Art + Survival - Taylor Martin

 Art and Survival

The complexities of art is vast, the array of changes, movements, and developments made through the years has been nothing but monumental. But now that all of the museums in the world are in flames, that substantial, intricate past will be summarized in three salient, salvaged art pieces to commemorate those times. The first piece is “The Starry Night” by Vincent Van Gogh. (Fig. 1) The second piece is “The Love Embrace of the Universe, the Earth (Mexico), Myself, and Senor Xolotl” created by Frida Kahlo. (Fig. 2) The last piece is “Composition VII” by Wassily Kandinsky. (Fig. 3)

All of these pieces are well renowned, but for the sake of clarity, they will be thoroughly analyzed through significance of style, the meaning behind the pieces, and the movements they were apart of. This process will begin with “The Starry Night” by Vincent Van Gogh. It was finished in 1889 and is considered to be Van Gogh’s most definitive works. It is a post-impressionist oil painting with dimensions of about twenty-nine by thirty-six inches. The painting is a depiction of the night sky over a city in France, the same city that Van Gogh resided in that inspired him to create this work. “The Starry Night” has “curving, swirling lines of hills, mountains, and sky… [along with] brilliantly contrasting blues and yellows… [and] large, flame-like cypress trees”.1 The brush strokes lay thick on the canvas, providing elegant shape that quite literally pops off the coarse tarp material. “The Starry Night” is representative of Van Gogh’s desire for respite from his harrowing depression; he went to Saint-Paul asylum in southern France. There, he got the mesmerizing view that inspired this ageless masterpiece that clearly represents the sights beauty and his feelings and memories tied along with it.2

Van Gogh’s painting is important for a variety of reasons, one of them being that it is a clear depiction of his deteriorating mental state and how through that he was able to connect with nature and form a desire to experience new beauty and wonder come his death. This piece is also a great representation of the era in which it was made, more specifically, the era of post impressionism. This period lasted from about 1886 to 1905, it was a movement that had a goal of going against the traditions of impressionism and naturalism. This was done through exploring color palettes, inspecting new prospects of line, and experimenting with form. This piece shows the next steps in the development of art and the idea in which people have about it; art does not have to mimic reality, it can be created to express or convey feelings, ideas, beliefs, ponderings, and so much more.3

Figure 1 The Museum of Modern Art, The Starry Night, 1889.

    The next piece is “The Love Embrace of the Universe, the Earth (Mexico), Myself, and Senor Xolotl” created by Frida Kahlo. This is a surrealist piece that was made in 1949, its dimensions are about twenty-eight by twenty-four inches. This oil painting has many layers of embraces, from Kahlo's own embrace over her husband who acts as a baby with a third eye to represent wisdom. Then there is mother earth’s embrace of Kahlo, and the universes embrace over mother earth. The universe is depicted through a split down the middle of it’s body with color; one side is shrouded in darkness while the other is basked in a warm light. The background also holds onto this color theme, it also includes an ethereal fog and two planets. Mother nature is shown to be covered in vegetation and her breasts seem to be lactating. Frida Kahlo’s dog is also represented in this piece, he too being held by mother earth. This piece is symbolic of Kahlo’s feelings in regards to love, life, and death, which she clearly represents through all of the figures present in her painting.4

The value of Frida Kahlo’s piece is immense, to begin, it is important to recognize women artists and artists of color, to show that the world of art is not limited to that of white men, but is open to all of those with a creative mind. This piece helps to convey that important notion, showing the tremendous talent of a woman of color, as well as her perspective and thoughts on very convoluted topics. Additionally, this work is a wonderful example of the world of surrealism, another important art movement. This movement lasted from the late 1910’s to the early 1920’s, and stood for new experimentation with creative expression. To put it simply: it was a way for artists to “release the unbridled imagination of the subconscious.”5 This movement continued on with the idea that post impressionists started, which was to allow for a creative to be free in their own artistic expression.

Figure 2 Jacques and Natasha Gelman Collection, The Love Embrace of the Universe, the Earth (Mexico), Myself, and Senor Xolotl, 1949.

    The final piece is titled “Composition VII” by Wassily Kandinsky. This piece is an abstract work created in 1913, and the dimensions are about seventy-nine by 119 inches; making this the biggest of the three pieces that were recovered. The piece consists of a cacophony of colors, from blues, reds, and purples, to yellows, greens, and browns. “[T]he surface is entirely covered with countless overlapping amorphous forms, seemingly random lines, and a minefield of colors, some vivid and some blurred. Nothing references the known natural world. Only the illusion of depth is perceptible”.6 Outside of that, there is a variety of line work variation, unique color combinations, and a variety of painting techniques used to handle the thickness, featheryness, and sketchiness of his strokes. This painting is representative of a combinations of themes alluding to the Bible, such as, the Flood, Resurrection, the Garden of Eden, and Judgement Day.

Wassily Kandinsky’s oil painting is pertinent because it is the piece in which Kandinsky believe he achieved the ideal in which his Composition series was named.6  Not only was this piece one of confidence and achievement but is one of the most prominent abstract art pieces ever made. It expresses Kandinsky’s belief in abstraction being able to tell complex stories and convey elaborate feelings. To retain abstract art and its essence allows for people to see that art does not have to replicate the real world, or even slightly resemble tangible things or ideas; it can simply breathe those ideas, to imply them non-figuratively. Seeing this unique, distinctive style of art means that people must look within themselves to break down its basis of line and shape and feel truly what these shapes and colors express. 

Figure 3 Tretyakov Gallery, Composition VII, 1913.

It is important to show the vast expanse that is the art world. Being able to convey the variety of movements that have fundamentally changed the way people view art is principal in recognizing that there is no one right way to be creative. Art is ever expansive and being able to see the differences in these three pieces will help people to continue to develop the world of art and permit it to become even more influential and allow for more unique, creative ways to expand and better our way of living.