1900-1920

Task

Research Art of the First World War and its Aftermath

In this research post I will be focusing on the Cubist works of Picasso and Dadaism after the Great War.

The turn of the century was a celebration for all but was shortly followed by the First World War. WWI came about after a series of political clashes between the Great Powers, including England, Germany, France, Russia, Italy and Austria-Hungary.

Traditional methods of painting in this time changed; artists began to change their attitudes and beliefs towards their art, and instead of the previously very realist artistic style, more abtract images and conceptual methods began to take form, and 'Modern Art' was born.

Figure 1, Les Demoiselles d'Avignon, 1907, Pablo Picasso

This early painting of Picasso's was one of his most important and revolutionary images. Influenced heavily by Iberian art and African masks and culture, this painting of 5 women from a brothel launched an artistic protest against the Western visual norm.

"Western visual conventions- accurate perspective and a single viewpoint- are violated, for example in the seated woman on the right, seen simultaneously full-face and from behind. The faces of the central figures reflect Picasso's interest in ancient Iberian art; the rest have mask-heads directly inspired by the African sculptures which Picasso has seen in Paris's Musée de l'Homme." 1

This painting was also a suggestion of early cubism. The forms have almost faceted surfaces, and there is a geometric emphasis throughout the piece with lots of sharp angles and hard, straight lines.

Picasso's Cubism focused mainly on figure paintings, although he also did sculptures and landscape studies too. A lot of his figure work was almost monochromatic, with dark tones used such as greys and blacks with burgundy and brown, as seen in the next two figures.

Figure 2, Portrait of Ambroise Vollard, 1909-10, Pablo Picasso

Figure 3, Woman in an Armchair, 1910, Pablo Picasso

Cubism during the War was different. It evolved into Futurism, a hard edged movement which emphasised and glorified the future as it was seen at the time, focusing on contemporary concepts such as extreme speed and technology, cars and aeroplanes and industrial cities.

Figure 4, Abstract Speed and Sound, 1913-14, Giacomo Balla

As you can see, there are still relations between this Futurist piece and Picasso's Cubism. There are still many geometric lines and angles encorporated in the piece, meaning to describe the speed and power of a moving automobile, although there are more adventurous colours involved in this piece.

Dada 'art' was motivated by a series of psychological and artistic themes following the First World War, and involved painting, sculpture, literature, performing arts and much much more. Dada had no real reason or logic to it and was supposed to be an 'anti-art' movement.

Marcel Duchamp was an artist who tried to remain unaffiliated with the Dada movement but was one of the biggest contributors to conceptual art and 'freeing of the mind' after the Great War.

"Its central figure, Marcel Duchamp, had little use for the label, although his scandalous readymade urinal and his habit of cross-dressing as Rrose Sélavy have become the key examples of dada provocation." 2

List of Illustrations

Figure 1 Les Demoiselles d'Avignon, 1907, Pablo Picasso, HARRIS, N. The Life and Works of Picasso, 2002, p. 21
Figure 2 Portrait of Ambroise Vollard, 1909-10, Pablo Picasso, HARRIS, N. The Life and Works of Picasso, 2002, p. 28
Figure 3 Woman in an Armchair, 1910, Pablo Picasso, COX, N. Cubism, 2000, p. 12
Figure 4 Abstract Speed and Sound, 1913-14, Giacomo Balla, http://www.ranker.com/list/futurism-paintings/reference, 20/02/14

References

[1] HARRIS, N. The Life and Works of Picasso, p. 21
[2] KUENZLI, R. DADA, p. 22

Bibliography

COX, N. Cubism, (2002), Phaidon Press Limited, London
HARRIS, N. The Life and Works of Picasso, (2002), Parragon Books, London
KUENZLI, R. DADA, (2006), Phaidon Press Limited, London