Tuesday, May 5, 2020

Introduction to Visual Studies: Fantastic Art

Fantastic Art
  • one of the major art movements of 20th century
  • radical, reactionary, controversial, challenged what constituted as art
  • "anti-art" that gave rise to exploration of subconscious mind & other-worldly senses
  • explores the absurd, bizarre, imaginary, whimsical, grotesque, etc.
  • examination of "the other" challenges idea of abnormality
History
  • originated in 1916 as reaction to WWI & coming to a close before end of WWII in 1940
  • stressed growing interest in alternate way of living/thinking as a way to counter destruction of war & threat of developing technology
  • threatened by Futurism which embraced technology, speed, machines, violence
-Fantastic artists felt robbed of their individuality
-needed to save it through personal interpretations of imagination, emotion, instinct 

Fantastic art has 2 unique styles

Dadaism (1916–1923)
  • Zurich, Switzerland, reaction to WWI
  • artists denied conventions of world, opposed accepted norms
  • promoted absurdity, nihilism, irrationality
  • called for deliberate chaos & randomness to reflect senselessness of war
  • strove to stop violence as well as traditional art/culture through radical creations & behavior
  • anti-art: stood against things that were beautiful
  • called for rebellion against society's principles which were believed to contribute to the war
  • explored the naive or childlike nature of art

Surrealism (1924)
  • grew out of the chaos & nihilism of dada --> interest in dream world
  • explored realm of imaginary & unreal
  • explored states of unconscious mind 
  • artworks were more positive in content & purpose
  • reaction to war: encouraged people to cure themselves by tapping into unconsciousness
  • psychoanalysis
  • union of conscious & subconscious coexisting
  • "pure psychic automatism...an attempt is made to express...the true functioning of thought"
  • embraced chance, juxtaposition of ideas, forms, & meanings

Independent Artists did not want to adopt an art movement's goals or affiliations
  • portrayed what they found meaningful & important
  • inspiration stemmed from imagination, private dreams, memories, experiences
-Henry Rousseau
  • inspired by nature & belief in ghosts
  • supernatural, haunting, theatrical iconography

-Marc Chagall
  • based work on memories of his native village
  • paintings were poetic & nostalgic representations of his past
  • people/animals defying proportion & gravity
  • influenced by expressionist & cubist movements
  • refused to analyze meaning of his images, viewed them as presentations of self

-Giorgio de Chirico
  • most influence on surrealism
  • troubling, bizarre, disturbing imagery
  • reflect mood of the time characterized by social, political,  economic, industrial change
  • metaphysical paintings w symbols of ancient antiquity & modern invention
  • revealed a way of creating an alternate world by combining familiar & strange images

No comments:

Post a Comment