Kurt Schwitters (1887 – 1948)
Kurt Schwitters art was mainly comprised of collages, texts, paintings, sculptures, graphic design, poetry and sound. He is most famous for his collages, most of which are in abstract form. All of his collages were not made of paintings drawn, rather, trash elements collected and put together to form a collage. His artwork mainly comprised of papers and broken items combined together to form a collage (Dietrich, 1995). There is no evident pattern that is used to combine the different elements together. Observing his artwork requires that an observer determine whether there are connections in the placement of the items (Dietrich, 1995). Examples of his artwork can be evident through Opened by Customs a collage he developed between 1937 and 1938, Picture of spatial growths – picture of two small dogs developed between 1920 and 1939, and The proposal developed in 1920. All three collages have an element of uniqueness as they each utilize different sections of the paper and other items.
Opened by Customs is a combination of paper, printed paper, oil paint and graphite. A small section of the collage is oil paint and graphite while the rest is a combination of paper and printed paper (Dietrich, 1995). The dominating colour of items is brown with most of the items being paper or printed paper. With this work, there is a clear indication that Schwitter was undergoing a change of environment with the various layers of printed papers that have different languages and stamps.
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Figure
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: Opened by Custom (Tate, n.d.-a) Figure
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: Picture of Spatial growths - Picture of Two Small Dogs (Tate, n.d.-b)
The collage has various similarities to the Picture of Spatial Growths – Picture of two small dogs which is made up of mainly oil paint, wood, paper, cardboard and China on board . The collage exhibits a portrait shape that differs from Opened by Customs. The edges of the collage are dark with middle sections where there are papers and other printed materials brown. The dominating colours are black and brown with the various items scattered in a manner showing no exact pattern. However, the items within the collages are from various locations, this is a clear depiction of the changes that were ongoing in the life of Schwitter during this period. Both the collages are a depiction of the events and changes, whether emotionally, geographically or physically that were ongoing in is life. The proposal is another of Schwitters collages, however, it slightly differs from the two mentioned above. It is mainly composed of pictures of persons entering a room to attend a social gathering, assumed to be a proposal, unlike the other two collages which hold an image of mostly printed works. The whole collage is made up of images of either food or people joining together to celebrate. Those depicting food are mostly layered above those of the persons within the collage. Unlike the previous collages, these seem to depict a happier time and celebration. All three of the collages are of abstract quality depicting the changes in Schwitters life.
Figure 3 : The Proposal (Tate, n.d.-c)
Cy Twombly (1928 – 2011)
Cy Twombly’s art is mainly comprised of drafts, paintings and sculptures. His paintings are comprised of lines and scribbles depicting a childlike art. His art was largely influenced by other artists in the industry but mainly from Jackson Pollock and Jasper Johns. He emphasises that through his art is childlike, there is no semblance of childishness in the paintings as his art must be felt to be understood (Leeman, 2005). Much of his art is constructed to depict abstract expressionism with the writings and language. The main form of expression is in the form of doodles, words or splotches on canvas and from them creating line based compositions that are handwritten. Each of these forms of art was in an effort to communicate a deeper underlying story beneath the surface of the paintings. The first impression derived from his paintings are graffiti-like scribbles and scratches with a pen or marker. However, beneath the surface of these scribbles is a deeper story that is evident of the struggles and anxiety persons of his generation was undergoing after the war had ended.
An instance of his paintings is Leda and the Swan. It is a painting that acts as a depiction of the great story in Greek mythology. It is a painting depicting the events that transpired between Leda and the great god Zeus when he transformed himself into a swan in order to seduce Leda. The painting is not an exact depiction of the humanistic figures of Leda or the swan, however, it is a fusion of colours and energies emanating from the use of crayons, pencil and ruddy paint. The painting is comprised of scribbles however there are figures that are clearly identifiable, for instance, a heart at the top right corner, a rectangle at the top of the painting. The painting is an explosion of various colours and wrestling for dominance bringing to life childlike artistry derived on a white canvas. The title of the painting is derived from a rough scribble at the bottom of the painting.
Figure 4 : Leda and the Swan
Cy Twombly is also the author of the Nine Discourses on Commodus paintings. The paintings were a depiction of the agony, cruelty, insanity and murder of the Roman emperor (Leeman, 2005). The paintings differed greatly from the usual scribbles as they were more sombre and less anxious compared to other paintings he had developed. The Commodus paintings were developed at a time when the United States was facing a difficult and darkened mood. The paintings also communicate the same message where they depict an atmosphere of chaos, conflict and opposition. The series begins with a calm and composed painting that has little colour but much life, it proceeds to develop into a more tension-filled painting with the last in the series acting as a culmination of all the chaos, colour, and tension exhibited. They were made on grey canvas with a mixture of red, white, grey and black colours emanating from the scribbles. Each of the paintings depicted cloud-like structures to bleeding paintings.
Figure 5 : Nine Discourses on Commodus
Figure 6 : Nine Discourses on Commodus 1963 (“Nine Discourses on Commodus,” n.d.)
In 1970, Cy Twombly also came up with an Untitled painting. The painting is one of the largest grey works he has created in the previous works he had created (Leeman, 2005). The painting is a continuous show of loops and whirls that are continuous from one end to the next and follow in a series. It greatly differs from others as it exhibits only one colour in its execution and holds the grey background. There is an aspect of uniformity that is not present in the other two paintings described above, as the painting only takes up the whirls and swirls without any other patterns being exhibited. It is a unique painting that is inspirational when seeking an understanding of what was transpiring during its development. The main purpose of this painting has been argued to be a depiction of the calm that came after the season of calm.
Figure 7 : Untitled (1970)
Blinky Palermo (1943 – 1977)
Palermo was a German artist who has made abstract paintings. He is held as one of the most focused painters with the dedication he had towards painting on either wood, metal or canvas. His paintings can be described as modest and with slight colour juxtapositions that are not overly eccentric or screaming (Mehring, 2008). For instance, the Tagtraum I (Daydream I) is a painting in which Palermo focused the attention of the viewer to the form and colour of the triangles within the painting. They were of equal size but variating in colour (one green and one blue) (Duncan, 2011). The painting can be seen as a liberation of a two-dimensional painting by depicting the shapes three dimensions, with each of the shapes isolated from each other and painted in their own space. The painting is, however, a set of four pieces with each of them labelled on where they fit in the larger picture.
Figure 8 : Tagtraum I (Daydream I)
The second work of Blinky Palermo is the Blau/Grün (Blue/Green of 1968. It is a painting that is simple and well-orchestrated in a medium of cotton on muslin (Mehring, 2008). The painting is a depiction of two rectangles of variating sizes, with the top being longer than that at the bottom. There are a serenity and harmony of colours with the background and foreground of both images portrayed in the painting. The top rectangle is a blue rectangle while the bottom rectangle being green in colour.
Figure 9 : Blau/Grün retrieved from (“Blinky Palermo, Blau/Grün (Blue/Green), 1968,” n.d.)
The third works of Blinky Palermo are the Ohne Titel Mirror Object developed in 1973. It is a painting that was done on plywood with a mirror and depicts two inverted triangles laying side by side (Mehring, 2008). The painting shows one triangle in back colour and laying to the right of the painting while the other triangle lays to the left of the painting. Both of them are identical in size and shape, however, there is a thin layer of black on the edges of the white triangle showing a mirror of the black triangle. The thin line at the edge of the triangle can also be argued to show a different dimension whereby the triangle is lifted above and is assumed to be representing the mirror of the black triangle. The painting in itself is simple and continues to show the lessons which Blinky Palermo continued to learn and enact from his teacher Joseph Beuys. The painting has a grey background which ultimately pushes the ultra-real depiction of the triangles.
Figure 10 : Mirror Object
Yoshitomo Nara (Born 1959)
Yoshitomo Nara is a Japanese artist that lives and works in Tokyo. He is famous for his work in sculpting and painting. His work is recognized all over the world with his paintings housed in Los Angeles. His work can be said to exhibit both eastern and western society influences as they depict both innocence and aspects of cynicism. An instance of these works is with the painting Do not Distrub (1996) (Nara & Miyamura, 2011) . The painting shows a puppy holding a book at a table reading, but seemingly asleep. However, the title of the painting is a contradiction to the image as it borrows from the proverb, “Do not wake a sleeping dog”. The cynicism in the photo is not clear until one reads and understands the title of the painting. The painting has a simple and concise mix of colours that are sombre and relaxing, with the majority of the painting being a light blue and the dog being in white with clear-cut black edges. The mouth and nose of the dog are marked in a red colour.
Figure 11 : Do Not Disturb
The second illustration of Yoshitomo Nara’s works is with the MI.TA.RI , a painting done in 2002 (Nara & Miyamura, 2011). The painting is of a little girl in a red dress with white collars. She is seemingly innocent, however, her eyes depict a sinister gaze that communicates an evil intention. The painting also has written words to the left of the painting. With the current society, it can be argued to be a depiction of the current eastern and western cultures that are portrayed with the growing children, where they exhibit simple and current body structures but comprising of sinister motives within them.
Figure 12 : MI.TA.RI
Yoshitomo Nara has also painted Marianne in 2004. The painting differs from the MITARI as it showcases a girl with manga comic features big eyes, large heads and a seemingly small body (Nara & Miyamura, 2011). The painting is done on canvas and has a mixture of mild colours that are mashed together in a simple and elegant fashion. The background to the painting holds a combination of green, blue, red, and black colours that have been well weaved to give a picture of a diamond pattern that is recurring in the background. In the foreground, a girl is depicted with bright eyes having the same pattern as her pupils, her eyes seem to be at the corners of the face with other features simply drawn. The painting is simple and well developed to show an emotionless girl that can both be assumed to be sweet and not sweet at the same time.
Figure 13 : Marianne (2004)
References
Blinky Palermo, Blau/Grün (Blue/Green), 1968. (n.d.). Retrieved April 3, 2018, from https://www.sfmoma.org/artwork/2013.136
Dietrich, D. (1995). The Collages of Kurt Schwitters: Tradition and Innovation . Cambridge University Press. Retrieved from https://books.google.co.ke/books?id=e39iQgAACAAJ
Duncan, D. (2011). Blinky Palermo. Retrieved April 3, 2018, from https://www.artinamericamagazine.com/news-features/magazines/blinky-palermo/
Leeman, R. (2005). Cy Twombly: A Monograph . Thames & Hudson. Retrieved from https://books.google.co.ke/books?id=ZYdiQgAACAAJ
Mehring, C. (2008). Blinky Palermo: Abstraction of an Era . Yale University Press. Retrieved from https://books.google.co.ke/books?id=ZAPqAAAAMAAJ
Nara, Y., & Miyamura, N. (2011). Yoshitomo Nara: The Complete Works: Paintings, sculptures, editions, photographs . Chronicle Books. Retrieved from https://books.google.co.ke/books?id=b-b7swEACAAJ
Nine Discourses on Commodus. (n.d.). Retrieved April 3, 2018, from https://www.guggenheim-bilbao.eus/en/works/nine-discourses-on-commodus/
Tate. (n.d.-a). ‘Opened by Customs’, Kurt Schwitters, 1937-8. Retrieved April 3, 2018, from http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/schwitters-opened-by-customs-t00214
Tate. (n.d.-b). ‘Picture of Spatial Growths - Picture with Two Small Dogs’, Kurt Schwitters, 1920-39. Retrieved April 3, 2018, from http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/schwitters-picture-of-spatial-growths-picture-with-two-small-dogs-t03863
Tate. (n.d.-c). ‘The Proposal’, Kurt Schwitters, 1942. Retrieved April 3, 2018, from http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/schwitters-the-proposal-t12398
