A Postmodern Analysis Of H. R. Giger's The Birth Machine

Even in today’s age, the subject of the paintings (often nude, German women) were somewhat shocking due to the aggressive, almost violent lines. The emotions evoked by these pieces parallel the uneasy, tense times of early 20th century Germany, which drove the artists to break free of the conformist aesthetic of the time, and paint the world through their eyes.

Like many of Dix’s generation in Germany during the 1920s, he drew from the German expressionist movement in his use of distortion, directness, media and subject matter in plate 1. German expressionism involved directness, frankness and a desire to startle the viewer. Their works embraced printmaking and focused on the emotions expressed rather than reality. Dix heightens the emotions effects through his meticulous rendered, horrific images. The brilliant white bones stand out against the darker background. He experimentation with printmaking and used multiple acid baths to eat away at the image, to mimic decaying flesh. This horrifying focal point does startle the viewer through its direct disposition. Expressionists often felt the need to confront the devastating experiences of WWI, as plate 1 documents through it’s shocking yet realistic representation of the war and its effect. The common expressionist technique of distortion is utilised to exaggerate the skull and expose it as disgusting and confronting. Otto Dix’s attempt to confront the viewer through the depiction of emotions rather than reality. Dix’s incorporation of German Expressionist characteristics and techniques, the art movement of the time, in Plate 1, is a documentation of cultural art practises in the

To understand most period and movements in modern art, one must first understand the context in which they occurred. When one looks at the various artistic styles, one will realize how artists react to historical and cultural changes and how artists perceive their relation to society.

Escher’s early works are an odd mix of cubism and traditional woodcut. From these beginnings, one could already note Escher’s fondness for repetition and clean shapes. While simple and exploratory, these works were the signs of a nascent art career.

Art in general is a form of expression. Individuals use art to express emotions, passion, or make a statement. Society can have an impact on how an artist chooses to express his or her sentiments. The beauty of it all is that interpretation is what makes art so unique. The same piece of art can mean so many different things due to who is looking at it. Just like everything else, art changes with time. There has been different eras in art that have impacted society as we know it.

There are several historical, economic, and cultural events that caused the people of this time to look at life in a new way, and thus, art to be

Art has been a major outlet for many artist around the world making masterpieces to represent what they see in the world. As generations pass, and we don’t talk about the past art is the connection to remind us of what once was. Visual art helps us connect to the past by using different art forms to show historical events and cultural beliefs/ trends.

The painting it is full of symbols relating to the concept of life. The use of lines is still prevalent in this piece, as it represents the interconnectivity of the world, as well as the cycle of birth. The viewer is shown the image of a bear within a bear, and a group of small lines moving around what appears to be a heart. The lines represent communication and in this case the concept of strength and the beginning of life, as depicted by the younger bear being in the mother. This painting is suggesting the concept of maternity and life through the symbols found in the work.

Then as I made my way around the gallery I noticed a myriad of her works contained radically simplified or abstracted figures. Segments of a hand or a pair of legs are incorporated into the composition delicately like puzzle pieces. Seapker’s painting named ‘Cradle’ demonstrates these figurative elements. A massive hand-like form dominates the center of the composition. The calligraphic brushstrokes in this form create a powerful sense of movement. Therefore, I found this painting quite intriguing. In the bottom left portion of ‘Cradle’ there appears to be two beige colored legs. To the right of them, a contrasting turquoise, gray pair of legs support the beige pair in a similar manner that a chair would hold one’s body. Most notably, the turquoise legs disintegrate into a pastel pink field; on the far right. Bits of gray paint are splattered in an upward motion on top of the pastel pink area; they are barely noticeable but enhance the impression of movement nonetheless. The ambiguity of the figures allows the viewer to gather a more subjective perspective on the content. Seapker’s visual language suggests something unsettling within the paintings, but I could not draw any

I think that the timeline shows to some extent that art throughout history has been and still is the major form of

Painting is done in cubist manner. The whole image is fragmented, with each fragment having a geometrical shape. There are thick dark lines that divide each fragment one from another, so image looks broken in pieces. The subject of the painting, a

Classical art, which is the proper name for art from that period, influences modern art more than any other style. A lot of classic paintings have been enhanced, touched up, or just redone all together. Museums all over the world have statues and paintings based on ancient versions. Some even have original versions that they had to spend thousands of dollars, if not more, on.

Art is a human construct, it is bound to the artist that creates it just like each person is bound to the age in which they live. Art is as much a part of the artist, as words are part of the person that spoke them. It is the Human Spirit to want to progress from your predecessor, to use your forerunner's knowledge to break away and accomplish more. Art, being intrinsically entertained with the Human Spirit follows this trend. Each style having a base of knowledge from a previous style, but instead of replicating it, taking it further. Thus art reflects the Human Spirit's want to progress as much as it reflects the artist that created it and the time it was created in.

Art has been a recurring part of history from the very beginning. As society changes so does the style of art. Each new style is known as a movement and one of the most prominent, long-lasting movements in recent centuries is known as Modernism. Modernism is characterized by its deviation from tradition. People who are a part of this movement found enjoyment in finding new mediums to use, creating art that revolves around feelings and emotions rather than reality. Abstract idealisms of modernism cause its viewers to need to think more critically about the art before them. In past movements, the meaning of the work was obvious as it was created to mimic reality.

The sculptures “Apollo and Daphne” and “Two Women” share elements and principles with one another, such as shape, size and texture. Bernini’s work is a life size piece that complements the figure of the two characters. The facial expressions, hands, feet and hair of “Apollo and Daphne” are in reasonable detail; however there are no lines on the bodies to create depth and texture. On the other hand, Mueck challenge’s the viewer by changing the scale of his work, with “Two Women” minute and in incredible proportion with the features and figure of the women.