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Distorted reality
Distorted reality
Chapter 5
Sometimes life feels more manageable when seen through a lens of altered, or distorted, reality.
This can take many forms: embracing a skewed perspective on a situation, harbouring illusions of grandeur, indulging in alcohol or drugs, viewing the world through rose-colored glasses, or holding an inflated sense of one's abilities.
During the nineteenth century, whilst being reality based, art flirted with distorted reality and drifted into the 'make-believe' - generally with good and pleasing effect.
Artists pushing the boundaries included Turner, Cezanne, Monet, Pissarro, Van Gogh, Lautrec, Goya, Renoir, Manet, Picasso Degas and more.
Undoubtedly, these artists made great and lasting contributions to the world of art as we know it, but were also, key protagonists in the contribution they made to the 'modern confusion' as art underwent significant transformations during the modern era.
It is funny, for me, to remember that when I was a child and first started noticing art, I assumed these artists knew roughly how to paint but weren't very good at it, they struggled to make things look real! The colours were all wrong and, in the case of Picasso, had great trouble in getting things in the right place!
Turner 1775 – 1851
Romantic
They say, "your mistakes become your style". I believe this to be partly true, but in many cases, the mistakes – or distortions – are intentional exaggerations, and were certainly so in the case of Turner whose style (and exaggerations) became more prominent as his career progressed.
Like many other artists William Turner began by painting in a realistic way but gradually, his style evolved with the passing of time and adjusted norms. His exposure to other influences and the general change of accent in the art world afforded him greater freedom to experiment in the knowledge that nothing he would do would be regarded as 'over the top'. Knowledge of this together with his fascination with light was undoubtedly responsible for the wonderful legacy he left us to enjoy today.
"Light is therefore colour" - J.M.W. Turner
Distorted reality
Chapter 5
Monet 1840 – 1926
Impressionism
Claude Monet is universally acknowledged to be one of the founding fathers of French Impressionism. The word 'Impressionism' actually comes from one of his paintings, 'Impression Sunrise' 1872.
Turning out around 2500 paintings during his lifetime, Monet was not only prolific but considered by the majority as one of the giants of the impressionist age. Even today, prints of his work are some of the most popular images for people to hang on their walls as well as place mats, fridge magnets, towels, bags, pillowcases, clothing etc.
At the age of only 15 he was without question a very good and proven realistic artist as well as being capable of producing excellent caricatures of local people.
At 23 Monet started art school, but very quickly became bored with traditional styles. Instead, he was intrigued with the idea of expressing himself in a more modern way by painting 'impressions' of outdoor scenes at a time when it was more commonplace for artists to do preliminary sketches outdoors then finish off in the studio.
He enjoyed working outdoors (Plein aire) and was greatly enabled by having the use of paint in tubes (rather than pig's bladders) and flat pig-bristle, or hogs'- hair brushes. These had been developed during his early lifetime.
Certainly, Monet was part of a vibrant art scene during the Impressionist era. Artists like Renoir, Degas, and Pissarro were his contemporaries and, in various ways, influenced and were influenced by Monet's innovative approach to capturing light and atmosphere in his paintings. The collaborative nature of the Impressionist movement meant that these artists often exchanged ideas and techniques.
Absolutely, Monet's Impressionism also faced resistance and criticism initially. The unconventional approach of capturing fleeting moments and the emphasis on atmosphere over detailed representation challenged established artistic norms.
Some viewed it as a radical departure from existing techniques, leading to reluctance and even shock of the traditionalists.
Over time however, Impressionism gained acceptance and went on to become a revolutionary movement in the art world.
The embrace of Impressionism marked a shift in the art landscape. Artists began prioritising creativity and personal expression over rigid adherence to handed down realism techniques.
The movement also encouraged a broader interpretation of artistic representation, and art lovers started to value the creative elements in a piece more than ever before - looking for new and continuing creativity (as well as welcoming the 'shock' element of anything bordering the outrageous).
Impressionism's influence was profound,
shaping the trajectory of art appreciation and paving the way for subsequent
innovative movements (Van Gogh for example).
Monet – one of many paintings he completed in his garden at Giverny
Van Gogh 1853 – 1890
Post Impressionist
Being 13 years younger than Monet, Van Gogh will no doubt have been influenced by Impressionism, but, judging from some of his early work, Van Gogh was initially fascinated by the work of Rembrandt, who had died over 200 years earlier. In particular he will have been interested in Rembrandt's ability to work 'impasto' (thick paint) yet still achieve incredible realism.
To this end, Van Gogh would visit galleries and sit in front of a Rembrandt painting for up to five hours at a time trying to figure out his technique. In the self-portrait below you can see an undoubted attempt for him to paint in the style of Rembrandt. The lighting is reminiscent of Rembrandt but the paint is perhaps even bolder than Rembrandt would have used. However, Van Gogh will also have been influenced by Impressionism at this time.
In this self-portrait Van Gogh demonstrates a conscious attempt to emulate the style of Rembrandt.
Van Gogh, like Monet, evolved as an artist,
transitioning from realism to post-Impressionism. While his early realistic
works showed technical skill, it's his later pieces, marked by bold colours and
expressive brushstrokes, that define his legacy. "Starry Night" and other post-Impressionist
works have had a lasting impact on art history, overshadowing his earlier
realistic efforts in historical significance.
During his lifetime, realism just didn't seem to get him anywhere, but around 1870 he developed the style that was to gain him worldwide fame… unfortunately after his death.
Impressionism, together with all its mutations (including post Impressionism) became a new way of painting. It was exciting, challenging, shocking and modern - the artists claiming to capture what the camera could not see.
Today, we often hear people saying, "it's really interesting to see how this artist viewed the world", but the reality was more likely to be they were trying out, or practicing, a technique that people might find pleasing, intriguing or commercial. Nevertheless, it became widely believed that this new way of painting captured the 'mood'. It was modern* and many believed that 'modern' was simply art 'coming of age'.
Van Gogh adopted his trademark style which today we refer to as post-impressionist. It had been forty years since people had taken the first photographs. Van Gogh was passionate – almost manic - about his painting and had lived through times of great change. But by the time he died in 1890 he had only sold one painting – 'Irises'
*Modern – a
person who advocates or practices a departure from traditional styles or
values.
Picasso – 1881 – 1973
Cubist
They say when Picasso was burgled, because he had seen the faces of the burglars, the police asked him to do a sketch.
The following day they arrested a donkey and a tin of sardines!
Now why is that funny?
At a time when many artists were seeking a new way of expressing themselves (and one that might bring them fame, fortune and recognition), there was no greater creative than Picasso. Using his creative licence, he continually found new areas to move into and explore with each stage apparently more outrageous than the last.
When he was young, Picasso was a good realistic artist. His family was so proud of him but were disappointed that when he went to college, he didn't achieve the instant acclaim they thought he would. But, by the time he had moved through the several versions of his developed styles he was considered by many to be an artistic genius.
It would be interesting to know how the number of his many fans would stack up against those who thought he was nothing more than a charlatan; one who fiddled around with wild and wacky ideas putting them forward as new innovative examples of his artistic genius. Comments?
Whichever way, nobody succeeded in confusing folk quite like Picasso - including me!
Although he wasn't the sole creator but just one of those who concentrated on developing a certain approach – the style eventually becoming known as 'cubism'- Picasso took the lead and became generally associated with ‘cubism’.
At this time, 'impressionists' were claiming they could paint pictures that – unlike photographs – would encapsulate the mood, or atmosphere but Picasso took this a stage further. Basically, he amalgamated more than one view of an object or sitter into one two-dimensional image. The results were truly different to anything that had gone before, thus causing a great stir.
Some scratched their heads whilst others were bowled over by Picasso's work, producing art they didn't quite understand but found intriguing. (mysterious). It was cutting edge (avant guard) - therefore creative - therefore – brilliant- even genius.
Picasso's success certainly seems to be catered for within "the eye of the beholder" definition of art, so what makes some people appreciate his work and others not? In fact, what makes us laugh at the donkey and a tin of sardines joke?
Without question, he found fame and fortune through his unique interpretation of reality, but perhaps the joke points out a crazy truth; whilst some regard him as a genius, others aren't quite so convinced about it and think he was simply an opportunist who used his artistic talents and bold approach to mystify. After all, it would be hilarious would it not, if he actually fooled millions and millions of people without being 'rumbled' even to this day?
My guess is, a high percentage of people aren't really sure if they've been fooled or not, and these are the people who find the joke particularly funny. We aren't sure if we are laughing at a crazy guy or our own embarrassed inadequacies; that we aren't smart enough to figure out what is good about his work.
Nevertheless, we are all members of a worldwide club that accepts his genius (whatever form that takes). We know that "Pablo is definitely Pablo" and the joke revels in his unique take on ordinary day to day people, objects and situations that he applied his creative filter to.
Through Picasso's constant development in seeking a 'different' style that might bring him greater success, he happened upon the crazy concept of viewing things from different angles and then put them all onto one canvas. His work turned out a shambles in one way but undeniably different - and ground-breaking - in another. And once he had achieved a certain degree of notoriety and repute, his subsequent work (though some would say not as groundbreaking as cubism) was guaranteed to be taken as a challenge by anyone.
As he reached new stages of his creative development, it was then over to the critics to fight it out.
These three self portraits by Picasso show very different conclusions of how he saw himself… or did it?
Left, aged 18 - Centre aged 25 - Right aged 90