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In our Contemporary Art History course this semester we have discussed various movements in art such as Fauvism, Cubism, Futurism, Vorticism, and Suprematism. We've also learned that the members of avant-garde movements in the early twentieth century sought to break down the boundary between art and real life. In this essay I will conduct a series of thought experiments based on the premise that artists from the movements Fauvism and Cubism may have attempted to use their craft to potentially create avant-garde things like furniture, food, and or clothing.
Fauvism is defined as a style of painting with vivid expressionistic and non-naturalistic use of color that flourished in Paris from 1905 and, although short-lived, had an important influence on subsequent artists, especially the German expressionists. Key artists that contributed heavily to this movement were Henri Matisse, André Derain, and Georges Braque. Some major characteristics of this style of art include a profound use of unnatural color which separated objects from their realistic role in society, strong and united works of three-dimensional settings that appear flat on the canvas, authentic representation of the emotions of the artist creating the pieces rather then representations of what each object "should" look like based on nature, and thick surface texture of the paint on canvas.
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Henri Matisse is widely known as one of the most influential Fauvist painters that there ever was. From a young age, I myself learned about his influence in the art world and viewed his works in museums such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art (NYC).
Matisse applied vibrant colors to the everyday objects in his paintings. These colors were often variations of the three primary colors that sometimes even clashed with each other; creating the unrealistic dynamic of realistic objects that Fauvism is known for. In works like The Red Studio and The Blue Window, Matisse displays rooms consisting of vibrant blues and reds and yellows with scattered objects all around the perimeter. In Woman in a Purple Coat Matisse strays a little from the dominant primary colors (although still including some yellows and reds in the background pattern, and a blue in her shoes) and focuses on this deep, striped, purple coat. Henri Matisse was an expert at using color to create forceful contrast.
If Matisse experimented with the production of avant-garde works in his style of creation they would resemble his paintings quite similarly, but also vary in some ways. For instance, I could picture Matisse being interested in creating a yellow sofa, due to his intense and consistent usage of the primary colors, but patternless in order to really pop in a room filled with other neighboring furniture. If he were to take up the entire field of interior design, his style would definitely shine through his color combinations; between the wall paint color, the furniture hues, and the additional decor, heavy contrast would definitely be found. Matisse just had a way with color. I envision Matisse's avant-garde interior design career including many house plants and artworks (sculptures, etc) embellishing his projects.
Henri Matisse could also surely excel in an avant-garde fashion scene. Similarly to what I previously stated about his furniture techniques, he would apply his knowledge of color to comfortable, yet stylish, women's clothing. While writing this, I remembered back to Matisse's painting entitled Woman in a Purple Coat, and believe that clothing by Matisse would resemble this purple coat closely. Matisse has an eye for color, and which matches which correctly in order to get the absolute perfect contrast to appeal to the human eye.
André Derain is another well known painter from the Fauvist movement. We talked about him a lot throughout this semester in Modern Art History and learned extensively about how he contributed to Fauvism through, of course, his use of colors as well as utilization of pointillism. Derain once said, "We were always intoxicated with colour, with words that speak of colour and with the sun that makes colours live" (freemanart.ca). His love for color, similar to Matisse, shines through a lot of his famous Fauvist paintings. In Boats at Collioure, the water is blue and the sand is a yellow-orange color. Although these are realistic places for these colors to be found, they are much more vibrant hues than average water or sand would be and the water is tinted with reds and greens. In this work, Derain also displays his interest in pointillism, creation am energetic feel to the painting. In Landscape Near Chatou Derain continues with his vibrant use of colors, and puts some unexpected colors in some unexpected places. The sky is different shades of pink, as well as some of the grass. The grass also exhibits some blues and oranges. He included a lot of color variety within his pieces, unlike what I found in most of Matisse's art, where he typically used primary colors.
In the case that André Derain were to be able to shape a particular object domain in everyday life, he would take it very slowly and seriously. I've found that his paintings are not only beautiful because of the vibrant colors and interesting liveliness, but also the very specific pointillism dots that make every detail perfect. If he were to make objects like clothing or furniture every single detail, inch by inch, would be accounted for and worked at closely. And in this case, it would be very difficult to mass produce these items. This also might mean that patterns he would choose to use in potential fabrics could be polka dotted, or include variations of spots. I envision the coloration in these avant-garde pieces to be very similar to Matisse's, with a little less focus on primary colors, and more just on vibrant tones of every color there is available.
Hats would be a signature element in Derain's clothing line if he were to create one. After viewing his paintings entitled Portrait of Lucien Gilbert, Portrait of Madame Paul Guillaume with a Large Hat, and The Artist in His Studio, and many more, I began to notice a trend. He could put a lot of his focus toward creating hat lines for both men and women, maybe incorporating some of that polka dot fabric that I previously mentioned within these fun accessories.
Georges Braque is the third Fauvist painter I have chosen to research for these thought experiments. Braque not only contributed art to the Fauvism movement, but also helped co-develop the Cubism movement along with Pablo Picasso which I will discuss further following Fauvism. Unlike Matisse and Derain, Braque seemed to stick to more monochromatic color schemes within his paintings, often being even just different shades of brown. In Braque's piece entitled Fruit Dish and Glass, it appears to be sketched with pencil on white paper with pieces of brown peaking in. Glass on a Table has a very similar brown/neutral color scheme to it, and you almost can't even tell what's being depicted without actually reading the title. Man with Guitar exhibits those same monochromatic tones but in a deeper hue which turns almost blue-ish/grey while looking at it.
If Georges Braque was given the opportunity to create avant-garde objects through his art I believe he would definitely incorporate fruit in whatever he found himself working on. Many, many, many of his paintings included various fruits in bowls and vases as the centerpiece of a table. Typically, the table in his pieces is a glass table. This leads me to believe if he were to begin working with furniture, he might experiment with some glassware and how to construct glass as a medium for art. Within the rooms where he would place these glass tables with bowls of fruits on them, I also visualize many plants scattered, big and small.
The clothing items Braque may have produced in this situation would also stem off of monochromatic color palettes, like his paintings. Natural browns, tans, yellows, maybe some deep greens would all find a place in his clothing items. Avant-garde apparel trends by Braque would include high fashion everyday items that could be worn in daily life or to a day at the office; mostly including winter clothing such as gloves, earmuffs, hats, trench coats, raincoats, etc.
The second movement that I have chosen to focus on for these thought experiments is Cubism. Cubism is defined as an early 20th-century style and movement in art, especially painting, in which perspective with a single viewpoint was abandoned and use was made of simple geometric shapes, interlocking planes, and, later, collage. Some of the main contributing artist to the Cubism movement would be Piet Mondrian, Paul Cézanne, and Pablo Picasso. Cubism works are known to have multiple perspectives in order to display the entirety of forms within the same plane, focuses deeply on light sources, and utilizes colors such as grays, greens, and browns (as shown in Georges Braque's paintings). Cubism formally begins with the creation of Les Demoiselles D'Avignon by Picasso, which we learned about this semester in class, and concluded in the year 1919 when the post-war began.
Piet Mondrian is the first artist I have chosen to concentrate on for the Cubism movement in this essay. Mondrian is another artist that we learned about in this semesters Modern Art History course, and spoke about quite thoroughly. He exhibits a very abstract style within his works; meaning he doesn't really depict realistic things accurately within them. He instead uses shapes, colors, and textures to create mostly grid-looking pieces. While doing research, I learned that Mondrian also loved to dance in his free time and he never used a ruler to map out his lines for his paintings! He never used paint directly from the tube, always mixing his own colors to get exactly what he needed.
Composition II in Red, Blue, and Yellow is a painting by Mondrian that we discussed in class and exhibits his techniques perfectly. It consists of bold black lines creating squares, and within the squares the primary colors are used to pop. Broadway Boogie-Woogie is another one of his pieces that contains the primary colors within a grid, and is intended to represent the crowded intersections and traffic swarming the streets of New York City. Mondrian additionally painted a series of trees, beginning with Evening/The Red Tree, 1908. The series developed through many paintings which eventually lead to the piece entitled, Composition in Blue, Grey, and Pink, where the word "tree" is not even in the title.
If Piet Mondrian were to be presented with the opportunity to design avant-garde clothing, food, furniture, etc while using cubist idealizations I believe he would keep it very plain and very simple. By this I don't mean he wouldn't put a lot of thought into it; he would spend a lot of time thinking about his pieces. The end result would just appear to be a product of simplicity. In a way, he reminds me of Matisse with his powerful use of the primary colors, but the two do vary with how they utilize them. Mondrian's colors all fit within their own set areas/boxes. Everything has a place, and everything is in its place. When in the act of creating avant-garde items he would keep himself and his materials very organized and would create according to things that inspired him; such as the streets of New York City.
Paul Cézanne is another artist from the Cubist movement, who introduced a new level of perspective within his artwork. Cézanne was known to treat the canvas as if he was "constructing" it rather then painting it, and to include almost sculptural dimensions within his two-dimensional works. When reading about him, the word "analytical" was used a lot to explain his thought processes and techniques. The Basket of Apples and Curtain, Jug, and Fruit by Cézanne both exhibit unique uses of perspective that wouldn't actually seem correct in reality. Paul Cézanne also presented a sort of dark tone in some of his pieces, such as Pyramid of Skulls. He painted many still life's and used shading to create depth within each visible object.
In order for Cézanne to use his ideas to mold a realm of routine lifestyle, he would need to pay attention to the way people look at things and the foods people choose to eat. His usage of fruits in bowls within his paintings clarify that he has an interest in them, this could carry over to avant-garde objects by him potentially constructing bowls with patterns of fruits printed onto them. He could use these bowls to accessorize rooms while simultaneously creating depth in the fruit through the angles of the bowls. After bowls he could use this basis to further create things like mugs and vases with fruit patterns decorating them. Based off the way his paintings are constructed I could also see Cézanne being interested in working with optical illusions.
The Museum of Illusions in New York City reminds me a lot of Cézanne's paintings. The way tables and items set on them all appear to be in the same yet different plane is fascinating. Often, some items appear to be placed on the table, but when you look closer there's no logical way it could be sitting on top of it without falling over. Rooms in The Museum of Illusions create interesting deceptions that make the impossible seem possible, like a chair that is 50x larger than the table next to it. In a way, I could see Cézanne contributing to these notions effectively.
The last artist from the Cubism movement that I've chosen to do a thought experiment on is the one and only, Pablo Picasso. Picasso essentially started the entire Cubism movement with his painting, Les Demoiselles D'Avignon. He himself had many periods that are used to distinguish his art, some being the Blue Period, Rose Period, African Influence, Analytic Cubism, Synthetic Cubism, etc. Picasso and Georges Braque worked closely together for a long period of time, and produced very similar artworks during it. Picasso left an everlasting legacy through his creative style the developments he made throughout his career as an artist.
The Weeping Woman is a prime example of what Picasso did best. Vibrant use of color, abnormal shapes to compose normal things such as the face and tissue, and thick paint application creating texture. My dad has a copy of this painting hanging up in his apartment, and it resonates with me so deeply because it is so extraordinary. Girl Before a Mirror and Buste de Femme are more of Picasso's pieces that exhibit abnormal and sharp shapes to depict a human being. He was known for this.
Pablo Picasso would excel if given the opportunity to design progressive items such as food, clothing, or furniture. He would carry over his devotion to bright colors and sharp shapes, potentially to create some uncomfortable couches and/or clothing. I envision a lot of dynamically shaped chairs and stools, painted with patterns and shaded with black sketching. These pieces of furniture could be placed in a modern-set home to bring a pop of style to the design. In the fashion world, Picasso would dominate with his unparalleled mind and imagination.
Clothing that would be produced by Picasso would be the type to be modeled on a runway at a Fashion Week. Very expensive, very angular, and very three-dimensional. I envision him having a focus on women's apparel with a few mens items. The shapes he would include would be within the prints of the patterns in the fabric, but also within the physical shape of the pieces of clothing. Shoes like heels would have protruding objects coming off of them and become the statement to a bland outfit. It would also be very likely he would have face paint for those who are modeling his clothing, to add even more feel of the Cubism movement to the fashion items.
Fauvism and Cubism are two movements that shaped the history of art and changed it forever. The artists that worked within these movements each contributed their own personal qualities to the them and left a lasting impression. Matisse, Derain, and Braque all exhibit Fauvism effectively and would exhibit that in avant-garde items through color and details, while Cubist artist such as Mondrian, Cézanne, and Picasso would do the same through their unique color schemes, patterns, and shapes. Characteristics found in each of their specific works of arts say so much about their creative style and how it would carry over to shape a particular object or domain of everyday life, I found these thought experiments to be very straightforward and precise.
Thought Experiments: Fauvism and Cubism. (2024, Feb 24). Retrieved from https://studymoose.com/thought-experiments-fauvism-and-cubism-essay
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