Art through the centuries acquired different forms and conceptions. First naturalism, then developed romanticism, then impressionism, followed by cubism, which is followed by surrealism and finally the trends are transferred to postmodern art. Here I would like to provide my understanding of various art schools.
Naturalism proceeded from mimesis. The goal of art was to imitate nature. A classic example of mimetic art would be Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa. Mona Lisa lives through the ages for her enigmatic style. Another example would be Da Vinci’s Last Supper. The art was largely imbued with religious motifs. What has naturalism brought to the world? One answer would be the representation of a mimetic ethos. There is very little to interpret in naturalistic art but we can admire its imitation of nature. I would also like to bring the sculpture of David by Michelangelo. What would a postmodern interpretation take? Maybe I would present him as gay.
Another style of art that developed during the 18th century was romanticism. What is romanticism? The poet Wordsworth defined romanticism as the spontaneous overflow of feelings. Romanticism captured feelings on canvas. The canvas was impregnated with rich Baroque colors. Romantic painting is fanciful and ornamental. When we think of romanticism in the postmodern era, we find a catharsis with the past. Goya’s exhibition: Saturn devouring his son can be taken as a classic example. The grotesque Saturn is presented as an admirable beauty. Romantic painters are endowed with a passionate neurosis. Feelings and emotions lie within us to contemplate in rapture.
Another art school that developed in the early 19th century was Impressionism. The great masters of Impressionism are Van Gogh, Monet and Gauguin. Impressionism is a unique art style. The print is marked by extensive use of bright colors. The lines were left like scars on the canvas. Impressionism was marked by the tendency of art to modernize. Van Gogh was a brilliant artist who recorded paintings in a style that marked a departure from his predecessors. When we look at Van Gogh’s starry night, we feel a passion similar to listening to music. Similarly, Gauguin’s painting “Where We Come From and Where We Are Going” highlights mythical allegories in brilliant pops of color.
Another art school that developed in the early 20th century was Cubism. Its main exponent was Picasso. With the advent of Cubism, art left its mimetic modes and became the unique creation of the artist. Cubism had a tendency to portray art in abstract terms. Picasso’s Demoiselles D ‘Avignon featured whores. Her features, especially her breasts, hips, and asses, became incongruous with Oedipal fantasies. Another notable Picasso creation was the Guernica. Guernica is a fantastic interpretation of the horrors of the Basque bombing, presented in abstract terms. When we look at Guernica, we are fascinated to the point of disgust. Cubism stressed that art can be repulsive.
The next art school to develop in the mid-20th century was Surrealism. My most beloved surrealist artists are Dali and Paul Delvaux. Dalí’s most famous painting is “The Persistence of Memory”. The surrealism that followed Freudian psychoanalysis attempted to portray art with a conglomeration of reality and fantasy. In the painting, persistence of memory, we find melted clocks hanging from trees and covered by an embryo. The tree can be symbolized as a phallic construction. Melting clocks represent time flowing with streams of consciousness literature. The embryo can represent the artist’s oedipal trauma. Delvaux’s most famous painting is The Call of the Night. In the ‘call of the night’ you see a barren land with skulls. There is a nude standing in the open air with luscious greenery growing on his head. There is also a nude whose head is covered standing outside a building with a candle on his head. Delvaux is trying to portray ancient fertility rites in modernist terms. The painting can also be interpreted as a sexual awakening. Thus, surrealism tried to portray the dream with reality.
Next, I would like to focus on postmodern art. Postmodern art is contemporary and tends to be a rebellion against existing artistic norms. In postmodern art, normal objects are presented in unusual terms. For example: we can take Marcel Duchamp’s inverted urinal. Postmodern art is also famous for inventing pop art, where cartoons, comic strips, and consumer products were drawn as artistic representations. Another interesting example of postmodern art is Rodin’s Thinker. The thinker can be interpreted in two ways. One in a way that a person is constipated, another as an intellectual balanced in his thoughts. Postmodern art freed art from all pre-existing inhibitions and conceptions.
