Expressionism/Cubism

Trends & styles - chapter 5

& the discussion on cultural appropriation

in arts and advertising

• WHAT
  'The survivors' + 'Declare war to war! A woman with deep-set eyes embracing children; men with blindfolds.
  

• HOW
  Figurative; black- and-white; large hands, dark eyes.
  

• WHY
  1923, anti-war poster by German artist Käthe Kollwitz.
  > Concept:
  exaggeration of physical features (big hands); 'expressive'.
  > Inspiration:
  World War I: strong feelings against war; Expressionism.

Analysis
'Krieg dem Kriege'

• WHAT
  Painting of screaming creature on a bridge; sunset.

• HOW
  Figurative; depth; wavy shapes & lines; striking colours.
  

• WHY
  1893, 'The Scream', by Norwegian painter Edvard Munch.
  > Concept:
  expressive presentation of anxiety (?), 'the human condition'. 
  > Inspiration:
  personal feelings and the need to express them (?); Expressionism.

Analysis 'The Scream'

• WHAT
  Shapes, lines, different colours, 'flying' around.
  

• HOW
  Abstract; geometric shapes; primary + other colours; dynamic interplay. 
  

• WHY
  1923, 'Composition 8', by Russian painter Wassily Kandinsky.
  > Concept:
  abstract elements; structure (geometry) + chaos(playful composition).
  > Inspiration:
  a radically new way to express emotions; Expressionism.

Analysis 'Composition 8'

Owen Cutts, music producer, about imagination

Now, use your imagination.
​Picture 5 naked women, 4 of them looking at you intensely, and a blue curtain in the background, an a table with a fruit bowl in front of these women. 

Sandro Boticelli (Italy), 'The Birth of Venus'
(c. 1484–1486)

• WHAT
  Five women, table with fruit, blue curtain.

• HOW
  Figurative; incorrect anatomy, cubic-like shapes, mask-like faces; two views (frontal + profile); what is background, what is foreground?
  

• WHY
  1907, 'Les Demoiselles d'Avignon', by Spanish painter Pablo Picasso.
  > Concept: cubic representation.
  > Inspiration:
  a radically new way to express reality;
  Cubism.
  
  
  
  

Analysis
'Les demoiselles d'Avignon'

Original meaning of African masks:
African masks were used in a traditional and spiritual context, for example, to
honour tribal chiefs, provide protection against evil spirits, or influence weather conditions by invoking rain.

• Culture: Dan 

• Region: Western Africa, primarily Côte d’Ivoire and Liberia

• Material: Usually carved wood, sometimes with added materials like metal, feathers, or fibers

• Period: 19th–early 20th century (typical examples collected in that time)

The taking over of creative or artistic forms, themes, or practices by one cultural group in a way that does not recognize their origin, meaning and true value.

Cultural appropriation

Picasso:
cultural appropriation or not?
 

And what about advertising?

Example 1: Sauvage

Dior: 'Close collaboration with Native American consultants to respect Indigenous cultures, values and heritage.'

American Gods actress Kawennáhere Devery Jacobs on Twitter, 'You’re telling me that @Dior is profiting off Indigenous culture/imagery, and hired JOHNNY DEPP to star in the ad for a perfume called SAUVAGE?! …who thought this was okay?'

Example 2: Hot Girl Summer

Wrap-up chapter 1-5: timeline!

Renaissance
Victorian style
Post-Impressionism
Art Nouveau
Dadaism
Expressionism
Cubism
De Stijl
Action Painting
Street art
Activist art