Constantin Brancusis Work and its Reflection on Modern Art - Essay Example

Constantin Brancusi’s work and its reflection on modern art The that I have chosen accounts for the comparison of the great Brancusi’s sculpture art with the present or modern art and works of sculpturing. I intend on making known the standard this Romanian sculptor has set for the rest of the world to follow and how that standard set in the early 20th century. I also want to discuss how that reflects on the art of today. Why are you interested in the subject/why are you writing about this? This topic was chosen due to my profound and pronounced interest in sculpturing. The art of sculpturing inspires me because it reflects what goes on inside. Every person has a mind and a heart of his own. And what goes on in that heart of hearts is only shown or represented by art. Art of any kind can potentially do that job well. But for me sculpturing is the spokesperson or the ambassador of human nature. Two sculptures of the same object that are made by two different people will be significantly different. This is because both of those people see differently. Their eye with which they see is different. Their mind with which they understand is different. Their heart with which they relate is different. And their hand with which they make is different. Therefore sculpturing for me is the way of expression and that inspires me. Constantin Brancusi is known as the pioneer or the leading figure of the modern movement. He was the one who practically gave birth to abstraction. He started as a woodcarver. And his journey from a craftsman in woodcarving to the art of sculpturing is a remarkable one. It speaks of the much ignored fact that anything is possible and that it doesn’t matter where you begin. All that matters is that you know what you want. The right amount of passion and hard work can take you to places you could have never dreamt of going. This is what we learn from Constantin Brancusi’s life and that is what inspires me. The reason for my choosing this topic is exactly this too. Studying games design I have great interest in this art of sculpting and this particular artist teaches me that a man can be an artist of any kind and genre as he wants. His life and work teaches me that a man can be jack of all traits and master of ONE. Brancusi revolutionized the art of sculpting. He eliminated all that wasn’t necessary and introduced all that WAS necessary but was being ignored previously. It is said that he learned the true purpose of art; a purpose different from the generally believed notion of representing different forms. Or to put it as Romanian historians put it (Argatu 13). This purpose was the representation of the force that gives rise to those forms and their characteristic surface, their style, their existence. And this very difference in belief and understanding gave birth to abstract form of sculpting and set the footing and foundations for modern art. How are you going to go about doing the research? This topic is vast and enfolds many different aspects, which for a complete dissertation will be crucial to cover. Therefore the research methodology employed would have to be very thorough so that it may be able to incorporate and do justice to all different sides of this topic. The basic information about the Artist is available in libraries other than the abundance and profusion on the web. His work and its characteristic features will be studied and understood first. I also feel that an understanding of the social conditions and ways of the time are also important in order to understand his work properly. Therefore, accompanying the study of Constantin Brancusi’s life and work a brief and general study of the France of that era will also be made. To make things relatable and to understand why he did the things he did it is mandatory that his life be studied deeply. And that is what I plan to do. I will put this sub-topic in mind and make sure and study it as thoroughly as possible. A quick trip to amazon.com showed me the tons of books available on this particular personality. While most of these are in French, there are many available in English too and these are the ones I plan on getting a hold of. I’ve been told that “Brancusi (Great Modern Masters)” by Jose Maria Faerna published in 1997 can prove to be of good use. Furthermore, his influence on modern art of sculpting in comparison with other big sculptors of that time would be an interesting study (Faerna 64). To give things a completely new perspective and to make the writing process interesting for me and the reading interesting for others I want to imagine a world Constantin Brancusi. This implies that I talk about this form of art without ever having been faced with the great sculptor. This would show all the styles and forms out there today which owe their existence to Constantin Brancusi. It would also help us understand the magnitude of his work’s importance and its significance in the art of sculpting not just in France or Romania but all over the world. For this I will have to look into the characteristics of his art especially the ones that didn’t exist before him. This particular study should not be a problem as there are several books available on his art and his style. One more thing which I find to be important in completing my research is Brancusi’s philosophy. We should know what his philosophy and idea of life and the world was so that it becomes easier for us to understand and comprehend his art. As he himself said “Things are not difficult to make; what is difficult is putting us in the state of mind to make them”, so I want to research more about that state of mind of his. The relation of an artist’s work with his philosophy is great. One can simply not claim to know and understand art without knowing the meaning or intention behind the piece. And that meaning is exactly what will become easy for us to face and understand if we know where the artist’s mind was at while making a particular piece of art. What sources do you have/do you need? The sources I have to carry out this detailed research mainly comprise of the web. Regretfully it is stated that being more of an internet person rather than book person I expect myself to rely more on the internet and all that it has to offer. Going through a couple of websites and articles dedicated to this particular artist and his work, I have found that while these can function as good sources I also at the same time feel that it would all be incomplete without a good read or two. And so considering that, I have found two books; “Brancusi” written by Varia and the other “Dictionary of 20th century art” which is written by Ian Chilvers. I feel that these two might be of help for they seem fairly promising. However, this use is not completely decided yet. There is a fair chance that I might find something better. The sources that I need are in relation or regards to my research on the situation of that time in France. The twentieth century France, almost an entire century after the big French Revolution, like always had a lot going on. And much information will be and is available on this too. But up till now I have failed to find a source where everything or all the important parts are mentioned efficiently and briefly. To fit in a dissertation of 4000 words I feel I need brief but effective knowledge and hence SOURCE of knowledge on everything, which is a little hard to find. Nevertheless, I have started consulting and reading and hope to hit on something worthy soon. Breakdown of chapter headings: The following chapters will hopefully make up the entire piece: CHAPTER 1 - Sculpting (Main topic/heading) - What? Where? When? Who? Why? How? (Sub topics/heading) CHAPTER 2 - Sculpting all over the world in the 20th Century (Main topic/heading) - Sculpting in France in the 20th Century (Sub topic/heading) - France in the 20th Century CHAPTER 3 Constantin Brancusi (Main topic/heading) Brancusi’s Life CHAPTER 4 Brancusi’s philosophy (Main topic/heading) Reflection of that philosophy in his work (Sub topic/heading) CHAPTER 5 Brancusi’s art (Main topic/heading) The difference between his art and the rest of the world’s (Sub topic/heading) CHAPTER 6 Constantin Brancusi as the pioneer of modern art CHAPTER 7 World and Sculpting without Brancusi Summary Constantin Brancusi was born in 1876. Even though he was born in Romania, he is known to be a French artist because he spent his entire life there. All his education he acquired from France. He was an arts student and spent his entire life learning to carve. His work is known to be exquisite. It is a mix of so many things and each piece is a substantial representation of the concept of an oxymoron for in each piece we find the best of both worlds. His work is simple yet very complicated. His work is rich and detailed yet much suppressed. His work is delicate yet strong, and stone cold yet full of life! To answer the much thought of and discussed question; why did he make the works he did, only one statement is enough. This statement is his own that his work aims at realism and he admires hidden reality. Therefore the purpose behind him sculpting was the showcasing of realism. He saw the world in the most primitive of its forms. He fed his artistic temptation and hunger with myths, with folklore, and with the primitive and the most basic of cultures. He wanted to see the world in its simplest and purest of forms. He rejected and refused the ideas of modernism. His interpretation of that simplicity and his way of looking at things was what made his work unique. Having derived his inspiration from the old times, his work was the epitome of irony for it was evidently modern. He would take the old ideas and traditions and make something new and fresh out of them leaving the average human mind boggled. And this is the reason why his work is so unique. His work is the perfect blend of modernism and the timelessness of the past. The statement his world ended up making was a very bold and interesting one. His work embodied the sleekness, propriety and class of modern times along with the rawness, simplicity and purity of the old. This showed the juxtaposition of two different periods in an artifact showing how the best of both worlds can be extracted and amalgamated into one masterpiece that ends up showing the balance that the world seems to be lacking. The existence of two contradictory ideas is seen in his work. Brancusi’s art, according to Aiden Hart is different because it followed tradition. Calanic Argatu wrote that “Brancusi’s amazing modern artistic message is product of tradition…” (Hart 460) He was different because he rejected the ways of the time. He rejected the pointless modernism that seemed to be leading nobody anywhere. He was different because he accepted tradition. And this is the legacy he left behind for the world to follow. The mixture of the different ages and the success with which that mixture is presented ends up making his work universal. His work was appreciated then and it is appreciated now. And so it goes without saying that his work will always act to inspire the artists of all times. References Argatu, Calinic. Peace and rejoicing with Brancusi. Bucharest, 2001. Faerna, Jose Maria. Brancusi: Great Modern Masters. Harry N. Abrams / Cameo, 1997. Hart, Aidan. "Constantin Brancusi: His spiritual roots." Second Spring (U.K) (1985): 460. Read More