Globalization and Global Art

Continued industrialization, two devastating World Wars and a global economic depression challenged how people viewed the world, including artists. Art movements of the early 20th century represent attempts of artists to move beyond social assumptions and challenge commonly held ideas, such as the primacy of rationality and unwavering faith in science that lingered from the thoughts of the Enlightenment and Scientific Revolution. Movements such as Cubism, Surrealism and Dadaism all emphasize abstraction—the process or visual effects characterized by the simplification or rearrangement of images—and characterize 20th century artwork. (Art Fundamentals, 2)

Pablo Picasso, The Young Ladies of Avignon, 1907

Pablo Picasso, a Spanish painter who bridged the 19th and 20th centuries, led the movement toward full abstraction in paintings. As Picasso once stated, “I paint forms as I think them, not as I see them” (Gardner’s Art through the Ages, 971). Instead of representing the figures close to their forms in reality, Picasso flattened the images, interwove the bodies and incorporated his fascination with African art by painting an African mask on one of the women. In fact, Picasso benefitted from the expanding European colonization of the world by amassing an extensive collection of African art which in turn provided inspiration for many of his works. However, critics argued Picasso’s abstractions from reality were a move backwards in artistic endeavors since the flatness of the bodies and simplified backgrounds reminded some of ancient art, which they considered inferior. Instead, artists who followed Picasso were inspired and set forward in attempts to revisit common-held views on perspective, dimension, depth, and space. (Gardner’s Art through the Ages, 969-971)

Piet Mondrian, Composition with Red Blue and Yellow, 1930

When looking at a piece of modern art, one may wonder how to evaluate the art. Can one understand the social and economic forces behind artist motivation when pieces of art appear simple, as Piet Mondrian’s does above? The response is still yes. Although the simplicity of ancient art may inspire some of the experiments of modern artists, modern art’s abstractions are a result of awareness of intangible thoughts and emotions and seek to represent ideas that go beyond reality or show a new reality.

Dutch artist Piet Mondrian wanted to go above literal representations and worked to find an artistic concept that expressed a universal reality. He believed that great art had two goals: to create universal beauty and to visually please the artist himself. For Mondrian, he sought to express these two goals by using combination techniques to combine colors with lines to create a harmonious work of art.

The idea of universality is not new from a European standpoint, but universality and ideas of superiority have often been confused as synonymous. Different eras of Europeans believed their viewpoints represented the supreme and universal views of the world, just remember the Spanish conquistadors’ assumption of superiority, the Catholic Inquisition’s certainty of their point of view, and European justifications for colonization, among others.

However, when 20th century artists argue that they seek a universal reality, such as Mondrian, they do so with the knowledge of the diversity of cultures that exist. Such knowledge exists in a large part due to the rise of global trade that brought an awareness of the cultures of Africa and the Americas to the Europeans. Thus, is there such a thing as global art, since there is in fact global trade?  Increased international commerce encourages the movement of goods, ideas and people across increasingly fluid borders.  The next painter, Frida Kahlo, was a recipient of such benefits of trade, but also struggled with what her global travels meant for her personal identity.

Frida Kahlo, Autoretrato en la Frontera entre Mexico y los Estados, 1932

Frida Kahlo was a loyal Mexican citizen who loved her country. She started painting after an accident left her in chronic pain as a teenager and her paintings often reflect a Mexican-nationalist perspective. She became a popular Mexican artists, and had to travel frequently to the United States to display and sell her works to the thriving art markets of American cities.

In this work of art, America is painted as mechanical, dirty, and industrialized, suggesting that the industrialization of America could not sway her loyalties away from Mexico. However, Mexico is unindustrialized and, through the use of symbols, appears to be dying. Kahlo uses the painting to reveal her struggles to balance her concerns and love of Mexico with the need to travel and live in the United States for her and her husband’s artistic careers.

Here she is dressed in European garb but holds a Mexican flag. This painting indicates that Kahlo feels as if she is balancing between two countries and does not ascribe to or believe in a universal reality.  Kahlo accepts the need to travel across borders for the sake of selling her art to the appropriate markets, but she yearns for her own culture.  She represents not just herself, but all of those who are a part of the international economy but wish to resist changes to their culture. 

Paul Delvaux, La Ville Inquiete, 1940-1941

With global economics and global trade came truly global wars. World War II presented challenges to artists in how they perceived the world. French painter Delvaux highlights the destruction of World War II in his painting done during the Nazi occupation of France. This scene captures some of the chaos of the war with the dark tones and frantic nude bodies. The one clothed figure in the middle appears lost and frightened by the pandemonium that surrounds him. Delvaux commented on his work, saying, “I believe that it was inspired by its times, an anxious time, a time of upheaval. I simply tried to express this upheaval in my own particular way.” (Christie’s Fine Art Auctions)

The 20th century proved pivotal to artists and the progression of art.  World wars, global trade, far-flung empires, and technological advances inspired many to seek new ways of representing the world. Some artists used paintings to seek higher realities that would transcend cultures, such as Picasso and Mondrian, while Kahlo and Delvaux, among others, used their art to try to make sense of an ever-changing world.

Sources:

"Paul Delvaux (1897-1994) La Ville Inquiète." Christie's - Fine Art Auctions. Web. 7 Apr. 2010.

World Art: The Essential History, pg. 300, 304,305,327

Gardner’s Art through the Ages, 969-971, 1000-1001

Art Fundamentals, 2.

Cowen, Tyler. Creative Destruction.