The father of modern art

In another synchronistic event, I learned of a current exhibit on Paul Cezanne and his influence on other artists in the same week that Dick talked about him in art history class (week 7). The Philadelphia Museum of Art has a major show going on through May 31, "Cezanne and Beyond." Apparently, he was very influential on both his contemporaries and later artists. The New York Times art review says both Picasso and Matisse have been credited with saying "Cézanne is the father of us all." The reviewer has some quibbles, but says "it’s a deeply satisfying show, with enough spectacular moments to justify the ticket lines and plenty of quieter revelations that will resonate particularly for working artists."

Dick declared Cezanne "the father of modern art" and credited him with "an entirely different way of seeing." He said Cezanne was "trying to recognize a reality beyond what we perceive. He wanted to give solidity and form to what had been dissolved by the Impressionists. He didn't want to have a disintegrated canvas, he was trying to integrate it." He highlighted some of Cezanne's work towards the end of his lecture on April 16, which you can see on Slideshare here. The first part of the lecture covered Realism and Impressionism, and is on Slideshare here.

Week 6 assignment

The Fighting "Temeraire" tugged to her last berth to be broken up
1838; Oil on canvas, 91 x 122 cm; National Gallery, London

For class on April 9, Dick has asked us to prepare some comments on the work above:

Please take five or ten minutes to view the attached image of Turner's painting and pen a couple of comments regarding how his painting reflects his interpretation of the event. Having some quiet time to contemplate this work without outside interference is important here. With your permission, we would like you to read your comments at the appropriate time in the lecture.

Warm-up assignment, take 2

And now, a second viewpoint comparing these two works. This one was written by artist JoelleC. (See the first here.)

Although the theme of both paintings revolves around music, Harnett’s [on the left] is a detailed, almost photographic rendering of all the elements depicted, creating an illusion of reality. It appears as a careful set-up which gives clues to the viewer into a world of nostalgic and romantic nature.

On the other hand, Picasso’s* painting, by using a series of geometrical shapes and patterns, doesn’t merely imitate the world as seen, but creates an impression connecting us to the essence of music and its rhythm. The use of words creates the festive event context in which the music is played. In spite of the theme, the painting has become an independent object where colors, composition and textures invite the viewer to perceive the world from different points of views. The ambiguity of the visual message can be the starting point for the viewer’s own creative process.

What is interesting to me is that, although the painting on the left appears to be more realistic, it could be totally an illusion... where the one on the right might actually be a bigger picture of a real event.

* There was some debate among the group whether this piece was created by Picasso or Braque, as they were working closely together in a similar style. Joelle thinks it looks more like Picasso's work of that time. --Karen