Saige Kennedy - Art and Survival

 

In order to determine which pieces to save, we must look at many factors, but three stand out the most. Skill, fame, and representation. The first factor, skill is self-explanatory, the pieces which should be saved must be breathtaking displays of talent and expression, and stand head and shoulders above other comparable pieces of art. Secondly we have fame, certain pieces of art throughout the years have developed a mythology all of their own, these stories are important to preserve. And lastly, representation, in order to represent the world, the art pieces should be from different cultures and tell different stories, to show how diverse the human experience is.

Woman with a Parasol – Madame Monet and Her Son, By Claude Monet 

There are many impressionist and post-impressionist paintings that could be on this list, from Van-Gogh’s famous Starry Night to Édouard Manet’s The Luncheon on the Grass. However, Claude Monet, as one of the artists who created impressionism, as well as the person who gave it its name with his piece Impression, Sunrise, deserves to represent the impressionists and post impressionists for future generations. The particular piece chosen, often shortened to just ‘Woman with a Parasol’ is an oil on canvas painting from 1875, showing Monet’s mastery of every aspect of his craft, from his iconic style of painting nature, his mastery over the human figure, to his use of color as it interacts with light and shadow. All of these aspects come together with the loose expressive brush strokes that impressionism is known for, creating a beautiful idyllic scene that captivates the viewer and draws them in. 

Of course, one of the most interesting things about this piece is the story of who these people are. This painting features Monet’s wife Camille, and their son, Jean. According to the national gallery of art, where the painting is now displayed, Monet, in painting this piece, wanted to portray a “casual family outing”. This contrasts with the formality of royal portraits that were popular during the medieval art and renaissance eras. This shows a shift in contemporary and modern art away from royalty, and towards the common person, a theme we’ll see more of in the other pieces as well. Woman with a Parasol is a gorgeous painting that represents impressionism, and early modern art as a whole, while standing as a brilliant work of art on its own.

Las dos Fridas (The Two Fridas), By Frida Kahlo 

Frida Kahlo, as well known as her work is, her heavy use of symbolism and metaphor, as well as her unique, self taught style, still bring a certain mystique to her paintings. Her 1939, oil on canvas painting ‘The two Fridas’  uses this to fantastic effect, delivering a multi-layered self portrait that tells us a complex story about Frida's life, emotions, and relationships.

Frida battled polio at a young age, and became bedridden after a traffic accident, this left her with a variety of medical issues throughout her life, and immense emotional turmoil. She dealt with this pain through introspection and art, due to being bedridden, she was often alone painting herself. This exploration of identity is one of Kahlo’s defining characteristics as an artist, and is on full display in The Two Fridas 

The painting shows two depictions of Frida holding hands while sitting on a bench against a surrealist background consisting of a flat ground plane, and cloudy skies. The frida on the left is wearing a traditional German dress, reflecting her fathers German heritage. The dress is torn open over her heart, which is visible and seems to be diseased. In her right hand, this frida is holding a pair of medical pincers, cutting open a vein that is bleeding onto her dress. The right Frida on the other hand is in a traditional Mexican dress, as her mother came from Mexican heritage, her blouse is in tact, but we can still see her heart through it, which appears healthy contrasting with the Frida on our left. In Frida's right hand, we see a vein connected to a small portrait of Frida’s husband, Diego Rivera. This is significant because Rivera preferred when Frida wore traditional Mexican attire rather than express the German side of her heritage.3 Along with holding hands, the two Frida’s are also connected via a vein between their two hearts. 

This painting shows a conflict between the two sides of Kahlo, on one hand, she's sick, in pain, and her husband disapproves of her German side, but on the other hand, she’s strong, confident and her husband uplifts her Mexican side. Despite these conflicts and contradictions, both of these Frida’s are one and the same. This piece is important to humanity, not only due to Kahlo's spot as one of the most famous and influential female and Mexican painters, but also as an exploration of what art can accomplish through symbolism,

New York, 1911 - By George Bellows

For the final piece chosen to be saved, it's important to capture not only art, but history as well, as art can give us insights that simple documents and accounts can't. George Bellows’ oil on canvas painting ‘New York, 1911’ is, perhaps unsurprisingly, a painting of New York City that Bellows completed in 1911. Bellows, who is one of the masters of the American Realism movement, along with other legends such as Edward hopper, chose to depict an everyday scene in the early 20th century New York City. Complete with bustling crowds, horse drawn carriages, and towering skyscrapers. Bellows paints the feeling of being in the busy streets of New York, using masterful composition to draw your eye through the piece from the crowds, to the skyscrapers in the distance, all while using a style that is at once realistic, without sacrificing expression.

American Realism sought to focus on the everyman, showing that depictions of everyday people have just as much value in art as nobles and legends. This is one of the most important changes in art during the modern and contemporary eras. By focusing on diverse stories from every walk of life, we’re able to learn more about our past and our present. These 3 pieces show the value and beauty in simple humanity, and that’s why they deserve to be saved for future generations.

Bibliography

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Auricchio, Laura. “Claude Monet (1840–1926).” In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/cmon/hd_cmon.htm (October 2004) 

 National Gallery of Art. n.d. “Woman with a Parasol - Madame Monet and Her Son.” Www.nga.gov. https://www.nga.gov/collection/art-object-page.61379.html#overview .

Mosquera, Carlos. 2019. “Iconographic Analysis: The Two Fridas – CUNY Academic Commons.” CUNY Academic Commons. May 14, 2019. https://commons.gc.cuny.edu/papers/iconographic-analysis-the-two-fridas/.

“New York.” n.d. Www.nga.gov. https://www.nga.gov/collection/art-object-page.69392.html. 

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