FACES OF POWER PAINTINGS (dada/russian avant-garde) Flashcards
Otto Dix, Card playing War Cripples, 1920 Berlin
DADA
- humorous antiwar collage paintings
- fragmentation of society
- medium became a message
- the pegleg interacting visually with the curled leg of the table
- fake jaw, and no leg with only genitals are shown
- three cripples playing cards: war victim sharing one arm and one leg
- mechanical limbs, fake chins, artificial eyes—Dada collage
- skull-like and disfigured
El LIssitzky, Beat the Whites With the Red Wedge 1919
(Constructivism and Productivism)
- his earliest attempts at propagandistic art
- Produced this politically charged work in support of the Red Army
- The red wedge symbolized the revolutionaries, who were penetrating the anti-Communist White Army.
- Here Lissitzky uses his signature coded color combination of red, white and black, which reinforces the message indicated by the work’s title.
- Dramatic color contrasts also create confusion regarding space
Ernst, Max, Murdering Airplane 1920
- Collage
- was inspired by World War I in which Ernest also served as a warrior.
- This painting depicts a monstrous airplane with human arms although unrealistic giving it a surrealist feel and it was flying over an open field.
Grosz, George, Republican Automatons 1920
DADA
- perspectival buildings with faceless figure
- no sign of life except the smoke
- moves away from expressionism, that becomes clarity and machinery
- he did not celebrate anonymity, but some just express his disgust
- interim representation
Hausmann, Raoul, The Spirit of Our Time
(Mechanical Head) 1919
· Wooden head of a dummy that would normally be used to display wigs or to model hats
· This head has been de-humanised by Hausmann by having various materials attached to it
- is an assemblage of objects trouvés (existing objects)
- Iconoclastic Dada spirit of Duchamp’s readymades
- work represents the “spirit of our age” in that it captures the atmosphere of Germany
Hausman, Tatlin at Home 1920
- Presents a situation in which the human mind is controlled by rational, unemotional thought.
- Hausmann believed the source of the war that ravaged Europe was a result of a society that made decisions that were influenced too much by emotion.
Hoch, Hannah. Pretty Maiden 1920
Photomontage and collage
- “the new woman” - flapper, radical
- redefinition of the women’s role in society because of the war - declining birth rate - increasingly portrayed in mass media
- play with the question of women as objects vs, subjects
- short hair, fitness represented - new technology
- eyes = destabilize
- capitalize on ambiguity - is technology empowering or objectifying?
Kirchner, Ernst Ludwig, Self Portrait as Soldier 1915
• German Expressionism
It is a personal expression about how the war impacted him and his creativity.
• As a participant of the war, it caused him mental instability and deep anxiety about the conflict of war and his own ability as a painter being stifled by the war, portrayed by the metaphorical stump.
• Perhaps the fact that he has actually painted the picture shows that he has not lost his creativity. The painting is proof.
Marc, Franz, Animal Destinies (The Fate of Animals) 1913
Blue Rider
- Presenting animals in a brutal way rather than depicting them in a peaceful manner.
- Marc’s strong ties with animals as his subjects remains uncertain
- Visual analog to the idea of fate, destiny
- Image remarkably apocalyptic, cataclysmic
- Vulnerability, our inability to control the world around us, the powerlessness of the animal as an analog for the powerlessness of us as human beings
- Moving from lyrical, humoristic feeling to much mores serious.
Picasso, Guernica 1937
Synthetic Cubism
- Most powerful political statement, painted as an immediate reaction to the Nazi’s devastating casual bombing practice on the Basque town of Guernica during Spanish Civil War.
- A mural-sized oil painting on canvas.
- Contains strong pattern & shape even though it does not use lots of colour
- It is blue, black & white. He discards color to create drama,
Schwitters, Kurt, Merz 410, Irgend Sowas (Something or Other) 1922
DADA
- Color
- Collage
Tatlin, Vladimir, Monument to the Third International 1919-20
- Provided ideas for Russian Constructivism, inspired other constructivists
- Relegated purely artistic exploration; transforming the world
- Work was directly inspired by current society; period of experimentation; monumental propaganda
- Was supposed to be taller than the Eiffel Tower (representing a newer, stronger era);
- Structural dynamism in design (spiraling)
- The design was more important than the actual building; was supposedly going to house offices; rethinking the world from the ground up
