Why Not Sneeze, Rose Sélavy? by Marcel Duchamp

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Why Not Sneeze, Rose Sélavy? by Marcel Duchamp

Initial Reaction

My initial reaction to this sculpture was that this piece was confusing but it drew my attention because I wanted to understand why Marcel Duchamp used these objects in this manner. I wanted to know why these objects were placed in a bird cage. I was confused about the cuttlebone sticking out from the bird cage. I thought that Duchamp used marble cubes resembling sugar cubes to show that things aren’t always as they seem. I thought that this made a comment on society saying that you should not judge others.

Analysis and Interpretation

This sculpture is a “readymade” sculpture. A “readymade” is a sculpture made of manufactured objects. Marcel Duchamp called it an “assisted Readymade” because he had to cut the marble and alter it. There are cubes of marble that resemble sugar cubes. As well, there is a thermometer to distinguish between the temperature of the warm sugar cubes and the cold marble cubes. The cuttlebone and wooden perches are in the cage to reassure people that it is a bird cage. Since the marble looks like a sugar cube, people pick it up expecting it to be light but it is really heavy. Duchamp named this piece Why Not Sneeze…? because sneezing is an involuntary thing and peoples reactions to this piece of art are unpredictable and involuntary.

Marcel Duchamp used different Elements and Principles of Design in this piece. He used form in the marble to make them resemble sugar cubes. There is colour because he also painted them white to help make them look like sugar cubes so that people will think that the sculpture is light. There is line in the bars of the cage. There is unity because everything  is in the cage. There is a smooth texture to the marble and rough texture to the bars of the cage.

Cultural Context

Marcel Duchamp made this sculpture in 1921 for a woman named Dorothy Dreier. In the 1920’s in America it was a happy time and there was freedom because World War 1 was over. America was the centre of the world. He was trying to sYou’re really in a cage and life is not all sweet like people thought in the 20’s but rather life is cold like marble. A cage shows restriction of freedom and Duchamp is saying that we are not fully free and we are restricted. As well, Marcel Duchamp was influenced by other artists such as Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse. He did not just want his work to be just visual but he wanted people to be confused about the work and try to figure out the meaning. He used a girls name in the title because this piece is made for a girl. As well, he added an extra r to the name because he wanted people to be confused. Some people think of this sculpture as having a sexual meaning but the sexual meaning is not flattering towards women because it appears as something light and sweet because of the sugar cubes but it is actually heavy because of the marble.

Aesthetic Judgement

I think that this piece is successful in the sense that it is very interesting and lets people think about the meaning of the piece and the message that the artist was trying to convey. It lets people interpret the piece in any way that they want.

 

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Why_Not_Sneeze,_Rose_Sélavy%3F

http://www.toutfait.com/unmaking_the_museum/why%20not%20sneeze.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcel_Duchamp

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Readymades_of_Marcel_Duchamp

Claude Monet (1840-1926)

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Personal Life

-Monet was born in Paris on November 14, 1840 and died on December 5, 1926

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Self portrait of Claude Monet

-His father wanted him to work in the family grocery store business but he wanted to be an artist

-He went to the Le Havre secondary school of the arts in April 1851

-His mother died when he was 16 and he went to live with his widowed childless aunt

-He got his first drawing lessons from Jacques-François Ochard

-In Paris he met many different impressionists including Édouard Manet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Frédéric Bazille, and Alfred Sisley

-In June 1861 he joined the army but left to complete an art course at a university

-After the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian War in 1870 he moved with his family England where he studied the works of John Constable and Joseph Mallord William Turner who inspired Monet to work with colour

-After his wife Camille gave birth to their first child, he attempted to commit suicide because of financial reasons

 

Style

-Monet painted a bunch of landscapes, seascapes, and portraits that were accepted at the exhibition at the annual Salons in 1860’s

-In Paris he would paint what he saw while others would copy old paintings 

-Monet did not like the traditional art taught in universities and instead painted with broken fast brushstrokes

-Monet liked to paint the landscape and activities of Paris and the Normandy coast

-Through his painting he wanted to perceive nature and depict France

-He often painted the same scene many time so that he could capture the changing of light

-He was introduced to plein-air painting (painting outdoors) by Eugène Boudin who was his mentor and taught him how to use oil paints

-He joined the Paris studio of Charles Gleyre when he was 22

-He painted the things around him and the things that he knew best

-His wife Camille and wife Alice were usually models

 

 Impressionist Period

-Monet and other impressionists including Degas, Manet, Camille Pissarro, Renoir and others made an independent exhibition in 1874

-His painting Impression: Sunrise was criticized for looking unfinished and having loose indistinctive forms

-The other artists thought that was good and called themselves Impressionists

-Impressionist paintings are made using small yet visible brush strokes and the painting focus on depiction of light at different times of the day

-Impressionist painting have an open composition, include movement, and different visual angles

 

Success 

-Monet had limited success in early years

-His more ambitious paintings were rejected

-Monet painted some of his best works from December 1871 to 1878 when he lived in Argenteuil 

-Monet became known for his charcoal caricatures

-Monet’s painting Camille (The Woman in the Green Dress) brought him recognition

-His lily pad painting are his best known works

 

Critical Analysis: Autumn Effect at Argenteuil

Initial Reaction

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Autumn Effect at Argenteuil by Claude Monet

When I first saw this painting I thought that it was beautiful and calming. I loved the way that Monet painted and made the ripples in the water. I also loved the way that Monet created the very realistic reflection of the trees and buildings in the water. I liked the way that Monet used oranges and dark greens in the trees to create a sense of Autumn.

Analysis and Interpretation

This painting shows the reflection of trees in the water and buildings off in the distance in between the trees. This painting also depicts the water and the sky with clouds. Monet created this painting using small brushstrokes. 

Monet incorporated many of the elements and principles of design in his painting. Monet uses colour to depict the way that light shines on the scenery. In the water and sky he uses lighter blues in the areas that are exposed to sunlight. As well, he uses orange to paint the trees on the left side of the painting so that they will stand out. Monet also uses texture by using tiny brushstrokes to paint the trees, to make it look like there are leaves on the trees. Monet uses line to create ripples in the water and show the reflection of the trees and buildings in the water. He uses organic shapes such as clouds and leaves to create a sense of nature. He also uses solid form in the buildings, not just broken brushstrokes. Monet creates contrast through the sky and the water. The top of the sky has dark blues while the bottom is white. As well, the bottom of the water is painted with dark blues while the top is light. Monet also uses one-point perspective to by angling the trees so that they lead the viewers eyes to the buildings in the middle that appear to be in the distance. Monet creates balance by painting trees on each side and the buildings in the middle. He creates a flowing rhythm through the small brush strokes in the water and the clouds in the sky to give a sense of movement. 

Cultural Context

This painting is very similar to most of Monet’s works because he mainly painted landscapes. Monet usually painted what he saw and painted with fast broken brushstrokes. Monet painted Autumn Effect at Argenteuil in 1873 in Argenteuil where he lived at the time. Argenteuil is a villafe on the right bank of the Seine river near Paris. Many Parisians came to Argenteuil for a Sunday-outing. Monet had a small boat from which he painted some of his best known works. Monet painted this after the Franco-Prussian War, not long after he moved to Argenteuil. The Franco-Prussian War or the Franco-German War was a war between the French and the Germans from July 19, 1870 to May 10, 1871. I think that Monet painted this landscape with bright colours to reflect happiness since the war was over.

Aesthetic Judgement

I like this painting because it clearly shows the Impressionist Period and is a beautiful depiction of the nature in France.

 

Sources

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impressionism

http://www.claudemonetgallery.org/biography.html

http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/cmon/hd_cmon.htm

http://nga.gov.au/MonetJapan/Detail.cfm?WorkID=W290

http://www.wikipaintings.org/en/claude-monet/self-portrait-with-a-beret-1886

http://www.wikipaintings.org/en/claude-monet/autumn-effect-at-argenteuil-1873

We Are Nature Vol. III: New Double and Triple Exposure Portraits by Christoffer Relander

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I think that Christoffer Relander is trying to show that nature has a very important influence on human life. We are a part of nature and we depend on it. Without plants we would not have oxygen to breath and food to eat. I think that the artist is trying to show that we should not destroy nature but preserve it instead. One of the issues with society today is that we tend to not care enough about the world that we live in and we pollute and destroy nature. The fact that the artist shows the trees mostly in the persons head, demonstrates that we should be thinking about how to preserve nature and should never neglect our duty to take care of it. He draws trees and vegetation to show that we need to be a more green society. In my opinion this a very effective piece of art because it is very interesting, different, and it catches the viewers eye. It’s different from a normal portrait that one would see because there are trees and vegetation on the person’s face and that is why I think it is interesting.

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We Are Nature by Christoffer Relander

Source 

http://www.thisiscolossal.com/

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François Boucher (1703-1770)

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Personal Life

-François was born in Paris and his father Nicolas Boucher was a lace designer. 

-when Boucher was 17 his father got him to work for François Lemoyne but after 3 months he went to work for the engraver named Jean-François Cars

-after 3 years he had won the elite Grand Prix de Rome and studied in Italy a year later

-when he came back from Italy in 1731, he was admitted to the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture as a historical painter and later became a faculty member in 1734 Image

  

Style

-his work is inspired by artists like Peter Paul Rubens and Antoine

-he used the Rococo style and was known for his picturesque paintings on classical themes, decorative allegories (metaphor/symbols)

-his paintings portrayed an idyllic world and did not attempt to show reality

-he painted a lot of delicate, classical paintings and well-dressed French shepherdesses

-his style became less popular by the early 1770’s during the rise of neoclassicism

  

Rococo Period (1700-1775)

-began in France and was prominent during the reign of of Louis XV

-began with using shapes of shells, plants, and rocks to decorate gardens and later was used in other art forms

-complete contrast to the formality of the Baroque and was more light hearted

-by the time of the reign of Louis XV the style seemed to be too overdone or over the top

-Rococo ended up spreading across Europe because of foreign artists that studied in Paris

-this style incorporates a lot of soft curves and fluid and graceful movements

 

Success

-more than 100 of François’s works were in the museums in the United States alone.

-he designed stage sets, provided models for the Sévres porcelain factory, and designed for the Beauvais and Goebelins tapestry factories.

-he became the director of the Gobelins tapestries in 1755 and was made first painter to the king, director of the Royal Academy, and designer for the Royal Porcelain Works in 1765.

 

Critical Analysis: Girl with a Jug

Initial Reaction

When I first saw this drawing I thought that it was beautiful and looked very elegant. This drawing looked very realistic and I especially loved how the artist drew all of the ruffles in the woman’s dress. Image

Analysis and Interpretation

This drawing shows a woman that seems to be making a jug because her hands are in the position of one is making pottery. The woman’s face shows focus and has a soft features.

The artist incorporated a lot of line into this drawing. The line used to shade the jug gives the jug a three-dimensional shape. Therefore, this drawing has form because of the shading. As well, the line used on the dress gives the drawing a very vintage and elegant look. The dress has a wrinkled texture. There is value in the woman’s dress and hair because they include different ranges of lightness and darkness. The fact that the neck is lighter than most of the woman’s body creates contrast. 

Cultural Context 

This drawing is very similar to most of Boucher’s drawings and paintings. Boucher mainly drew people and he would either draw nudes or women with large, expensive looking dresses. He painted using a very delicate and classical style. It is also similar to Boucher’s style in the sense that it has a very elegant and idyllic feeling. Not only does this drawing represent the style of his paintings but it also shows other aspects of his artistic career. Boucher provided models for the Sévres porcelain factory and in this drawing the woman is holding a jug.

During the 1700’s women were isolated from others and were downgraded by men. Women were thought of as objects and had traditional gender roles. The men controlled everything and the women had to follow. In Boucher’s drawing it shows the woman by herself and not doing much except for making a jug. This shows how women were not thought of as being able to succeed, and instead were to do simple things that did not require education and self-empowerment. 

 Aesthetic Judgement

I think that this drawing successfully shows the role of women and the style of the 1700’s. The artistic created a very graceful and beautiful feel and it is for that reason that I like this drawing. 

  

Sources