Makhi Xenakis, the daughter of Iannis Xenakis, is a French artist based in Paris. Her mother Iannis was a renowned music composer and a theorist in the 20 th century. Makhi is a celebrated artist with many awards due to her unique art characterized by sculptural work and use of materials such as pastel, ink, and watercolor amongst others. Her paintings largely portray the memories of the Mediterranean world, a factor that has added much interest into her work. Some of her paintings depict images such as rays, jellyfish, octopi, and further converts them into mythological creatures such as medusas and chimeras. 1 On the other hand, Miguel Barceló is one of the most influential Spanish artists of his generation. He has worked with a variety of media in his artwork including sculptures, paintings, prints, and ceramics. His work is an embodiment of cultural diversity and the various stylistic influences that he has acquired from travels across Europe, West Africa, and the United States. One of the prominent artistic paintings of Makhi Xenakis is known as triptych while Barceló is known for a painting known as Soupe D'ane. The two aesthetic mechanisms have certain similarities and differences that provide a broader picture of the significance of art in different cultures.
Characteristics of the Paintings
As earlier noted, Barceló is known for the Soupe D'ane that was created in 1992. The dimensions for the painting are 92 by 147 inches making it a relatively large piece of art. The primary medium used to ensure that the painting was a success was oil on canvas. Triptych Makhi Xenakis is usually regarded as work of art divided into three subsections. Most paintings are 90 by 150 inches with the medium of painting being pastel, ink, and watercolor. One of the common characteristics of the two types of images is the level of mystery associated with them. Both the Xenakis and Barceló thrive on exuding mystery with their images. From the open eye, it would be difficult to understand the intentions of their image because of deep synchronization of figures and a lack of material texts.
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Use of the Art
The triptych art dates back to early Christian art and was continuously used as means of altar painting throughout the Middle Ages and beyond. The images, therefore, have a religious background and represent the ideas and philosophies of the early Christian communities. However, as people approached the Byzantine period, the paintings were mainly employed for personal devotional use. Sculptors also utilized this form of painting to their arts, a factor that improved their sales. 2 As the Gothic period approached, the style of painting was used in churches and cathedrals especially in depicting altarpieces. Soupe D'ane was majorly influenced by the many travels that Barceló experienced during his times in Spain, Africa, and West Africa. Just like the triptych, his paintings have been utilized in many social scenes in the Spanish society with some used in privately in houses and others in portraying religious symbols.
How They Portray the Culture
One factor about art is that it usually represents the local culture of a given people. Forms of art such as painting, poems, and sculpturing amongst others draw their information from the society and culture. Triptych and Soup D’ ane in one way or the other play a significant role in representing the culture of the French and Spanish people respectively. 3 As seen in Triptych, it employs the French art philosophy which involves the use of various painting materials such as ink, pastel, and watercolor in making their painting. French people value the importance of color and its representation in their beliefs. The mixture of color as seen in these images shows how the deep connection with hue and how it reflects on their various social aspects. The Spanish society over the past has been known to value the importance of using animalistic images in their art. The Soup D'ane portrays animals supposedly entering a pit. The use of the animals reflects the broader cultural practices mainly in the mid-20 th century where part of the dominant Spanish culture was keeping animals such as horses and cows amongst others.
Age and Continued Use
Over history, art has mainly been presented as people transit from one period to the other. One period of art was focused on improving some of the flaws that artists in the previous stages could have made. In comparing triptych and Soup D’ ane, one important factor to take note is the age of the art. Although triptych is a relatively old painting genre, it was revolutionized by Makhi Xenakis in the during the early 21 st century with major improvements done in color coordination and the use of modern painting materials including inks and pastels to replace the oil and charcoal that was used before. On the other hand, Soup D'ane is a relatively old piece of art that dates back to the mid 20 th century precisely 1956. 4 As earlier noted, it uses oil as its primary medium of painting. Not much revolution has been made with regards to improving it. The main reason for this is that Barceló has focused more on creating many other paints to reflect the changing times than to focus on a developing a single image across several art generations. Concerning usage, both paintings are utilized in their respective culture especially triptych which is common among the French people.
Visual Impression
An essential factor for artists to consider especially those in the area of painting is in the field of visual impression. It is only through the visual properties emanating from a painting that it can stand out from a given generation. Moreover, the materials that painting artist use should include various aspects that enabled the image to appeal to a large group of people. Triptych painting as presented by Makhi Xenakis depend exude immense visual impression and are a joy to watch especially from a close range. 5 They are large enough and have mysterious features that contain undeniably attractive color coordination and depiction of elements as would have appeared in the real world. Barceló also uses visual impression as a significant strength in advancing his Soup D'ane painting. It uses natural features such as animals and human beings in revealing the beauty of nature and the power color can add to them. He is regarded as one of the most prolific Spanish painters of his time mainly because his mages would attract huge audiences and also people who came to buy them for personal uses in their houses. Therefore, both artists’ successes have mainly been shaped by their use of visual impression.
Commercial Success
Critical to appreciate is that the two paintings have not only been used in their areas of locality but have also been used in various continents. As such, they have drawn immense commercial successes for the artists, factor that has led them to receive awards and recognition for their works in painting. Makhi Xenakis, for instance, has received major accolades for her unique paintings that are reflective of her French roots. Most of her painting techniques have since been applied in diverse areas such as photography and other commercial artwork. Although Soup D’ane has not enjoyed a similar level of success, the paintings have enjoyed a relatively high commercial success especially in Europe and parts of West Africa where Barceló picked some of his painting skills. 6
In conclusion, the two artists through their respective painting mechanisms in triptych and Soupe D'ane have shown significant similarities and differences in their artistry. First, in assessing the similarities, both painters emphasize in visual impression as the selling point of the paintings. Secondly, their works reflect the deeper societal aspects of their respective French and Spanish cultures. It is through their appeal to the daily activities of the society that their images received a wide viewership and use in their areas of origin. The third significant similarity is in the physical characteristics more so the size of the images. However, critical differences also occur in various aspects of the art. Triptych utilizes drawing materials such as ink, pastel, and watercolor in developing the paintings. On the other hand, the Spanish Soupe D'ane mainly employed the use of the oil as its primary medium of revealing its artistic strength. The paintings also portray different generations of art and furthermore, the distinct cultures in which the two artists emanate from.
Bibliography
Antunes, Vanessa, António Candeias, Maria José Oliveira, Stéphane Longelin, Vitor Serrão, Ana Isabel Seruya, João Coroado, Luís Dias, José Mirão, and Maria Luísa Carvalho. "Characterization of gypsum and anhydrite ground layers in 15th and 16th centuries Portuguese paintings by Raman Spectroscopy and other techniques." Journal of Raman Spectroscopy 45, no. 11-12 (2014): 1026-1033.
Boutoulte, Myriam. "The colorful chasms of Makhi Xenakis." (2017): 143-143.
Van Straten, Roelof. An introduction to iconography: Symbols, allusions, and meaning in the visual arts . Routledge, 2012.
1 Myriam, Boutoulte. "The colorful chasms of Makhi Xenakis." (2017): 143-143.
2 Myriam, Boutoulte. "The colorful chasms of Makhi Xenakis." (2017): 143-143.
3 Roelof, Van Straten. An introduction to iconography: Symbols, allusions, and meaning in the visual arts . Routledge, 2012.
4 Vanessa, Antunes, et al. "Characterization of gypsum and anhydrite ground layers in 15th and 16th centuries Portuguese paintings by Raman Spectroscopy and other techniques." Journal of Raman Spectroscopy 45, no. 11-12 (2014): 1026-1033.
5 Roelof, Van Straten. An introduction to iconography: Symbols, allusions, and meaning in the visual arts . Routledge, 2012.
6 Roelof, Van Straten. An introduction to iconography: Symbols, allusions, and meaning in the visual arts . Routledge, 2012.
