The early 20th century was an extremely violent time for a number of reasons. With WW1, WWII, and the Great Depression, an eruption of societal and art culture were rising at an exponential rate. This gave rise to the “ The Age of Anxiety”. The numerous casualties from the wars and the unemployed population caused grief, anger, and fear that strained many countries worldwide. There are numerous historical references that document the emotions and widespread anxious atmosphere. History books, newspapers, and academic texts provide sufficient documentation for understanding the social climate during that era. However, what school textbooks and online sources do not state, are the deep emotional, and intriguing pieces of artwork that reflect the state of cultural disorder occurring throughout the world. Art has a particular tendency for reaching people on an entirely different level than knowledge itself does. The artwork from the early twentieth century clearly gives a clear and powerful testament to “The Age of Anxiety.”
After the verdict of the First World War, artwork abandoned its roots in Impressionism and Post-Impressionism. It was no longer a goal for artists to portray “impressions'' of the well-off middle class. There were young men who were risking their lives simultaneously dying tragic deaths as a result of the first modern war. The traditions associated with war dissolved at the first introduction of mechanical weaponry, and so did the traditions associated with contemporary artwork during that time. When new weapons were introduced, so was a new foundation from which artists began to work. unconventional, amoral, imaginary art. One of the most well known movements in the art community was the “Surrealism” movement, which was led by Salvador Dali, Max Ernst, and Rene Magritte. One of Salvador’s art pieces that stood out to me was The Persistence of Memory (1931).
His art work shows the absurdity and lack of culture or tradition within this painting. The movement shied away from traditional subject matter and focused on portraying the depths of the subconscious mind. This movement was heavily tied to the work of psychologist and psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud. Another painting that stood out to me was from Magritte who painted an oddly familiar imaginative “Surreal” piece entitled, “Personal Values” in the year 1951.
An art history article describes his painting as, “…altering the scale of objects in his paintings, Magritte’s work gives a sense of illogicality. Everyday objects become magical…” (Robinurton.com). This piece can be compared to what may be seen in the book or movie, “Alice in Wonderland.” There is no coherence traditional purpose in the painting. Given that it was painted during “The Age of Anxiety,” this provides a tribute to the lack of firmness and tradition of the era. The painting depicts imagery straight out of a subconscious mind where there are no limits or traditions to go off of. We are able to perceive the mind of Magritte which was rendered freely into his paintbrush as he created “Personal Values.” His painting, and the movement itself strongly reflect an era that was anxious as well as groundbreaking in its artistic venture.
Similar to artists, composers also represented the social climate of the 20th Century. They rejected traditional means of composition and included unconventional instruments and rhythms. Music took on elements of disorder with an abrupt departure from tradition. Much like the social themes associated with “The Age of Anxiety,” there were anxious, absurd, and even violent components added to contemporary compositions. Arnold Schoenberg, an Austrian composer, capitalized on the work of Russian composer, Igor Stravinsky. Like Stravinsky, Schoenberg’s pieces did not have a sound harmonic center. While this isn't a traditional art piece such as a painting, sketch or drawing, this art piece is a good example of what times were like during, “the Age of Anxiety”.
His music reflects the concept of harsh and loud noises. In other words, it was a derailment from tradition. One of his most famous pieces is called “A Survivor from Warsaw.”
According to Wikipedia, “The inspiration for this work was a suggestion from the Russian émigré dancer Corinne Chochem which was an eulogy to the Holocaust victims of the German Third Reich” (Wikipedia.com). The composition included many different emotional elements that range from anger, abuse, and pain to unity. Though the music of “A Survivor from Warsaw'' goes against tradition, it was made to very specifically convey what was happening in the concentration camp during WWI. La Phil includes a quotation from Schoenberg himself. It states, “Schoenberg wrote of this work: ‘It [is] at first a warning to all Jews, never to forget what has been done to us… The miracle of [the story] is, to me, that all these people who might have forgotten, for years, that they are Jews, suddenly facing death, remember who they are’” (laphil.com). As the quote portrayed, Schoenberg’s piece represented the tragedies and visualized “The Age of Anxiety.”
This was not a time of happy memories for the world. There were many horrors and moments that many wish to be forgotten. The artwork and music from this time were able to visually conceptualize and reveal reality in a unique way.
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Survivor_from_Warsaw
https://www.artdex.com/persistence-memory-surrealist-art/
https://arthive.com/renemagritte/works/333575~Personal_values
Despite being quite famous, Dali’s The Persistence of Memory is not one that I particularly enjoy. Honestly, the entire Surrealist style is not one that I find very appealing. However, the way that Dali takes something firm, like the clocks, and transforms them into a liquid state is fascinating and highly innovative. The technique that he put forth of changing the state of something to give one a sense of uneasiness and anxiety is a theme that has carried through far into modern-day art, especially in cinema. While it looks a bit too much like a photo for my taste, I find Magritte’s Personal Values much more appealing. The painting reminds me of a doll house that a child has left their belongings in and thus leaves me with a feeling of wonder and happiness that comes with childhood. It shares similarities in this way with other takes of tiny people living amongst humans, and you can see such influences in stories like The Borrowers and The Doll People. Finally, I like that you included a piece of music for this post. It is easy to forget about other mediums in a class that focuses so much on the visual arts. Schoenberg’s work, A Survivor from Warsaw, is full of unexpected loud noises that remind me of the bombs that both sides were constantly dropping on each other. Additionally, you can certainly detect the feelings of anxiety that the piece is trying to convey about the uncertainty and violence of war through the screeches of the stringed instruments. While I would not listen to it every day, A Survivor from Warsaw is a very emotional bit of music I could see myself enjoying on occasion.
ReplyDeleteI really like the masterpieces that you picked for your blog post. The painting that I find most appealing of what you picked has to be The Persistence of Memory. It is a very well-known painting, and I have to just admire the way it looks. The colors that were used really make the painting look like a dream. This painting is mainly seen as a representation of the subconscious mind and the power of the imagination and has been referenced and parodied in popular culture a lot of times. I also like how the pocket watches look like they are melting. The melting pocket watches are a symbol of the fluidity and uncertainty of time. The insects in the painting are notable elements in the painting as well and are shown as a symbol of disintegration and death. Overall, I must say you have created a very nice blog post, and I look forward to seeing more. Keep up the great work.
ReplyDeleteRodric,
ReplyDeleteI found the selection of "The Persistence of Memory" painting to be one of that was appealing to me. The presence of flat clocks within the painting gives observers an understanding of how people could be struggling during an era where there was plenty of anxiety. In addition, looking at the "Persistence of Memory" painting, one could not help but think of "American Regionalism" art, where there's a presence of flat objects, along with the presence of abstract concepts, and the presence of visible geometric shapes. Looking at this painting makes me reminisce about the times when was I was in the 3rd grade, reading short stories by many authors who had images and paintings of pictures like these. "Aqui de mi caballo" is a phrase that I can recall from that time that automatically comes to my mind when I see a painting like that of "The Persistent Memory".
Abdurahman