after: ʻVENUS OF MILOʼ, Alexandros of Antioch - 130-90 AC, Louvre, Paris, France.
Alexandros of Antioch (lived circa 150 AC), creator of the Venus of Milo, is one of Greeceʼs most celebrated sculptors. For many centuries, the Venus of Milo represented female perfection. The image was believed to strike the perfect balance between anatomical correctness and stylistic distortion. This image conformed to what would become an idealised female form in the Western world.
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after: ʻDISCUS THROWERʼ, Myron of Eleutherae - 450 AC, Museo Nazionale, Rome, Italy.
Myron of Eleutherae (lived circa 450 AC) is believed to have been the creator of the original bronze ʻDiscus Throwerʼ. The figure illustrated is a Roman marble copy. In order to create this perfectly balanced figure, the artist, perversely, would have had to allow for a degree of anatomical distortion.
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after: ʻTHE SCREAMʼ, Edvard Munch - 1893, Nationalgallaeriet, Oslo, Norway.
The themes of death loom large in Edvard Munchʼs (1863–1944) work. This can be attributed to a traumatic childhood and his immersion into the then fashionable philosophical theories of the bohemians. These artists and intellectuals pushed the boundaries beyond the confines of bourgeois acceptability. ʻThe Screamʼ expresses the artistʼs inner emotional turbulence by fusing figure and background into a rhythmic sea of distortion.
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after: ʻPORTRAIT OF THE JOURNALIST SYLVIA VON HARDENʼ, Otto Dix - 1926, Musée National dʼArt Moderne Centre Pompidou, Paris, France.
Otto Dix (1891-1969) was a German figurative painter, whose style of realism chimed with the Neue Sachlichkeit movement prevalent in Germany at the time. He was known for his shocking portrayal of life in the trenches during World War One. Dix revealed the effects of war on society in its aftermath. He also exposed the foibles and despair of a decadent, fashion-obsessed, Berlin society during the roaring 1920ʼs.
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after: ʻTHE NIGHT CAFÉʼ, Vincent van Gogh - 1888, Yale University Art Gallery, Newhaven, United States of America.
Van Goghʼs explosion of colour and energy inadvertently bridged the gap between the Impressionism and Expressionism. Van Goghʼs tragic life story and myths surrounding the formation of his singular vision often supersede the influence that his work has provided to other artists. Recently, Van Gogh has become not only an industry but also a byword for redemption though art. The oppressive atmosphere in ʻThe Night Caféʼ, with its disjointed composition and rapidly laid brushstrokes can be attributed to the artistʼs precarious state of mind.
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after: ʻLOBSTER TELEPHONEʼ, Salvador Dalí - 1936, Private Collection.
The ʻLobster Telephoneʼ is Daliʼs (1904-1989) most famous Surrealist object. The piece implies that the viewer should not take the telephone as a means of communication for granted. It could after all be a potentially dangerous device.
see original
A special thanks to James Colman for his support, original ideas and help.