During the Early Modern Art era, World War 1 was a huge influence on most styles of art. This was a huge shift in culture, which is makes complete sense since this war effected so many lives, globally. A lot of the art that was influenced by the war are not necessarily pieces that I would want to hang in my house; but there are quite a few that are really beautiful, not in a conventional way, but instead in the way they capture so much emotion. I have chosen to focus on 3 different pieces within a few years of each other, but they are vastly different styles. This shows how different the effects of war on art are on different regions and people.
A Battery Shelled
Percy Wyndham Lewis
Great Britain, UK, 1919
This piece shows the shift from hyperrealistic paintings to the more abstract world of modern art. The form is quite cubist with a lack of soft flowing lines. The harsh contrasts and shapes make it feel like a scene frozen in time to me. I think the muted and cool toned color scheme adds to the grim emotion of this piece, This piece has the men fairly realistic but everything else in the piece distorted and in disorder, I think this was ti reflect the state of the world at the time. This clearly exhibits the connection between art and the war. I think this piece is very interesting, but it is not quite my style, as I personally like a bit more color and softer lines.
The Charge of the Lancers
Umberto Boccioni
Italy, 1915
This Futurist piece by Umberto Boccioni is full of movement and a lot of other characteristics of futurist artists. Futurism was known for expressing a lot of movement, almost in a frantic way, which I think was definitely utilized here. There are a lot of blurry and overlapping shapes and lines that help depict fast movement. I also think the shapes that were used are very abstract but still easily represent lines of soldiers in the war, running across the battlefield, the straight lines being their weapons. I also think the color scheme relates this piece to the war as well, the dramatic shadows paired with muted browns and tans that you associate with military uniforms/camouflage, or maybe even the dirt of the war-zone.
Cavalry and Tanks at Arras
Lieutenant Alfred Bastien
Belgium, 1918
This piece is a much more understated piece than many others depicting the war in the early modern art era. Lieutenant Alfred Bastien was a well educated artist from Belgium that ended up becoming a war artist which I find very interesting. He spent his time painting spreads from the lines of war, specifically in Belgium. I find this piece very beautiful due ti the use of color. Unlike a lot of other war paintings, this one is depicted in a very pretty setting, it is not over dramatized or changed to fit a certain emotion, it just is natural. The texture in this piece from the paint and brush strokes is also very beautiful and a little different than other styles during this time period. The texture and use of color reminds me a bit of expressionism in the early modern time period.
Works Cited
“Alfred Bastien.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 26 Oct. 2023, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Bastien.
In our current times your take on WWI is a very relatable topic compared to how many wars are going on currently. These paintings depicted a sense of possibility and unpredictability that war brings. The first painting shows me that the working class is still in full swing in the time of depression, so it is a much darker theme to show how the emotions may have lined up with everything going on.
ReplyDeleteYou did an excellent job at explaining how each piece was influenced by the Great War as well as relating specific qualities of the paintings to the conditions and themes of wartime. I also noticed how you chose different art styles, popularly attributable to the Avant Garde. Your blog is well structured, and you chose some very expressive paintings. Of the three paintings, is there one you would prefer to see in your home?
ReplyDeleteI like your choices of art to show us the real picture and effect of the war also agree with your explanation of your art was impressed with the Cavalry and Tanks at Arras Lieutenant Alfred Bastien Belgium, 1918, and wish to own it and keep in my house. The green color as used by soldiers and tanks was used to camouflage and was not visible to the enemies.
ReplyDeleteHi Katarina, I like the paintings you picked for WWI's influence. I liked your background on how this hugely influenced the art styles. My favorite painting for this project is The Charge of the Lancers because I agree that the patterns and the browns can be associated with the military uniform/camouflage. Boccioni was known for movement and speed in his artwork, and this painting shows it with the cavalry charging/trampling the soldiers.
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