contextual studies

Contextual studies Essay

Modernism is a term for and art revolution over a number of years, incorporating many styles of art by many different artists, some of this progression was due to mentoring progressing up and coming artist. So modernism as a whole contains many different moods and movements within, such as impressionism, cubism, fauvism, surrealism etc. Surrealism is not just artworks it’s a whole philosophy within. Their beliefs were to push forward, explore, develop and use new materials that were becoming more widely available to them and have their work accepted on its own merits in the art world. Their values were to stay true to what they believed or what they perceived to be.

The modernist as a whole were mainly trying to change people’s blinkered perception of what art had become. Much of there work reflected the change in times and new mechanisation, industrial development, mass manufacture and some of the benefits of what this new industrial revolution provided, such as extensive rail travel allowing people to see much more of the world and experience new culture’s, which is clearly seen in a lot of artworks that were being produced at this time.

Artist one Giacomo Balla

Science against obscurantism, completion 1920, created in Italy, from the futurist movement, oil on canvas, canvas size 500x373px

Abstract speed and sound, completion 1913-1914, oil on board, size 54.5 x 76.5cm

Giacomo Balla was profoundly interested in technology and the forward movement of science. He fully embraced the manifestations of modern technology for example flight, speed and velocity

Take a look at this fantastically modern image Science against Obscurantism, which now nearly a hundred years later it still looks modern and sharp with abstraction and movement. I feel the element of technology in this painting is the elements of colour and light, it is an abstract representation of the practise of science against the unknown represented by the darkness. He has chose a very traditional discipline in his execution of a very futuristic concept of art. His subject matter was the idea that science could educate every man equally and provide insight and understanding to things unknown and deliberately obscured as the later part of the works name would suggest. Obscurantism I feel is Giacomo’s view of how he feels history served in not providing factual information and deliberately obscuring the truths, I feel the black in this image is a representation of this. The colour and light in the painting reflects the elements of science, mankind, movement and how science can move mankind forward in every possible way. It is easy to see by looking at advancements in medicine and other inventions that were being pioneered in this era of intense industrial expansion he would be seeing at that time, a time were man had truly taken to the sky’s with velocity building all the time, this must of inspired Giacomo deeply, as did the intricate nature of the subject matter in this painting. This painting is beautiful example of shards of colour applied to the canvas to create a beautiful illusion of varying intensities of light. The sharp edge of colour against the black, ghosting out into the black darkness, across the canvas from two separate points converging equally to reveal this central point of intensity, giving the painting a sense of speed and movement out  from this point. The graphic abstract shapes and form expanding, moving and transforming into larger more elaborate solid like forms of substance suggested by the varying tones of colour, the intense light rich in elements of creation. Overall I think aesthetically this painting is very pleasing to the eye and it has a powerful sense of creation from pure energy out of the darkness of space.

The futurist manifesto (online) is the fundamental elements of what he believed to be modernism and a view of the future. This painting being a splendid example of modern contemporary art from the time this work was created, nearly a century later this work in my opinion is still very modern in concept and aesthetically, the concept of the picture is still an evolving part of our everyday life, science providing new knowledge everyday.

 Abstract speed and sound

I think technology was prevalent throughout Giacomo’s life and played a major role in inspiration and subject matter throughout many of his works, from the earliest examples to some of the last of his futuristic art, objects of speed such as large locomotives, automobiles, motorcycles and aeroplanes all still being in there infant stage of evolution, all these modern inventions that was capable of high velocity and taken to the sky’s must have been an amazing thing to witness when never seen before, I believe these things today have become common place or the norm, some might even say taken for granted. The medium used in this artwork being oil paints on mill board does not really in my eyes reflect Giacomo’s faith and inspiration in new and yet to be discovered material and there potential applications, however this artwork does reflect these views in the form of abstract sound and movement (online) being one of the many products of a quickly changing industrial mechanisation and growth at the time. The paintings abstract nature leaves a lot of possibility for the viewer, in my opinion it has an illustrative abstract form as almost trying to recreate a chain of events simultaneously or more in this a movement or echo of sound. The concept of recording sound audibly was still being pioneered so the concept of recording sound visually in any way was futuristic. In my opinion he has done an exceptional job of conveying speed and sound, and entity that has no visual qualities. His use of colour giving a feeling of a turbulent air suggesting the presence of sound in its abstract form. Aesthetically I feel the abstract nature and use of colour and bold speeding lines still gives a sense of sharpness and an overall picture by no means out of place in the digital age. The overall composition of colour suggests to me a landscape to form the background location of an event of speed and sound, projecting into the foreground as almost escaping the boundaries of the board. Overall in my opinion it has a very dynamic presence, a strong sense of movement and does in my opinion deliver the presence of sound visually.

During the period of 1920 to 1950 there was big change’s in many things from mechanisation, mass production, world war to different social attitudes, mass consumption and progression in equal rights for women and social changes. People’s attitudes to more graphic abstract modernist works had also changed and had become more evident to much more people much like the futurist had proclaimed it would. By the time my second artist was producing there work in 1950 many early inventions, one in particularly being the camera had benefited by many years of development and had taken its place in the world and photography was now being considered as art in its own art.

Erwin Blumenfeld

                                                           

                          

                   

 Simply by viewing these two Images by Erwin Blumenfeld, it is easy to see how photography had gained respect as an artistic medium in its self. The advancements in technology was solely responsible for the equipment necessary to produce his highly artistic photographic work. These new pieces of equipment offered many different benefits, one mainly being the ability to produce as many copies of one image required, making art available and affordable to the masses. Much of the materials used in photography at this point in the 1950’s were relatively new. The process of photography from clicking the shutter to developing the print is a procedure with endless possibility for artistic manipulation and experimentation, just like how Erwin did with double exposure’s, solarisation, abstraction or optical distortion (online) created by using textured glass, filters and other refractive materials. Materials for this image Doe Eye would have been quite basic for the actual shoot, it wouldn’t  of been much just his camera, film and lights to create the image and then chemicals and paper for post production. For his second image all he would of needed was props for his model to hold and the photos he was going to use to create the collage, however the subject matter in these two images differ quite substantially although they convey a similar message. The image Doe Eye is a very graphic picture in which the deconstruction of the models face down to four simple feature’s leaves a very elegant and sophisticated composition, the bold colour suggests a luscious decadent feel much as the boom of the 50’s. My second selected image which is a photography collage is of a sophisticated female shopper, the image suggests a very fashion conscience state of mind, the street in the background suggesting a city as a catwalk, a place to obtain and flaunt all the latest designer styles and fancy goods now within reach of more people than in previous times. The image like artwork one Doe Eye suggests high spending power and decedent boom times. The absence of a face suggests to me the nature of big business and consumerism moving the body of mass produced fashion. I believe there are still echoe’s of Dadaism in the piece of work in the ideology of fully embracing the here and now irrationally and decadence, distancing and rejecting the hosterity and suppression of not long past war torn years. I feel the nature of these works fit perfectly with the potential application to a wide range of commercial products now being mass produced at this time, fits almost perfectly with some of the beleifs of the futurist manifesto. A manifesto that embodies virtually all the idealisms of modernism. Doe Eye is a very deconstructed photograph of a female face, the features of the face are very simple shaped natural lines of beauty enhanced by the application of boldly coloured makeup on the model. The negative space in the composition leaves it up to the viewers to reconstruct the full face in their imagination. The aesthetics of which can be as beautiful as the viewers imagination. The second image is a constructed composition of photography the opposite to the first image, a much busier image with a lot of the aesthetic nature in the embodiment of the luxury fashions available, the beautiful branded goods and designer boxes all of which have a primary function, to look good.

These works by Erwin Blumenfeld embody many elements of modernist within them, one of which the mass produced format of a glossy fashion magazine delivered to a massive audience projecting there stylized fashion conscience images of the future, predicting their new tomorrow which is more or less what Erwin said “ we are responsible for the tastes of tomorrow, our pictures are the essence of a page and every page has to have its own face, its own spirit to catch millions of eyes as otherwise it is only a scrap of paper”.(online) Art on paper viewed by millions with aspirations to project a modern tomorrow  which reflects the ideals and beliefs of modernism evolving in new and diverse ways embracing the future. So in my belief the work of Erwin in these two images reflect the beliefs of modernism perfectly. Art in this way has found its way into the world, a powerful medium to influence the future.

Artist’s ones work is visionary in the form of abstract graphic work reflecting early ground breaking advances in technology, however artist two is producing work from pieces of equipment being made possible by developments of technology and science, also giving a completely new way of displaying their work to the world. Artists ones work was limited to one original of which only poor copys could be made, artist two however with his modern equipment and photographic process was capable of mass production and excellent reproduction and quality, this in its self gives artist two a much larger audience to express themselves. These artist and there work reflect many different changes, such as the diversity of modernism into a more mainstream consumable formats. Which all elements of modernism existed in the mind of artist one, now being a reality in the world of artist two. The whole concept of the modernist movement is to continuously change in order to be as modern in the future. Modernism now has become our everyday life and is progressing daily every tomorrow becoming today.

Bibliography

answers. 2013. fashion photography. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.answers.com/topic/fashion-photography. [Accessed 27 April 13].Website

James Joll. 2013. the futurist manifesto. [ONLINE] Available at: http://vserver1.cscs.lsa.umich.edu/~crshalizi/T4PM/futurist-manifesto.html. [Accessed 27 April 13].

lucy flint. 2013. guggenheim. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.guggenheim.org/new-york/collections/collection-online/artwork/300. [Accessed 27 April 13].

wikipaitings. 2013. Science against Obscurantism. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.wikipaintings.org/en/giacomo-balla/science-against-obscurantism-1920. [Accessed 27 April 13].