Picasso

It was his response to the 1937 bombing by the fascist forces of the small Basque town. This was a great emotional/political statement, which combined violent distortion of images, with a restrained subtlety of colour. Between two marriages, he also had a mistress named Francoise Gilot. His meetings with Gilot inspired Picasso to create a charming series of paintings featuring mythology and including representations of fauns, nymphs and pipers- quite different from his usual style.

As Picasso remained in France throughout World war II, he was forbidden to show his work, and he joined the French communist party. A number of his paintings then expressed the horror of the war ( The Charnel House 1945) and following this sequence, he responded to the Korean war by Painting ‘War and Peace’-1952, and ‘Massacre in Korea’-1951. It is very obvious to see that the worldwide events which took place in Picasso’s life time greatly effected his subject matter and his feelings.

The second world war was a watershed for art, while Nazi occupation of Paris helped to break down the dam to be the home of modern art. Artists fled to the United States to escape the fascism. The success of the United States in the cold war was measured by the fact that within a decade of the end of World war II, the United States enjoyed a cultural reputation, fitting into a higher global power status. The Soviet Union at this time was committed to crude socialist realism, suppressing other kinds of art like abstract expressionism. In turn, the United States embodied all the U.S.S.R denied.

A trend that arose in the late 1950’s was a reaction against abstract expressionism, it was labeled pop art. Rather than avoiding references to mass culture, pop artists accepted and used them. Popular subject matter were soft drink bottles, hamburgers, gas stations, comic strips, billboards and airplanes. In using these popular images, artists celebrated the technological culture and revealed it’s insolence and cheapness.

Andy Warhol is probably the most famous pop artist. In his work he clearly illustrates the influence of machine production. Often his repeated portraits of identical images were based on photographs that had been enlarged by mechanical means. This style provides a multiplicity of views and moods of attractive women ( in most cases). This style was supposed to represent a wild zest for life which these women possessed. ” This was also meant to give the art a sense of abiding and fascinating tension.”(Bronowski 14)

In modern times, nationalist art became an important topic as well as internationalism in the art world. At any given time, in major cities worldwide, work from many nations are on show. Even though we except the fact that the global art scene consists of a network of cosmopolitan cities, it is becoming increasingly obvious that art recognizes no boundaries in present day.

Robert Motherwell stated in 1966 that “Art is not national, to be merely an American or French painter is to be nothing; to fall to overcome ones initial environment is never to reach the human.” Even in the early part of this century, but progressing through the years, artists saw themselves as internationally linked by aesthetic and conceptual issues with universal readings. Globalization in this case is revealed as a preferable substitute to nationalism. It is actually dangerously misleading to label art of the past or present into national packages. In today’s world it is difficult for post colonial nations to maintain identity and integrity in the global art world. There is no guarantee that national art will flourish in the world and raise profile, it depends on the initial economic support. There have been small national successes, for instance in Haiti, murals were painted on the city walls to celebrate “new Haiti” in 1986. This event bore witness to national solidarity in the face of oppression. It brought future hopes and a vehicle for communication for a country where 90% are illiterate.(Buck, 1991)

The modern age of reason promised to resolve all problems through the application of science. Art of this time echoed a preoccupation with technology and environment. Today, many artists feel liberated from tradition and rules and feel free to follow any exploration, but as these artists are witness to many global events, tragedies and breakthroughs, these are often reflected in their works. Fad and fashion are nurtured by mass media and artists struggle to do anything to capture attention. Enormous diversity characterizes present day painting. This diversity is characteristic of modern life, and each style reflects, questions, or analysis some aspects of contemporary society.

“Through painting, the artist expresses ideas and emotions, as well as a version of the reality he or she perceives, in a two dimensional visual form.” Some artists paint concrete forms with which viewers are generally familiar with and some try to create entirely abstract relationships. The way a painting is constructed does not change the fact that as life goes on, and world events weather negative or beneficial occur, these events are reflected through the universal language of art. To study the paintings of any age is to look in the diverse interpretations of the era in which they were produced. Through painting, artists can give expressions of their own ideas and emotions corresponding to personal, national or global topics. As painting depicts the lives we live, it can also quite clearly be stated that an appreciation of painting and all art forms, can also deepen and enrich the lives we live.

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