How Did Each Artist Contribute Individually to the Rise of Modernism - Assignment Example

Discussion How did each artist contribute individually to the “rise of modernism?’” The artists presented their ideas which broughtcontroversy in the order of the society, and contributed to the acceptance of new ideas. Manet went through all odds to paint a stark naked picture on a large canvas, giving it a similar status to high ranked paintings. This was not the order of the society then and brought a lot of controversy. One painter tried to redo the painting but presented the previously naked picture as dressed model. This way, he introduced the idea of equality in the society. The same way Courbet tried to show how people in the society may think they have all the powers, yet when it comes to the lowest person in the hierarchy, the lowest becomes the highest. He also introduced the idea of equality by showing the value of each person irrespective of his rank (Zola, 2003). What similarities do you find in their approach to their work both technically and stylistically, their attitude toward critics, and their status as innovators of their time? The two artists use the same technique to communicate to the public and present their ideas. Manet used a large canvas, which was past the standard canvases sold during his time. Tucker (1998) indicates that the painting was done on a large canvas, of almost a similar size to those used by historians to document noble events. It was done on a 208 X 264 cm canvas. He may have been passing on information to the public about his might as a painter, or may have been showing the authorities that they are all the same irrespective of status. He painted a stark naked model in a canvas of the same size as those used by the authorities; this could have been a way of telling the authorities that even the stark naked deserve to be in such canvases. During his time, stark naked pictures were not respected and were considered inappropriate. Manet may have been saying that, whatever people think is inappropriate, could be appropriate in some other way; they were all the same. A similar technique is used by Courbet in his Burial at Ornans. In this painting, there is a group of people; the mayor, the priest, and different other people, prominent and not, with their respective outfits. They are depicted with their own personal worries. Within the picture, at the edge of the grave, there is a gravedigger sitting on his knees. He sits on his knees, but is the only one with the head held high. Buchon (1977) notes that, “he alone commands” (p. 3). This picture shows that even if one is a gravedigger, there is an area where he will outwit the rest. It also shows that even if one is a priest, king, or highly ranked official, when it comes to the time of burial, they will all look up to the gravedigger. The gravedigger, therefore, has a similar standing as the rest of them in life. He also shares a similar position when it comes to death. It is indicated that Manet’s painting was a reverse of the norms because the scene he painted was of a lower hierarchy, but he did it on a scale that implied the opposite (Tucker, 1998). This is the same technique used by Courbet. During his time, the gravedigger was among the lowest in the hierarchy, yet in the painting, he is the only one with the head held high. He has the highest ranking when it comes to death. There was a point that Courbet was trying to communicate; that popes, kings, emperors, and those who oppressed the poor, all are forced to dance around death whether they like it or not, but in the end, the gravedigger remains (Buchon, 1977). What differences do you see in their contributions to Modern art? Courbet’s
work represent those that are easy to understand and interpret. The information depicted in the paintings is clear. There are two paintings that show this characteristic; the Stonebreakers and the A Burial at Ornans. In the Stonebreakers, there are figures shown representing certain aspects of life. There is “a child and an old man the sunrise and the sunset of that life of the drudgery” (Buchon, 1977, p. 2). This is an interpretation according to Champfleury. It is easy for any viewer to think of the painting as representing the lives of the two people. It is a depiction of how hard the people of that area work to their old age. One would, therefore, agree with Champfleury, that the painting represent the “sunrise and the sunset of that life of drudgery”. It represents a picture of how those who get old doing hard work turn into. It is also a depiction of the kind of people that end up in such kinds of labour; the poor. The characteristics of the boy, such as the manner in which his head is shaved, show his economic and social status (Buchon, 1977). This is unlike Manet, especially when the painting Le Déjeuner Sur L’Herbe is considered. Manet work has hidden meanings and leaves viewers speculating on what could have motivated him to produce such a painting. Picasso did a series on the painting, and this shows the level of complexity of the painting. The series produced 27 paintings, 150 drawings, five concrete pieces of sculpture, three linoleum cuts, several ceramic plaques and eighteen cardboard studies on the sculptures. The sculptures could have represented five prominent features in Manet’s painting. The 27 paintings and the drawings may have been representations of different ways through which people can interpret the original painting. This just shows that the painting had a lot within it for artists to interpret. Tucker (1998) indicates that Picasso had nothing to say about the series of artwork, and this was because of the original art work’s complexity. The art language is different from the common language and so people are left to interpret for themselves. It is not easy to understand the models in Manet’s painting, why he used the models, why he gave the painting its title, and why he posed one of the models stark naked, while others in their own worlds (Tucker, 1998). References Buchon, M. (1977). (c. 1819­1869) on
Courbets
Stonebreakers
and
Burial
at
Ornans. In Chu, P. T., Courbet in Perspective (pp 60-63). Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc. Tucker, P. H. (1998). Manet’s Le Dejeuner Sur L’herbe. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Zola, E. (2003). (1840­1902)
Edouard
Manet. In Harrison, C. and Wood, P. J., Art in Theory 1900 - 2000: An Anthology of Changing Ideas (pp.
554‐564). Hoboken, New Jersey: Blackwell. Read More