Themes in 20th Century Art - Coursework Example

Name Institution Tutor Date Introduction Art in the 20th century exhibited various themes. This paper seeks to present a portfolio of themes in 20th century artistic works. The use of primitivism Dancer in the Mirror (Tänzerin im Spiegel) by Max Pechstein 1923 Max Pechstein’s work Dance in the mirror mainly talks about the subject of dance. The work consists of a women dancer who dances seductively while pointing her toes and raising her skirt (MoMA,2014) . The ironic aspect is that she expresses boredom on her face while dancing. On the background men are watching the woman as he dances. The men also seem to be bored as they look in different directions (Wye, p58). The Dance in the mirror adopts fauvism as the main style. Pechstein’s uses symbolic color in order to present the emotions that exist in his work. The work is presented during the German expressionist era where people were dissatisfied with various issues taking place in their society. People in the German society as this particular time needed social renewal against the infringement of the bourgeoisie. As a result color was used to express the dissatisfaction at this particular period. The artist uses dark and dull colors such as black to express the discontentment existing in the German society. Also, he uses the acidic yellow paper in order give a suggestion of the lurid atmosphere that exists in nightclub (Wye, p58). Analysis of Dance in the mirror in terms of primitivism Dance in the mirror reflects the theme of primitivism in a variety of ways. Foremost, when looking at the composition, we see that the artist presents a primitive image of the night club. In the western society, night clubs are usually associated with fan and enjoyment however the artist presents a primitive form of a night club where the dance does not understanding what she is doing in the club as a result she dances while bored. Also, the men in the night club are also depicted as primitive due to their disinterest concerning what is taking place in the night club (Wye, p58). Max Pechstein’s work also reflects primitivism through artistic elements such as incorporating few dark tones and basic lines, which show the use of non- western elements in his work. Freud’s psychoanalytic theories Pietà or Revolution by Night by Max Ernst 1923 The subject of Pietà or Revolution by Night concerns a relationship between father and son. The relationship is depicted as a negative or troubled relationship. Rogers (1) discloses the fact that Ernst perceived his father as an idiot. As a result, he created a symbolic artwork to illustrate his feelings. Ernst adopts surrealism style whereby he uses irrational images in order to demonstrate the working of the human mind. He substitutes the traditional image of Mary carrying baby Jesus with an image of a son carried by his father (Tate, p1). Analysis of Pietà or Revolution by Night in terms of Freud’s psychoanalytic theories Pietà or Revolution by Night reflects the theme of Freud’s psychoanalytic theories in a variety of ways. Freud proposed the use of symbolic imagery in as a way of generating and interpreting art. Ernst uses the symbolic imagery of a father holding a son just like Mary held Christ to demonstrate the existence of a reversed turbulent relationship between a parent and a child. Ernst also uses automatism in order to separate between the behavior of a person and his or her consciousness. The entire composition has a setting that is dreamlike which usually takes place during the night. Freud argued that dreams have strong links to the unconscious mind. The father and the son seem to be dreaming or in their unconscious mind. Pietà or Revolution by Night depicts a contradictory scenario of a reality and a dream in order to present an absolute reality, which is the existence of a turbulent relationship between father and son (Tanzila, p1). The changing role of art and the influence of mass culture Self Portrait in the Green Bugatti by Tamara de Lempicka 1925 Self Portrait in the Green Bugatti displays a young woman on the wheel of a sports car. The work reflects changes in culture whereby elegance and urban setting are introduced to artistic work. The work also demonstrates the independence of a woman who seems to be in charge of her density. The style adopted by Tamara de Lempicka contrasts the rigidity that existed in previous art. She uses shadows and flat colors to bring about style. Her style can be described as ‘’ soft cubism (Silver and Exact, p1). Analysis of the work in terms of the theme The Self Portrait in the Green Bugatti reflects the theme of changing role of art and the influence of mass culture due to the adoption of modernism. Modernism arose as an artistic movement after the First World War (1914-1919). The movement was a reaction to an increase in social changes, which include; questioning gender role, labour movements and women’s rights. Self Portrait in the Green Bugatti gives an insight into the changing of art and the influence of mass culture in the sense that the sentiments propagated by the artist reflect the changes that arose due to modernism. It was unusual to see women on wheels driving cars however the existing mass cultural changes that were emerging were bound to change artistic work. Tamara de Lempicka therefore introduces gender equality in art (Platz, p1). She uses colour as a key element to depict the changing role of art, for instance the bold green colour on the car provides a reflection of a daring personality. Additionally, the bold green color of the car demonstrates the influence of mass culture in embracing modernity and industrialization (Platz, p1). A new form of realism in response to political and social events occurring in the early 20th century Capitalism’s Abuse of Working People Philip Evergood, “An American Tragedy”, 1937 Philip Evergood presents a painting of capitalism’s abuse of the working people. The work presents the theme of oppression of the workers due to the capitalist system. The artist recreates violence between the police and Chicago steel workers in the 1930s (Morgan, p148). In terms of styles, Philip Evergood applies fauvism as the style in his work. An American Tragedy can be viewed as fauvism due to the use of colour to bring out the artists freedom of expression and emotions. For instance, he paints the ground with red colour to demonstrate the pouring of the blood of the workers. Analysis of the work in terms of realism In terms of the theme, An American Tragedy is a perfect example of socialist realism. Socialist realism had the objective of creating a revolutionary type of socialist content. The workers are tired of the oppressive capitalist system as a result they need a revolution. Philip Evergood work also reveals the burden of oppression which is a capitalist reality, whereby the workers are oppressed and when they agitate for their rights, instead of being given their rights, they are even killed. His work basically demonstrated the need for a revolution from the American tragedy which is the oppressive capitalist system (Sardo, p1). Conclusion The themes discussed above have to a great extent influenced art in the later years of the 20th century and also into the 21st. A case in point is when looking at pop art, which emerged in the 1950s. We see that pop art was influenced by the theme of the changing role of art and the influence of mass culture. For instance, when looking at Drowning Girl by Roy Lichtenstein 1963, we see aspects of modernity and the changing the influence of mass culture. This is depicted in the theme of the artwork, and the use of mechanized technology in coming up with the piece. Drowning Girl by Roy Lichtenstein 1963 In my opinion, the knowledge I have acquired on modern art has assisted me to understand how artistic themes have influenced art even after the early years of the 20th century. Works Cited Platz, Jenny. Tamara de Lempicka, Glorifies the modern woman. The Journal of the Whedon Studies Association., p1. Rogers, Ian. Happy Father’s Day – Max Ernst, “Pieta” or “Revolution by Night”. Grey not Grey. 2012. Sardo, Mikaela. Social art in America: then and now. ACA Gallaries. 2014,p 1. Morgan, Ann . The Oxford Dictionary of American Art and Artists. 2012, p148. Tanzila Ahmed. Draw me like one of your French fries.2013. The Museum of Modern Aer.( MoMA). Dancer in the Mirror (Tänzerin im Spiegel). 2014. Retrieved From Tate .Pietà or Revolution by Night 1923. Retrieved From< http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/ernst-pieta-or-revolution-by-night-t03252> Artists & Prints: Masterworks from the Museum of Modern Art Wye, Deborah. Museum of Modern Art . The Museum of Modern Art, 2004 , p58. Read More