20th Century Art free essay sample

Art in the 20th Century In the first half of the 20th century, the world was in complete upheaval. Between 1900 and 1945, there were two global wars, and people everywhere saw the rise in Communism, Fascism, Nazism, and the Great Depression (Gardner 724). In this time, there was an extreme change in art; artists questioned the meaning, purpose, form, and overall traditional outlook on the arts. These painters and sculptors explored the boundaries of art and they openly rejected classical, academic, and conventional examples of what art was supposed to be (Video Notes). At this time in history, ocial, political, and economic terms were being reshaped and redefined, and the artistic world followed suit. There were many different artistic movements that were sparked by the chaos and instability of the world before World War II. These include, but are not limited to Fauvism, Cubism, and Dadaism (Gardner 724). Fauvism refers to wild beasts (artists/fauves), a name given by a critic, who expressed whatever they wanted to however they wanted to. Cubism emerged with Pablo Picassos Les Demoiselles dAvignon, which was a painting that presented a radical new way to represent form and space. This particular painting had fgures that were inspired by the rediscovery of primitive art (with African and ancient Iberian influence). Picasso experimented with visual expression, and he took a dramatic departure from careful representation of a visual reality. It seems as though the fgures in his paintings were put onto canvas as he thought them, not in a rational or organized way (Video Notes). As a result of WWI, Dadaism also hit the artistic world. Dada was a massive movement and response to the corruption and homicide that was going on in the war. The Dadaists had a particular attitude and mind set, rather than a specific style. They believed that Enlightenment and reason had produced global devastation, and they turned away from logic to prize the irrational (Video Notes). Critics thought this movement to be outwardly absurd. But, the Dadaists were successful in relaying their message of confusion and pessimism in regards to the war. They had disdain for convention and tradition, and this fostered a serious examination of the basic premises and rules of art. An example of a Dada artist and piece is Marcel Duchamp and his Fountain. Duchamp took a ready made sculpture, (a urinal), and tried to force iewers to see a new light on the object (Gardner 745). This was outrageous, of course, in the eyes of critics. But Duchamp was able to aggressively challenge artistic conventions and boundaries by signing his name to artworks that were everyday objects. These three movements are only a handful that tried to bring out the irrational in art. These movements influenced others, and led to more expressive art that could test the meaning and definition of what art was supposed to be. The second World War left an intense mark on the latter half of the 20th century. Even though the global war ended, there was not global peace. There was upheaval in the cultural sphere of the world, and tradition was shattered by rebels all around. The youth questioned the status quo, and broke free from the mainstream social standards by supporting unconventional dress, manners, and habits (Gardner 788). There was a new spirit of rebellion in the air, which resulted in a sexual revolution, the use/abuse ot drugs, rock and roll music, and a rejection ot sexism and racism. The war had created a pervasive sense of despair, disillusionment, and skepticism, which was an ideal subject and form for the artists of that time. Many cynics in Europe found their voices in Existentialism, which was a philosophy asserting the absurdity of human existence and the impossibility of achieving certitude (Gardner 789). Many of the people who embraced Existentialism also started to question the existence of God. This social ideal reflected itself in the art found in postwar expressionism, especially in Europe. The artists showed despair, brutality, roughness, and pessimism in their art (Gardner 789). From this new-found expressionism came abstract art. Abstract art explicates the state of mind of the artist, and is purposed to trike emotional chords in the viewer (Gardner 790). A well known abstract artist that came from this time was Jackson Pollock. In his painting, Number 1, Pollock rhythmically dripped, splattered, dribbled, flung, and poured paint onto a vast canvas. It was a spontaneous, but accordingly, choreographed art where Pollock emphasized the creative aspects of abstract art. The term was coined action art, because Pollock actively applied paint to the canvas with more than Just a paint brush. He fully immersed himself into his paintings, and was able to completely express himself. This was true abstract art, and had come a long way from the traditional, organized, and precise paintings of Raphael and Michelangelo. There was also a social-economic change in the 20th century. In the Renaissance and other art movements, artists were given patronage by high-class citizens and churches. Art then was created for a purpose, whether it was to promote a King or to tell a Bible story on a church wall. As the century changed, economic ability changed, and middle-class people were now able to buy and sponsor art (Video Notes). This created a dynamic change in the status quo of art, because before it was only for the ich. Now, middle-class art lovers could enjoy high-quality art in their own living room. The subject of art changed from informative and propaganda to expression and interest. It also started a new way to view art. Museums and Art Clubs emerged, and people openly interpreted and critiqued art. This was influenced by the new time and thinking: that traditional aspects in art should be questioned. In the later quarter of the 20th century, social and political movements formed, and art was created to support those movements. Some of these movements fought or things like equality between races, womens rights, and environmental protection. There were also significant gains in artistic mediums as video, photography, multimedia art, ceramics, etc. filled the artists time and energy. The world was in revolution and change, and art followed the example. Where art was once planned, beautiful, and religious; it became rugged, different, and abstractly subjective by the end of the 20th century. It is interesting to note how art changes with time, especially with social, political, and economic changes. It seems as though art went through its own Existential Crisis in the 20th century.