The Renaissance, Baroque, and Romantic Ages
The Renaissance, Baroque, and Romantic ages of pre-modern art brought forth influential craftsmen such as Van Gogh, Ludwig Kirchner, Henry Moore, and Brancusi whose artworks and lives will be discussed within the sections of the essay that follow. The evaluations will also include a Haiku for each of the artists.
Van Gogh
Vincent Van Gogh was a Dutch painter of the Post-impressionist movement who lived in Europe between 1853 and 1890. He was active as a painter for little over a decade, but within that short span of time, he created over 2000 works of art of which a large percentage were oil paintings created within the last two years of his life (Van Gogh Gallery, n.d).
Vincent was born into a family of four that lived in The Hague but spent most of his adult life traveling as a Protestant missionary. He was a calm and peaceful child who grew up to be an art dealer working away from home. Gogh began his artistry in 1881 after returning home from London. Van Gogh suffered from depression and was often ill. Thus he convicted himself to a life of solitude and religious service.
Van Gogh's paintings are characterized by bold earthly colors like red, yellow, brown, and black, and his brush strokes were often impulsive and intense. His style of art could be attributed to his mental illness and depression which caused episodes of delusion and erratic behavior. In the year 1885, Vincent's father died, and his sorrow and gloom were etched into the paintings he created that year (Van Gogh Gallery, n.d). Pieces like The Potato Eaters and Skull of a Skeleton with Burning Cigarette were created with dark hues mainly employing the use of black, grey, and pale yellow colors and may have been an indication of the great darkness that encompassed him after the death of his father (Van Gogh Gallery, n.d). Van Gogh was broke and mentally ill during his lifetime with very few friends, and this loneliness is depicted in his paintings and sketches like the works titled Worn Out and Still Life with Glass (Van Gogh Gallery, n.d). Van Gogh was admitted to a mental hospital in 1889 when he painted The Starry Night which in my opinion is this most peaceful work of art. The painting combines the hope brought on by the stars and the peace and calmness of an ocean on a cold summer night. I believe Vincent foresaw his greatness and the poured out the joy and relief he felt in knowing that he would one day be successful in his last paintings which were created with intense colors like red and orange.
Just as the stars shine in the sky,
And the deep tides continue to rumble,
May your spirit live on.
Ludwig Kirchner
Ludwig was a German painter of the Expressionist style born in 1880 Bavaria to Prussian parents who were always traveling. He spent most of his early life moving from place to place with his family, and when they finally settled, he was in secondary school meaning he had an unstable social life with very few deep connections.
Kirchner's artwork is childlike with the simple outlines, bright colors, and messy painting which could be attributed to the fact that he was not allowed the luxury of a normal childhood and as such, his artistry feeds on the missed stages of his life. A vast number of his drawings are of people in the nude with extreme features like triangular breasts, bright red lips, and messy hair probably because of his obsession with nudity and sex (Kornfeld & Stauffer, 1992). His studio was a meeting place for expressionist artists, and work sessions were characterized by the nakedness of both the artists and the models and social sex. His paintings are provocative and indicative of an inner struggle to attain love, long life, and success while maintaining openness and honesty. He was depressed and suffered from illnesses that caused his limbs to go numb from time to time and also filled him with bitterness and resentment. These emotions are visible in his painting Self-Portrait as a Soldier where he depicts himself as an angry soldier with a severed right arm (Kornfeld & Stauffer, 1992). Just like Van Gogh, he too committed suicide. Ludwig's portraits were created with the view of an outsider looking into a world he could not be a part of, a world that would not accept him. The 1913 painting Street Berlin shows an elite society to which Ludwig could not belong (Kornfeld & Stauffer, 1992). The facial expressions of the subjects in Kirchner's drawings are underlined with love and a longing to be loved. Ludwig was dismissed from duty as a soldier during World War I and soon after was remanded to a mental institution which left him isolated and those around him were unwilling to have meaningful relationships with him. His drawings project the feeling of a need to be desired and loved.
Open yourself up to life,
Open yourself up to love,
Open yourself up and let the universe flow in.
Henry Moore
Henry Moore was an English sculptor who specialized in large abstract outdoor monuments most of which were crafted using bronze. Moore also created an array of paintings and textiles though his passion was mainly in sculpting reclining figures and curved abstract statues (Museum of Modern Art, 2009).
A majority of Henry's sculptures were created for public outdoor display in parks and outside buildings which were indicative of his desire to give back to the community. His choice of bronze as the preferred medium of art could have been influenced by his desire to be close to his father who he spent a considerable amount of time working in the coal mines. Moore sculpted many monuments that had holes in the center which could indicate his fascination with the female form. The abstract nature of his works shows his desire for public appreciation of art where he prompts audiences to formulate their meanings of his pieces and connect to them uniquely. Moore crafted mainly reclined figures of women which could point to having an easy going mother who was peaceful, calm, nurturing, and at the same time strong, bold, and confident. The artist's reclined monuments are influenced by the Aztec chacmools which are depictions of reclining figures holding offering bowls on their abdomens (Museum of Modern Art, 2009). Henry's reclined monuments could be a representation of him offering himself up to his audiences as a sacrifice for their enlightenment. Moore also sculpted family monuments like the Family Group is an indication of how much he loves and treasures family (Museum of Modern Art, 2009). Family Group makes me believe that Henry Moore grew up in a loving home where both parents cared not only for each other but also for their children.
Take my life,
Take my soul,
To make you whole once more.
Brancusi
Constantin Brancusi was a Romanian painter and sculptor born in 1876 and died in 1957 (Museum of Modern Art, 2009).
Brancusi's sculptures show that he was a man an orderly man who was keen on keeping things neat and in their place. His creations feature clean-cut lines, even dimensions, and balance such as The Endless Column and the Gate of the Kiss (Museum of Modern Art, 2009). The Table of Silence is a sculpture set up like a round dining table with empty chairs all around. The statue points to Brancusi's loneliness particularly during the First World War where he lost numerous comrades. The Empty Table speaks of the silence that exists during times of war where people could easily get killed for the slightest misstates such as mentioning a particular name or declaring political support for someone.
The Endless Column is a demonstration of the eternal nature of life and human suffering particularly in the search for enlightenment and success. The column indicates that the hurdles of life come one after the other and that once a life is lost, another one quickly takes its place in the quest for reaching greater heights.
I think Brancusi's works have deep hidden meanings that require a lot of observation and meditation on the sculptures to understand their purpose.
The sculpture titled The Kiss
portrays intimacy and love amongst two individuals who care about nobody else but themselves and the love they share (Museum of Modern Art, 2009). The Kiss expresses Constantin's desire for love and his perspective that two people in love should ignore the opinions of the rest of the world.
Look through me,
See me for who I am,
Love me for all I am.
References
Kornfeld, E.W " Stauffer, C.E. (1992). ‘Biography Ernst Ludwig Kirchner.’ Kirchner Museum Davos. Retrieved from www.kirchnermuseum.ch/fileadmin/Inhalte_Redaktoren/Bilder_Inhalt/E.L.Kirchner/Biography_E.L.Kirchner_english.pdf
on 20 November 2018.
Museum of Modern Art. (2009). ‘Constantin Brancusi.’ MoMA. Retrieved from www.moma.org/artists/738 on 20 November 2018
Museum of Modern Art. (2009). ‘Henry Moore.’MoMA. Retrieved from www.moma.org/artists/4071 on 20 November 2018.
Van Gogh Gallery. (n.d). ‘Vincent Van Gogh Paintings.’ Van Gogh Gallery. Retrieved from www.vangoghgallery.com/painting/
on 20 November 2018.
