Marcel Duchamp Avant Garde Essay - 1,073 words

Throughout the period that covered the last half of the nineteenth century, Western Europe enjoyed the gatherings of a great wealth that was accumulated by the industrial-colonial economy. The revolutionary changes in the stratification of the society and the functioning of the production system brought new perspectives to view the individual and the world that surrounded him. The bourgeoisie reached the summit of its rise since the French Revolution, and industrial European cities became the centers of world economy and politics. The immense change that Europe went through was not reflected in any part of life as dramatically as it was in the arts.


The struggle between the avant-garde and the conservative artists represented (politically, economically and culturally) the fear of the society against the unpredictable and the new. The depiction of the contradictions in the society visualized the undesired realities, and therefore, the more realist a painting was, the more it was attacked. The non-bourgeois activities were seen as degenerate and morally corrupt. In Paris, by the last decade of the nineteenth century, a popular form of entertainment, 'quadrille naturalist' (the street dances), became the object of attraction for the Parisians.


However, their popularity in the streets did not find expressions among the intellectuals and the politicians. Andr Chadourne expressed in a treatise, in 1889 that such forms of popular entertainment were degraded and base; and in 1891, senator Ren Brenger as the president of 'The League against Licence in the Streets', campaigned against the quadrilles. Though the quadrilles were considered as anti-establishment by the upper classes, their popularity continued, and they found expressions in the popular press. Ferdinand Lunel drew the dance of La Goulue (with Valentin le Does, they were the most popular couple among the quadrille dancers) for the cover of 'Le Courrier Francis' on 12 May 1889. In December, a two page engraving followed, but this time Lunel also included Valentin as her companion.


However, the most well-known, and probably one of the most successful quadrille depiction was completed in 1890, by Toulouse-Lautrec. At the age of 25, Lautrec was one of the most innovative artists of his time, and his move into the avant-garde circles dated back to 1888. As Maurice Denis points out in his article 'From Gauguin and van Gogh to Neo-Classicism' that was published in L'Occident, in May 1909, with Emile Bernard, van Gogh and Anquetin, Lautrec was the rebel of the Common studio, sympathetic to everything new and subversive. 'Au Moulin Rouge, la danse' was one of the first works of Lautrec's maturity, and reflected his distinctive style. The painting depicts Valentin performing the quadrille with a new girl.


Around them is a crowd that varies from uninterested passersby to careful viewers. While the dancing takes place in the middle ground, at the front, a woman, explicitly dressed in pink watches the incident. The dressing and her make up probably signifies that she is a prostitute. Lautrec's extensive use of lines makes his work resemble a drawing rather than pa ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

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Essay Tags: moulin rouge, van gogh, nineteenth century, marcel duchamp, avant garde

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