Primitivism and Non-Western Art - Assignment Example

Primitivism and Non-Western Art Primitivism is an art movement that does not adhere to Western standards but rather on primitive cultures and/or non-Western cultures; it may also refer to modern art works that pay homage to folk art. This style of painting has led to developments in modern art, specifically introduced by Paul Gauguin. Primitivism as a movement is almost synonymous to Paul Gauguin. Paul Gauguin established primitivism as a movement back in the late 19th century when he traveled to Tahiti and painted the local women in the nude.

Many people see this act as a reaction to Europe’s classicist way of interpreting the nude female body. Gauguin wanted to revise how the female figure was painted and appreciated, thus, painting the naked Tahitian women in a manner that was new to the Europeans that time. Some say it can be a subversive act on Gauguin’s part, as he was rebelling on the common trends of the European painters. He “revised” the female nude figure. Instead of focusing on the perfection or the anatomy of the model, or the sense of evil in looking at a naked female figure, Gauguin painted Tahitian women with their natural curves in their natural “habitat”, evoking feelings of eroticism and admiration, but without the association of sin or evil as dictated by the closed European society.

This is one of the merits of the style, as it is sensual but not dismissive of human nature’s preoccupation to sex. Primitivism does not romanticize sex, but rather romanticizes the idyllic lifestyle in the tropical islands. It celebrates the life in remote islands against colonialism at the same time the simplicity of humanity. It shows that non-Western art is as important as the ones in Europe and as significant too. This is quite influential to artists now, especially those who advocate anti-colonialism as it shows that Western Art may not be always superior.

References: Brooks, Peter. “Gauguin’s Tahitian Body”. The Expanding Discourse. N. d. Web. 11 October 2011. Solomon-Godeau, Abigail. “Going Native: Paul Gauguin and the Invention of Primitivist Modernism”. The Expanding Discourse. N.d. Web. 11 October 2011.