later Analytical Cubism
    -very different, more fragmented/earth tones (character of style) than earlier work (Houses and Trees)
    -became more abstract, dangerously so
    -artist decided to add number/ other recognizable details to lead away from abstract
    -steering away from abstract probably lead to collage
    -work from representational to abstract
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    Synthetic Cubism

    -brighter colour than Analytical, more texture, pasted element (collage!)
    -trampe loeil = to fool the eye (looks real to eye but isn’t)
    -work from abstraction (collage peices) to representation the opposite of Analytical Cubism
    -collage means paste-up
    -also a way to steer away from abstraction (using real objects, collage)
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    Blue Rider

    -not a formal group, no manifesto, did not work together but have an annual portfolio
    -believe in power of contemporary art, art is/as a religion
    -blue = masculine/spiritual (colour have meanings)
    -rider = apoplectic/forward
    -Dec 1911 - 1st BR exhibition with 14 artists about artist subjective impulse
    -included a broader aspect/context including music, history, social, ect
    -believed art=spiritual advisor and artist = priest, shaman, ect.
  • Giacomo Balla, Dynamism of a Dog on a Leash, 1912

    -Speed - emphasize on action/movement
    -Simultaneity -reject static compositions/centralized
    -small sections of a whole
    -painted based on multiple exposure photo studies of movement
    -later work less superficial
    -exhilarated by noise/ speed/ machines of modern city
  • Pablo Picasso, Still Life with Chair Caning, 1912

    -collage mixing high art (fine art) and low art (mass media)
    -"poster on a canvas"
    -believed in not caring what it is exactly but as long as artist call it art
    -lots of talk about language and questions its unstable/perfect system
    -making sense of the word (changing so fast)
    -can add elements to add new meanings using collage
    -ex. a bottle collage with newspaper adds new meaning to both
    -trampe l'oeil
    -Picasso had fun with collages - made sculptures too
    -like turning one substance into another
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    Constructivism

    -social ideology in communist society
    -anti-capitalism and pro socialism (no class, utopian idea)
    -a form of language of the Russian Revolution (art)
    -believed artist as constructor, artist = worker/teacher of new idea (functional)
    -mainly in form of sculptures with some product
    -important idea of building up (added sculpture) instead of taking away
    -movement died after Lenin (leader of revolution) died
    -Russia had a power struggle; Stalin who favoured representative art came to power
  • Ernst Kirchner, Street Scene, Berlin, 1913

    -Bridge artist
    -subject = urban life (dark)
    -relate back to "The Scream" (the physiological effects of urban life)
    -relate to Marxism and capitalism
    -almost warped, disturbed feel
    -speak about social classes, the air of superiority
    -the stifling feel of crowds
  • Vassily Kandinsky, Improvisation 30, 1913

    -believed in destroying materialism
    -believed in romance of an artist and had a big ego
    -"1st Abstract Watercolour 1910
    -said that he went for a walk, camelback, saw the most beautiful picture than found out it was his painting on the side = boom! Abstraction
    -believed art as kin to music
    -art move viewer = spiritual enlightenment
    -of course, abstraction did not happen overnight....
    -still visible/ understandable representation/object (canons)
    -looks like a war scene
  • Umberto Boccioni, Unique Forms of Continuity in Space, 1913

    -represent the Futurism movement
    -constant dissolving and reforming surface
    -made out of bronze
    -called it "plastic rhythm and construction of the action of the body"
    -forward moving with nothing holding back
  • Kasimir Malevich, Black Square, 1914-5

    -believe in reduction
    -studied cubism + futurism
    -black square because his identity (signed work with it)
    -wanted to create a void for the viewer to fill up
    -in exhibits, black square placed in corner reserved for religious icons
    -a void for viewer to reach enlightenment
    -painted many different black squares
    -artist wore all black (like a priest)
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    Surprematism

    -famous work = "Black Square"
    -focus on pure feeling free from social and politics
    -believed world does not matter but all about feelings
    -response to the desensitization to the world around after WWI
    -theosophy = almost like a religion that believe individual go through various planes of existence
    =strive for higher enlightenment that people like artist can help one with through art
    -artists as priests almost
    -also a movement across disciplines and practises
    -based in Russia
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    World War 1

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    Dada

    -always consider the effects of WWI
    -1 movement 2 different locations with slight variation in each
    -Dada = obsession/ nonsense word chosen in random
    -no single factor that unify whole movement except war = stupid, art=solution
    -had over 40 different publication some assocaited with futurism
    -WWI shattered order of things and the progression of modern art
    -believed that all is going to hell in a hand basket so do whatever they want
    -abolition of all logic, memory, profits, future, ect.
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    New York Dada

    -dominated by Duchamp who originally came from Paris
    -played with public relations/publicity as much as art mediums
    -created new medium of "ready-made" with 2 forms, rectified (found object but artist have do to something with it) and straight up (is art simply because artist say so)
    -found objects raise 2 points, removal of artist hand which was what people use to judge by (the skill)and changing the context of regular objects by placing them in a gallery (raise question of status)
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    Berlin Dada

    -goal was to disrupt German government, respond to war directly
    -very vocal
    -German war restoration after WWI left German in poverty (2 trillion, million mark = 1 US dollar)
    -buy bread with a wheel barrel full of money
    -respond to the lack of government
    -"Oh Chrisman tree in German soil how crooked are your branches"
    -Lasted till Hitler's time - made poster criticizing his root of power
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    Zurich Dada

    -believe that since war is destructive and was brought on by logic, than random/absurd = peace
    -also circulated text = movement spread
    -Hugo Ball - created made up words poems
    -against status quo and focus on individualism
    -did not really believe in utopia but still believe art can change the world by individual responding to the chaos through art
    -celebrated the idea of not being in control
    -got rid of subjectivity
  • Jean (Hans) Arp, Arrangement According to the Laws of Chance, 1916-7

    -Zurich Dada
    -collage
    -created by picking up pieces of paper and letting it fall, and then paste on in that order
    -believe in removing one's sense of control, letting unconscious take over
    -respond to war by celebrating CHANCE
  • Marcel Duchamp, Fountain, 1917

    -NY Dada
    -found object
    -urinal turned on side with signed name of urinal company +date
    -a publicity stunt by Duchamp, submitted to a "non jury" show he founded but under another name
    -"work pissing in face of viewer" many hated it
    -Duchamp wrote articles defending the "artist" until years later people found out it was himself
    -purpose to show that art is art because the artist chose it
    -importance of public relations/publicity
    -show power of the artist, redefining who the artist is
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    De Stijl

    -founded in the Netherlands
    -Utopia - believed by creating perfectly balanced art will somehow influence the war stricken world to be balanced again (hoped at least)
    -a new pictorial language
    -Founded by Mondrian - wrote a lot about work
    -Basic - believe people where scared to get tricked (was) therefore simple, basic
    -cross discipline style circulated through magazines
    -reduced palette
    thought that since academic art needed view to know history, abstract = more accessible but was not so
  • Raoul Hausmann, Mechanical Head: The Spirit of our Times, 1919-20

    -Berlin Dada
    -found object + 3D collage
    -head = dummy head transfigured into something strange, let the artist stick things on it
    -response to how people of Germany have no thought/mindless and let the gov. do absurd things
    -connect to WWI and what happen to Germany after it
  • Marcel Duchamp, L.H.O.O.Q., 1919

    -deface of Mona Lisa
    -LHOOQ = pun for "she got a hot ass" or "there is a fire down below"
    -question art establishments
    -pun = new thought for an old object much related to his main idea, changing the original use of an object (ex. found objects)
  • Hannah Höch, Cut with the Kitchen KnifeDada through the Last Weimar Beer BellyCultural Epoch of Germany, 1919-20

    -Berlin Dada
    -full of prominent figures from government and leaders
    -areas of Dada celebrations and anti Dada protests
    -photo montage (artist worked in publication/ad.)
    -feministic work, female figures are moving, male are static
    -not only critiquing social status of Germany but also role of women
    -WWI = 1st time women in work force
    -time of new hope for women (rights to vote, short hair, pants, ect.)
    -yet still issues of women as purely sexual objects or industry worker (in her other works)
  • Vladimir Tatlin, Model for the Monument to the Third International, 1920

    -a proposition/idea was not possible to build with the technology at the time
    -but model used in a parade/monument
    -made up of 2 spirals with 3 geometric shapes in it to house office for movement workers and space underneath for gathering
    -on the very top place radio to broadcast news of movement, even projection on clouds
    -very utopian idea/design
    -purpose to bring possibility of movement to advertise/speak for revolution
  • Otto Dix, The Card Players, 1920

    -Berlin Dada
    -show the gruesome effects of war
    -not only did was kill people but the ones alive suffers too
    -speak of the trauma both psychical and physiological
    -some of the machine parts connected to the soldiers are probably made up but the point comes across loud and clear
    -many of works such as these (one with officials examining a corpse for recruit)
    -many German soldiers were called to arms even though they were severally injured
    -many people on the streets are disfigured
  • Piet Mondrian, Tableau 2, 1922

    -Mondrian = founder of De Stijl but called it neo-plastics
    -studied cubism before developing his own style
    -as cubism doesn't take abstraction as final goal, Mondrian did
    -Tedious process of painting - very smooth surface
    -right angles are the only man made except in crystal formations = man can change the world too
    -had chairs and houses designed after the work (the chair)
    -believe in "placing man within a painting instead of in front of it"
    -wish to convey an ideal
  • Naum Gabo, Column, 1923

    -used materials produced during war effort
    -focus on basic shapes
    -illusion of column being round but it is really just 2 perpendicular pieces
    -believed to being a revolution = changing everyday life (communism + utopia idea)
    -simple forms to connect with everyday life
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    World War 2