Edouard Manet, an artist most commonly known in relation to the advent of modernist art, is credited with introducing such painterly techniques as producing flatness in painting, and, a layering down of hues (alla prima). He is regarded as the father of modernité, having many written works have been produced as supplements, responses or studies of his paintings and influences in art—three of which I present as subjects of scrutiny in this paper: the Painter of Modern Life by French poet and essayist Charles Baudelaire, who produced several essays in relation to the phenomenon of modernity (as both modulator and interpreter) Manet and the Object of Painting by Michel Foucault, a French philosopher and critic, and Modernist Painting by Clement Greenberg, a mid-20th century art critic. In each of these respective pieces, I will be analyzing closely the …show more content…
They differ in terms of length, structure, style and method of evocation. Baudelaire resorts to sub-heading sectioning, dividing his thoughts under twelve primary pillars, starting with I. Beauty, Fashion and Happiness. Using such large, overbearing words and then breaking them down into observational, almost ethnographical paragraphs where he describes behaviors, views and examples in relation to his larger claims. In Foucault’s Manet and the Object of Painting, the structural form differs, as the text was originally a 1971 lecture given in Tunisia alongside a series of other lectures he delivered in Milan, Tokyo, and Florence. Thus, what we find is a slightly tweaked, translated transcription of the talk. Greenberg’s Modernist Painting, however slightly shorter than the two texts, reads clearly and is structured starting from a broad articulation of modernism that is then rationed into specific claims or takes, enveloped in critical reflections upon artistic practice as well as philosophy of the phenomenon—similar to Baudelaire’s
Impressionists and Baudelaire had similar views on what they wanted the modern painter to achieve. “By ‘modernity’ I mean the ephemeral, the fugitive, the contingent, the half of art whose other half is the eternal and the immutable.”(Baudelaire FYP Handbook 67) writes Baudelaire as he whims on the artist’s goal--
The essay written by Charles Baudelaire, titled “The Modern Public Photography”, is not only very clear to be negative towards the pursuing arts of photography, but also very controversial due to the independent and diverse views on this specific subject matter. Baudelaire makes it very clear in his writings that his opinion is firm on photography and its evolving approach to appease the various spectators of the fine arts. In this essay, Charles Baudelaire illustrates his opinion by insulting multiple previous photographic known ‘art pieces’ and breaking them down into literal meanings, insulting the modern idea of literal duplicates of reality as being defined as “art”, and also persuading those interested in category of photography to seek ‘out-of-the-box’.
This essay analyses the aesthetic and ideological underpinnings of the Modernist artwork, Impression, Sunrise of Claude Monet. The artwork and Impressionism is considered to be a visual articulation of the avant-garde and the latter statement is explained. References to the writings of Charles Harrison, Clement Greenberg and Wilhelm Worringer is used to theorise the aesthetics of modernity.
‘Impressionism’ was a derogatory term first used to mock Claude Monet’s painting Impression, Sunrise, and other later paintings that were patterned after his revolutionary style. At a time when artists took great pains to make their artwork look as life-like as possible, the quick brushstrokes and blurry figures in Monet’s paintings looked anything but realistic to the art critics. Because of its focus on mental images, Impressionism later came to include not only visual arts, but also certain music as well. Debussy and Ravel are two of the most famous Impressionist composers, and our textbook states that what sets their style apart is that “instead of dealing with human emotions, [their] music evoked the atmosphere of nature” (p. 704). This type of
When studying artists, styles of art and their respective time period, it is always important to find a few key artists that were responsible for the rise of new art trends. Traditionally, art has often a reflection of the most important elements within its respective time period, such as wars, religions, royalty, culture and expression. This is why the study of art history is needs to look deeper than simply understanding how certain artworks were created. Among the various artists studied in the course, Andy Warhol is definitely one of the most influential. Far ahead of his time in thinking and talented in several media forms, Warhol was a product of his time and defined his era with the use of his artwork, giving rise to other artists within the same time period. This paper will argue that Warhol was not only an influence to modern art, he defined the concept of "pop art", which combined consumerism and pop culture, creating works that questioned the norm of society at the time, while providing a strong influence to future artists. Warhol was hugely successful in his artistic efforts and several of his staple works will be discussed in regards to its significance and representation of its respective period of time, as well as Warhol’s influence on the history of art.
Overall, the ideologies discussed within the articles Written In Blood: 20th Century Art by Stephanie Dudek and Estrangement As A Motif In Modern Painting by John Adkins Richardson address similarities and differences from various standpoints. Modernistic ideologies towards social, cultural and technological changes of the 20th century are demonstrated in both articles. The article by Stephanie Dudek emphasizes on the employment of radical and transgressive values by modern artists within their work to target cultural, and artistic principles that have persisted over many generations leading to a transformation within the subject of art (Dudek 105). Furthermore, modern art set out to obtain new visions of reality as witnessed within the Cubist
Visual opulence, creativity, inimitable vision, and a style that is highly influential are the many characteristics of an admired movement in art history, that being of the Post-Impressionism movement (1875-1892). This movement, which was a by-product of the Impressionism movement, is the bridging gap between the two movements known as Realism and Expressionism. Post-Impressionism takes on some of the stylistic characteristics of these movements; however, it does not contain the all too glossy visuals of Realism or the heavily fantastic visuals of Expressionism, rather it is the intermediary of these two poles. My paper will discuss why this link was absolutely essential to the history of art movements, and I will be specifically using the
Regarding Impressionist art, Édouard Manet, another influential Impressionist artist, has even been quoted as saying that, “There are no lines in nature, only areas of color, one against another”. I believe that Impressionist art was truly a groundbreaking movement in regards to modern art movement because Impressionist works of art left room for the viewers’ interpretation. Until this time, works of art had intended meanings which were decided by the wealthy patrons who had been commissioning their desired works of
The primitive nature of African art attracted many artists looking for new inspiration and expression as urban modernity lost its vitality in the late 1880’s and 90’s (Wood, 2008). In adopting primitive African art as the catalysis for their expression of modernity, avant-garde artists created a more positive perception of the primitive rather than the negative barbaric perception. Wood (2008) quotes the early twentieth century, avant-garde critic Carl Einstein in that the Benin artworks were of no decisive significance. In fact, the western artists reduced their sophisticated beauty of the artwork as seen in
Although Seurat chose common Impressionist subjects such as popular entertainment, he adopted traditional techniques of preparation and painting.” (Wallis 52) During 1884-86 Seurat was working on his second large piece of artwork “A Sunday
Marshall Berman’s take on modernity is presented in his book All That Is Solid Melts into Air whereby he focuses on its issues and the cultural attitudes and philosophies towards the modern condition. In doing so he shares his experiences of modernity post WWII in New York in the height of an economic boom and then more specifically of his childhood neighbourhood, the Bronx. In addition to expanded austerity, industrial and architectural development, the end of WWII proved to be a key period in world history and by extension the history of art. A talented group of artists emerged in result that had been influenced by an influx of established European artist who had fled to New York to escape fascist regimes in their homelands. More importantly these artists produced art that was at the heart of maelstrom Berman describes in regards to his experience of modernity. I aim to highlight the correlation between Berman’s experience of modernity and the emergence of a new American modernism. Modernity throughout this period was broken into two different compartments, hermetically sealed off from one another: "modernisation" in economics and politics, "modernism" in art, culture and sensibility. It’s through the lens of this dualism in which we recognise that both Berman and these artists try to make sense of the world around them by making their individual expressions that would re-conceptualise what it is to be modern in the twentieth century.
Artist and people viewing the art work have always had a fascination with the female nude. Even when I was a child my attention was captured by the nude art not because I was a kid and I saw a nude lady , but it forced me to wonder more about why the female nude was so amazing as a tool for art and why this is repeated so many times throughout the centuries. One female nude painting in particular was the subject of controversy and exposed the syncretism and or the power of the female nude painting.
Behind every piece of artwork is a story. The era of impressionism stands out because of its technique and use of vibrant color. I enjoy the soft look and feel the paintings usually have which is why I have decided to discuss this artistic movement in my paper. Furthermore I will touch upon the birth of impressionism and its contributors.
When one considers the term “Art Nouveau,” what comes to mind most immediately is “images of a European-wide invasion [characterized] by the restless dynamism of organic form”(Silverman 1). For me it is usually the work of Alphonse Mucha– his mysterious women surrounded by the beauties of nature. Often my Art Nouveau fantasies take shape in the odd fungal-shaped stained-glass lamps of Tiffany. Or sometimes they surface as the romantic Parisian posters I’ve seen at Pier One, advertising champagne or cats noir or bicycles or the like. But no matter what ones notion may be of what Art Nouveau looks like, there is a feeling that accompanies it that is at the heart of the style’s appeal. It is difficult to define or describe what
The art of Edouard Manet depicted modern life in the new Paris, as advocated by the writer Baudelaire. Charles Pierre Baudelaire was a writer in nineteenth century Paris, a contemporary of Manet, who knew Manet personally, and who wrote about the idea of modern life. Baudelaire encouraged the artists of the day to paint modern scenes, such as looking at the world around them for inspiration, rather than turning to scenes from the