The beginning of the 20th century became the artistic era for emotional exploration and rebellion. Early Modern art was also heavily influenced by the Great War (WWI) starting in 1914. Artists used their art as an expression of the deep grief or stress that they felt from World War I and the desire to create art that escaped reality flourished. This contributed to the rise of styles like Surrealism. Prior to the war, many early modern pieces were focused on trying to showcase deep emotional connections and reflect the new way of life where cities were now the norm. Art also began to focus on topics like racial justice, sexuality, and other taboo topics.
Woman and Mirror by Ernest Ludwig Kirchner, 1912, Germany
Woman and Mirror was painted prior to WW1 in Germany. It was one of the many Expressionist paintings completed by Kirchner, a major contributor to German Expressionism. It displays a woman in a dressing room getting ready for a show or possibly having just finished one. This piece does well to display a quiet moment of thought that would be had in private. Live shows and movie theaters were very common at this time and it would be expected that a performer would only present themselves as very happy or smiling. However, you see in the reflection of the woman shown, she appears to be neutral or slightly sorrow in expression. This created an emotional connection by showing the human behind the performer. Kirchner felt that "the art of the current establishment was too academic and refined to contain any degree of expression," (Urton,
Robinurton.com). Another stylistic choice is the dark surroundings and background. A performer would likely be associated with bright colors and lights, yet the setting painted is dim and muted. Kirchner later used his art to show the emotions of grief and sadness about the Great War.
Afterglow by Jonas Lie, 1913, New York
Painted just before World War I, this time in New York, is Jonas Lie's
Afterglow. This painting likely was meant to represent the busy and bright city life. Lie uses a combination of bright colors and highlights the peak of industrialization at its time with large buildings, city lights, and steam powered boats. It focuses on the city as a whole instead of one small detailed piece. I feel that the blurred effect forces the viewer to see the beauty of the city and industrialization from a broad standpoint. One other possible stylistic choice by Lie could be his distinct blotched in bright blue to represent the steam. This draws attention to the invention of the steam powered engine, a wonder that wouldn't have been represented without the distinct visual of steam. According to the Art Institute of Chicago, the piece has been widely seen as "intended as an allegory or as a commentary on American economic power and aspirations" (
Artic.edu). I agree that this painting does depict New York in a pleasurable way and makes use of elements like city lights and distinct steam trails to draw attention to the wonders of innovation and the growth of the United State's industrial power.
A Chemist Lifting with Extreme Caution the Cuticle of a Grand Piano
by Salvador Dali, 1936, Spain
Following World War I, the focus on styles like Expressionism were slightly less appealing. Although there were many who still used emotional styles like these as a way to represent the damage the war caused and to cope (such as Kirchner did), styles like abstract and surrealism took center stage in the art world.
A Chemist Lifting with Extreme Caution the Cuticle of a Grand Piano is a painting that was completed post-WWI in Spain by Salvador Dali. It depicts a dream like world with very little. The background is bare with only a few key elements. There is a glow and far more detail around the man sitting down, which hints that he is the one envisioning this reality. Surrealism was a form that was derived from abstract art and was similarly focused on dream like elements. This focus on dream worlds wasn't just the effect of artists wanting to escape the real world that was littered with the after-effects of war. Surrealism was also inspired by the rise in psychology research and the "research of Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung, who sought to explain the working of the mind through analysis of the symbols of dreams" (Urton,
robinurton.com). Once again, art and science were incredibly intertwined.
Sources:
Urton, Robin. "Expressionism." Eyeconart: Expressionism,
I really enjoyed your blog. Your analysis of each painting and how it related to WWI was spot on. I’m not sure what you are studying but maybe you should consider art! Your explanations of each painting clearly tied to the influence of WWI. I especially liked Afterglow by Jonas Lie. I think I’ve actually seen that painting before (not in person!). It is very distinctive with the glowing windows and the steam. I looked up Jonas Lie and found that he represented the United States in the 1928 Summer Olympics art competition. I had no idea that art was represented at the Olympics. On a side note, Lie did not win a medal.
ReplyDeleteI liked reading this blog. I too chose to focus on world war one. It speaks to me in such a way I can't explain. "Woman and Mirror is a very odd piece of art. I'm drawn to it, yet I feel so uncomfortable looking at it. You did a very good job explaining the influences. I learned more than I originally knew. I enjoyed your blog. Keep up the good work.
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