Expressionism
description
The surprising fact is that expressionist painting, reflecting the horror of war, the inadequacy of state rulers and the human way of life, was easily embodied in sculpture, thereby expressing the psycho-emotional state of the artist.
The artistic and expressive techniques of expressionist sculpture, on the one hand, resemble the impressionist manner of creating sculpture, on the other hand, it is in contact with abstractionism. The main genres are figurative and animalistic. The sculptor gives the forms of objects a slightly ugly, unnatural shape. The disharmonious proportions of the sculpture convey feelings of suspense, disgust, dissatisfaction, disappointment, alienation.
Brancusi’s sculptures seem to be in a state of prolonged deep sleep, which helps to avoid participation in ignoble human activities. Exhausted, naked and thin, Giacometti’s sculptures express a sense of individual isolation. Modigliani’s works are a perfect combination of cubism and archaic plasticity of Oceania, reminiscent of the idols of Easter Island. The figurativeness of Jacob Epstein expresses the pain and unwillingness of any visual contact. Calder’s wire sculptures express almost nothing; the mad world, which ate everything, leaving only skeletons, left no strength for emotions.
Artworks are created by building up volume with soft materials such as clay or wax, cast in bronze (sculptures by Henri Matisse), carved from hard materials (Brancusi), and may consist entirely of hard wire (Alexandre Caudler).
Media: bronze, copper, steel, wax, marble, onyx, clay, bone, granite, concrete, plastics.
Key masters: Constantin Brancusi, Alexander Calder, Jacob Epstein, Amedeo Modigliani, Henri Matisse, Ossip Zadkine, Alberto Giacometti, Ernst Barlach,
Key sculptures:
The Prayer. 1907. Constantin Brancusi.
sleeping muse. 1909. Constantin Brancusi.
Dog. 1909. Alexander Calder.
Female Figure in Flenite. 1913. Jacob Epstein.
Head. 1911-1912. Amedeo Modigliani.
The Walking Man I. 1960. Alberto Giacometti.
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An Italian painter, sculptor and graphic artist of Jewish-French descent, who lived and worked in Paris. One of the most famous artists of the early 20th century, who developed his characteristic style with a clean line, a meditative atmosphere and with elongated shapes.Modigliani originally intended to be a sculptor. Encouraged and inspired by Brancusi, for almost five years of his short creative career, he began carving his heads out of stone, but dust of limestone and sandstone damaged his lungs, weakened by tuberculosis, and coughing fits did not let him work. In addition, during the First World War, marble was almost gone; the stone became expensive and was inaccessible to the poor master. The artist started painting but did not change his style - his portraits are as recognizable as sculptures.The artist’s works were almost unsuccessful during his life - at two exhibitions, he sold only a few sculptures. Having become extremely popular after his early death, a few (about 30) stone sculptures remain so even now. One of the “Heads” by Amadeo Modigliani, sold by the Christie auction house for more than 43 million euros, became an absolute record for sculpture. In the study of art, the understandable term “Modigliani style” is used; it is rather conditionally related to Expressionism.
1884 - 1920
description
A Swiss sculptor, painter and graphic artist, one of the largest sculptors of the 20th century, a vivid representative of the avant-garde.Giacometti, who studied the art of painting and sculpture in Geneva and Paris, experimented with cubism and futurism, was interested in primitive sculpture technique. For some time, he worked with a surreal French group and created strange objects testifying to cruelty, interest in eroticism and at the same time the author’s dreaminess and humanism.After he suddenly departed from Surrealism, Giacometti again created more figurative and vital works. The mature master created his most famous works - a series of elongated and fragile figures, similar to skeletons and made not by carving but by modelling in clay or plaster without thorough study and smoothing of the surface of sculptures and figurines. These works are extremely highly valued in the art market, and viewers are always incredibly interested in them.Giacometti wrote articles for catalogues of many exhibitions and periodicals, outlining extraordinary thoughts, and also kept diaries where he introduced memoirs, observations and explanations to his works. They are an important document of the avant-garde era in art and culture.The most highly regarded (literally and figuratively) outstanding classic of world sculpture was so extraordinary that he did not have direct followers, but influenced the entire world of fine art. He was the idol of Salvador Dali, Henry Moore and other famous artists.
1901 - 1966