Art Reflection - Essay Example

From the artists of the Renaissance to the Modern Age of Cubism, Surrealism, and whatnot, a mix of feelings and emotions have defined art movements and even embodied the cultural changes that were happening at the time. Quite often we see that the leaders of a new movement such as have been misunderstood and ridiculed before a critical mass begins to appreciate the value of their work. In this context, Michelangelo’s ‘David’ (1501-04) and Marcel Duchamp’s ‘Nude Descending a Staircase’ (1912) signified movements in art form that were ahead of their time.

Discussion In the context of Michelangelo’s ‘David’, it is worthwhile to remember that this masterpiece was carved from a stone block that had various defects and fissures running through it. It had been refused earlier by both Sandro Botticelli and Leonardo da Vinci. The statue of David stands 5.17 meters tall and Michelangelo had to do most of the work standing up. He was 26 years at the time. Originally meant for a Florentine cathedral, the final work took over two years to complete and weighed 6 tons and so it was unveiled as a public figure in the square outside the Palazzo della Signoria, the seat of civic governance in Florence, where it stood as a symbol of civic liberties.

Its initial unveiling met with the distaste of the local public, who objected to its nudity. Yet the statue has all the impudence and faith of the young David as he prepares to take on the mighty Goliath, and it is regarded as one of the masterpieces of Renaissance art today. To cater to public sensitivity, a copper skirt was made to cover the nether regions of the statue. However, this was removed by 1812 at the height of Medici power (Hall. 2005). Coming to Marcel Duchamps ‘Nude Descending a Staircase’ (1912), the artist was a known follower of the Cubist and Futurist movements and was also inspired by Dadaist and Surrealist influences.

His 1912 Nude Descending a Staircase was inspired by the stop-motion photography of Etienne Jules-Marey and Muybridge’s 1887 ‘Woman Walking Downstairs’ series of pictures; however, it was not appreciated by the organizers of a Cubist exhibition in Paris so Duchamps preferred to take it down and back home in a taxi. Duchamps was often known to mock public sensitivity and used the interplay of words and figures to this end even in his youth. It is quite possible that Duchamps has depicted a fluid-like quality of moving pictures to represent the nude descending a staircase- it cries out against those who would raise a hue and cry over nudism depicted in art if Duchamps were to draw an actual nude.