Art Analysis: Early Modern Exhibit

    During the early 20th century, World War I changed Europe's perceptions of life and its values. The war's immense devastation on countries and the use of radical modern technologies and tactics caused a growing antiwar sentiment during it and afterward. The art world was also greatly changed by the war, gone were impressionism and lively scenery, such as Kircher's Street, Berlin. In its place, came forth Dadaism, with extreme antiwar sentiments, and Surrealism, as a reaction to the rationalism that led to the war. Dada artworks include pieces like Grosz's Pillars of Society, and Dali's The Persistence of Time is one of the most famous Surrealist artworks in existence. 

(Kirchner, Ernest Ludwig Street, Berlin, 1913)

    Street, Berlin is painted as oil on a 120.6 x  91.1 cm canvas, it depicts a pair of prostitutes walking down a busy Berlin street. True to expressionist paintings, the painting is less about the city itself, but the emotion of the city, "the psychological experience of an individual a this very large, overcrowded urban metropolis" (Museum of Modern Art). Kirchner had moved to Berlin, which was the third largest city in the world at the time, a couple of years before painting this piece. To Kirchner, the two main prostitute figures embodied the glamour, loneliness, and commodification of Berlin. The piece tells of his paradoxical isolation in such a large city, the street is crowded and alive, yet nobody is conversing.

    Kirchner brilliantly uses color, shape, space, and line to convey his emotional opinion of Berlin. The streets are bright and vivid pink. So the city, and the streets, convey a sense of allure, they are ripe with energy and life. But most of the figures are dressed in black they are away from the city's energy, and the city only lights their background. The prostitutes are colored slightly more vividly than the other figures since they have given themselves as a commodity to the city and its energy.

    Kirchner's shape, space, and line help depict his feelings of isolation. The shapes are very hard and sharp, which makes the city and people seem unfriendly or unapproachable. The space is very tight and clustered, which makes the city feel overcrowded. But sharp angular straight lines divide the figures just enough to isolate them. The lines are also at an angle which makes the scene feel off-kilter and uneasy.

    Would I want this piece in my house? No, not really. I like impressionism and expressionism, but this piece's subject matter isn't to my liking. It's a bit too dark and the feelings of isolation are a bit too relatable. If I did have it, it would have to be with other paintings of similar style. 

(Grosz, George Pillars of Society, 1926)

    Grosz painted Pillars of Society as oil on a 200 x 108 cm canvas as a protest of World War I and the bourgeoisie behind it. As a classic example of Dadaism values, it depicts the "drunken warmonger" of a Nazi as he dreams of outdated horseback combat, a journalist wearing a chamber pot on his head, a politician with a steaming pile of feces for brains, and a drunk clergyman who's preaching to a burning city (Arty Factory). Behind them, several soldiers are enacting their brutal and blind orders.

    Grosz's use of line, space, and shape helps to elevate his disdain for the cruelty and decadence of the ruling class. There are a couple of hard lines throughout that give the scene structure and, thus subconsciously give power to the figures. But there's also an invisible that bounces and zigzags between the figures' heads. Which creates a hierarchy to Grosz's disdain. It starts with the bloodthirsty Nazi veteran who dreams of old wars, then the chamber pot-headed journalist who supports him through propaganda, then the dung-headed politician who supports them through political action, then the priest who supports them with spirit, and finally the soldiers who, empowered by the clergy and the political atmosphere, do their biddings. 

    Grosz uses space to let the figures breathe and let viewers distinguish them from one another. But they are also just close enough to connect them together in their contemptuous behavior. His use of shape helps to satirize the figures' positions by making them inorganic and unfriendly. 

    Would I want this piece in my home? No, not particularly. The subject matter is comical, the composition is great, and it is interesting to analyze a past political piece with modern eyes. But I don't enjoy Dadaism that much, so I wouldn't showcase it. 

(Dali, Salvador The Persistence of Time, 1931)

    Inspired by Dadaism, Surrealism draws viewers away from the intensity of rationalism and the war and to "the power of the unconscious and dreams" (Tate). The Persistence of Time is a great example of these values. Dali painted it as oil on a 24.1 x 33 cm canvas. It depicts a very odd scene in which clocks are melting in the sun with other assorted features. "There's a very naturalistic rendering. But the things being rendered are not naturalistic at all" (Khan and Zucker). There have been a lot of theories on the symbolism of the melting clocks, it could be the omniscience of time and its control over life, or it could show that time has no meaning in dreamscapes. There is also a swarm of ants feverously picking at a timepiece, possibly symbolizing "the anxiety incurred by the passing of time" (Singulart). The background both opposes the surreal with its natural rocky outcrop and helps the surreal with its blurry sky and still water. Which makes it feel timeless, deep, and lonely (Khan and Zucker).

    Dali excellently uses shape, space, and value to create an absurd and surreal environment. There's a great use of shapes, ranging from natural to unnatural and rigid to flexible. This range actively opposes different parts of itself, which makes the piece feel off and dream-like. Like how a clock wiggling and drooping off of a right-angled cube on the left. The spacing of the painting also helps with the unnatural feelings it gives off. The clocks together intensify their impotency in the scene with some negative space for distinguishment, while the background is unidentifiably far away. The use of value in this piece also helps to confuse. The background is brightly lit while the foreground is unnaturally darkened. For example, there's a weird shadow around the ant timepiece that suddenly stops at the right angle of the cube. The middle organic object with a clock on top is surprisingly well-lit with no visible light source despite being surrounded by shadows. Perhaps the value is only here to balance out the composition. 

    Would I want this piece in my house? No, not really. Dali is great and his artwork is amazing to analyze, but I have no personal interest in surrealism. It is a bit too abstract to discern at a glance and a bit too confusing for me to actively enjoy and want in my house. I'd love to see this in person in a museum though.

Works Cited:

Arty Factory. “Dadaism - Art and Anti Art.” Arty Factory, 2023, www.artyfactory.com/art_appreciation/art_movements/dadaism.htm. Accessed 04 Nov. 2024.

Cramer, Charles, and Kim Grant. “Neue Sachlichkeit (New Objectivity) – An Introduction.” Khan Academy, 2024, www.khanacademy.org/humanities/art-1010/german-art-between-the-wars/new-objectivity/a/neue-sachlichkeit-new-objectivity-an-introduction. Accessed 04 Nov. 2024.

Khan, Sal, and Steven Zucker. “Salvador Dalí, the Persistence of Memory.” Smarthistory, 9 Dec. 2015, smarthistory.org/salvador-dali-the-persistence-of-memory/. Accessed 04 Nov. 2024.

Museum of Modern Art. “Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Street, Berlin.” Smarthistory, 26 Jan. 2016, smarthistory.org/ernst-ludwig-kirchner-street-berlin/. Accessed 04 Nov. 2024.

Singulart. “The Persistence of Memory and Salvador Dalí’s Contribution to Surrealism.” Singulart , 2024, www.singulart.com/en/blog/2019/09/10/the-persistence-of-memory-and-salvator-dalis-contribution-to-surrealism/. Accessed 05 Nov. 2024.

Tate. “Surrealism.” Tate, 2024, www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/s/surrealism#:~:text=Surrealism%20aims%20to%20revolutionise%20human,the%20disregarded%20and%20the%20unconventional. Accessed 04 Nov. 2024.