Early Modern Art and WWI
"ABCD" Raoul Hausmann, 1923, photo montage
Dada art has to be one of my top 10 favorite art styles. I love nonsense. There are a lot of different types of art in the Dada art style itself. My favorite would have to be the collage-style pieces, especially the ones done by Raoul Hausmann. Compasition wise they're always so appealing. ABCD is a self-portrait.
Dada art came about as a response to the brutality of WWI. Artists of the Dada movement related the mass casualties and destruction of war to social structures. Dada aimed to deconstruct and recreate the ‘rights and wrongs’ of art and even thought.
The Cyclist, Natalia Goncharova, 1913, oil
The Cyclist is a futurist piece easily identifiable by the abstract figure and shape-heavy form. I like The Cyclist because of the movement portrayed with the repetition of the line and color block on the back of the man and the tires of the bike. Natalia Goncharova was the first woman and avant-garde artist to have a retrospective show in Moscow.
Futurism was one of the most politically charged art movements of the time. It spread quickly across Italy and Europe. Futurist would hold ‘serate futuriste’, or ‘futurist evenings, which was a combination of art displays, poetry, and shouting political statments. Many of the futurists supported WWI. Futurist painter Boccioni enlisted in the war and died in battle by being trampled by a horse.
Golconde, Rene Magritte, 1953, oil
Surrealism is awesome. The pure absurdity of surrealism gives these types of pieces such a magical and well, surreal feeling. In Golconde, Rene Magritte repeats portraits of himself in a trench coat and bowler hat throughout the space of the painting. The repeating figures can be seen stretching out into the distance. The subject of this painting is just fascinating and a bit unsettling. I love it.
Surrealism was came about during the aftermath of WWI. Artist often used this style to express and illustrate the horrors of the war.
“Raoul Hausmann Paintings, Bio, Ideas.” The Art Story, www.theartstory.org/artist/hausmann-raoul/#:~:text=Hausmann%20created%20his%20final%20photomontage. Accessed 14 Nov. 2023.
Metmuseum.org, 2020, www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/265584.
Gabriela. “Natalia Goncharova – the Cyclist (1913).” Artschaft, 5 Apr. 2018, artschaft.wordpress.com/2018/04/05/natalia-goncharova-the-cyclist-1913/.
“Eyeconart:Modern Surrealism.” Robinurton.com, robinurton.com/history/surrealism.htm.
“Dada | MoMA.” The Museum of Modern Art, www.moma.org/collection/terms/dada/a-catalyst-for-
Casden, Emily . “Italian Futurism Intro | Futurism Art (Article).” Khan Academy, www.khanacademy.org/humanities/art-1010/xdc974a79:italian-art-before-world-war-i/art-great-war/a/italian-futurism-an-introduction.
Kavky, Samantha. “The Space Between: Literature and Culture 1914-1945: Surrealism, War and the Art of Camouflage.” The Space Between: Literature and Culture 1914-1945, 30 Dec. 2018, scalar.usc.edu/works/the-space-between-literature-and-culture-1914-1945/vol14_2018_kavky.
I really like the collage style painting that you showed from the early 1900s. That style is one I have seen before but had never learned much about it. Something about the dada style I remember reading is that it said the pioneers of that style wanted nothing to do with the war. They wanted nothing to do with anything of the past since the war was over. They wanted a fun, light hearted way to express themselves and not conform to any previous art forms that had been popular. The surrealism patining you included is such a unique style. It is very absurd, as you said, and leaves me with a strange feeling. I think this is because it is so out of the ordinary.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate the early 1900s collage-style painting you presented. I never knew the dada aesthetic wanted nothing to do with the past, and find it surprising they were looking for an enjoyable alternative to the mainstream art genres of the past. I find the surrealism painting you included mind-boggling, yet it has an unique style. It gives me a weird feeling when I stare at it. This is unusual and different, in my opinion and something I've never seen. The first and third paintings have so many neutral hues that they almost give off a gloomy, unsettling vibe. Nonetheless, the last painting's light blue tone enhances the painting's aesthetic. The second painting you shared has a variety of warm, vibrant tones, and it appears geometric due to its patterns and shapes.
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