Curious visions 3:
Marcel Duchamp
Marcel Duchamp, (French, 1887 – 1968) was
one of the most influential Modernist artists.
His ideas and use of media opened the way for
much Contemporary art. His attitude to the
conceptual relationship between artwork –
artists – audience - world raised questions that
were wrestled with for the rest of the century.
This work from 1913, uses a ‘readymade’
object. It was Duchamp who originated the idea
of using readymades. This is a different form of
appropriation.
Duchamp, Bicycle Wheel, 1951 (reconstructed – original
created 1913, lost.)
‘Fountain’, 1917 is probably Duchamp’s most infamous work. It is a men’s urinal,
placed on it’s back. The title is obviously a tease or joke, which was typical of
Duchamp who, like the Dadaists/Surrealists, loved word games and puns. The
piece was presented to the Society of Independent Artists in 1917. They broke the
rules of their own society by censoring the item. They did exhibit the work, but
hid it behind a screen where it could not be seen. Duchamp protested. This work,
in no way changed, or juxtaposed with any other object (except the institution),
caused great controversy and changed the way art was considered for all time.
Fountain, men’s urinal, signed ‘R
Mutt’,1917
Because of the Fountain protest, the Society
ended up confirming that an object can be
considered art even if the artist has had no input
into its creation at all. It is the choices the artist
makes, said the Society, which makes it art. This
emphasises the ideas behind a piece of art. This
would be re-examined in the 1960s with such
artists as Andy Warhol, in the 1990s with Jeff
Koons, and many others in various ways. It also
suggests that the context in which an object is
placed is of significance (i.e. a Gallery space.)
Bottle dryer, replica 1936, after original of 1914, lost. The
prongs on this bottle dryer are waiting to poke into the
wet bottles and hold them while they dry. It has been
considered as an erotic object for this reason. Duchamp
repeatedly explored the idea of “bachelor objects”
in his work.
LAWS OF CHANCE
This work involves accident or the laws of chance which the Dadaists and
Surrealists would use a few years later. Duchamp said of this work that it was
‘playing with a metre.’ It involved dropping a metre-long piece of string onto a
canvas from a 1 metre height on 3 different occasions, allowing it to twist naturally
in space. It was glued onto each canvas, just as it fell, then the canvas cut to the
shape of the string, and created a new ‘ruler’ or template which was still 1 metre
long but a different shape to normal.
What can we say about this
work in terms of its aesthetics;
and is this important?
3 Standard Stoppages,
1913-14
Gender-bending and iconoclasm
‘Iconoclasm’ means to break down the things
that are generally agreed to be sacred.
The initials in the name of this work are a
pun, which Duchamp often used. When
these initials are read out in French , it
sounds like ‘she has a hot arse’. (It possibly
refers to Da Vinci’s being gay.) This work is
somewhat amusing to us now, but 100
years ago it would have been read very
differently.
L.H.O.O.Q, print of Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa
altered with pencil, 1919, 19 x 12cm >>>>>>
Man Ray (U.S. 1890 – 1976), photograph Of
Rrose Selavy, 1921.
Long before Dame Edna Everage, Duchamp
created a second identity for himself,
‘Rrose Selavy’, which is a pun on ‘Eros,
c’est la vie’, (meaning, Eros, that is life.)
(Eros is the life-force according to Freud. We
call things ‘erotic’ meaning sexual, but the
world Eros means more than simply sex. It is
life.) He even had Selavy ‘sign’ some of his
artworks. This acted to bring into question
the idea of authorship. Andy Warhol and
other post-modernists would work on this
idea of authorship and originality later in
the century. (Feminist artists working
collaboratively challenged this idea of
individual authorship, too.)
Duchamp had this ampoule made for his
friend and patron, Walter Arensberg.
Ampoules stored various medicines in
Pharmacies. It originally held some kind
of medicine, and Duchamp got
the pharmacist in Paris to empty it, then
re-seal it – this had the effect of sealing in
the air of the city.
However in 1949 it was accidentally
broken and then repaired – no longer,
obviously, holding the air of Paris but
then, of New York!!!
50cc of Paris Air, 1919, broken in America and
repaired 1949
As we saw with Bicycle Wheel, Duchamp had an
ongoing interest in circular motion, and how to
depict or describe it. He conducted
experiments with rotating, off-centre circles
and what effect they had on the viewer. When
it is plugged in and rotating, the circles appear
to come out towards the viewer.
Again, this is a ‘sculpture’ of sorts, more
properly a machine to create visual effects. It is
called a kinetic sculpture and involves the
dimension of time to create the work.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MpcOWSoFOc
Rotary Demisphere, (Precision Optics), 1925. Painted
papier-mâché demisphere fitted on velvet-covered disk,
copper collar with plexiglass dome, motor, pulley, and
metal stand, 148.6 x 64.2 x 60.9 cm
Examining the Exam….short answer question
Q 1: How has the artist
integrated form and
surface decoration in this
artwork?
Plate 1: Esther Ngala Kennedy, Aranda
Central Australia, Eenpinpa
(Honeyeaters), 1998, handcoiled
terracotta, underglazes, height 23 cm.
(This is an example of a Question 1 in
an HSC
Exam. It is worth 5 marks and the
suggested
time is about 10 minutes.)