MARCEL DUCHAMP [RECYCLED REIMAGINED] BIOGRAPHY: o Born and raised in France o Family was into the Arts o He had a taste for jokes, sexual innuendos, and witty humour o Began the Dada movement with Readymades in 1915 CHOICE OF MEDIA: o Readymades o Sculptures CHOICE OF MATERIALS: o Objects taken from the real/ordinary world EG. bicycle wheels, chairs, urinal, windows, o Paints ARTIST S INFLUENCES: PRACTICE: IDEAS o It was the start of WWI and the world was beginning to change o Machines were cut down by other machines o Artist responded to the world differently o Anti-establishment against the traditional art making o Wanted to shock the world o Wanted to reject traditional art forms o Challenged art as a divine creator and not just a visual pleaser [wanted to create a work for the mind and not just for the retina/eyes] o To create a rebellious mood in artists o The Arts had to find a way to respond to this new world of mass produced death and mechanical warfare, so DADA was invented o Duchamp argued, An ordinary object [could be] elevated to the dignity of a work of art by the mere choice of an artist. PRACTICE: ACTIONS o Created sculptures from everyday objects o Created Readymades o Thinking outside traditional barriers
ARTWORK: o R MUTT. Fountain (1917) - a urinal bought from plumbing suppliers with R. Mutt written on it - a simple ordinary object made in a factory that is usually overlooked as something disgusting can become more unique [because it s been recontextualised and called a fountain ] - can also be seen as mocking the art traditions in those times since it is a urinal WHAT THE ARTIST IS TRYING TO SAY: - art is something you piss on when you don t accept the differences - wanted to show that visual representation is not the only important factor, but the intelligence and the interpretation of the artwork is too - the only art America has given are her plumbing and bridges The pseudonym of R.Mutt was mocking the traditional artform as MUTT was from the gambler Mutt from the comic strips - Idea comes before visual representation - the shape of the fountain is similar to the outline of Buddha - looks like a seat - urinal NOTES ON ARTWORK: - Duchamp gave the Fountain to an exhibition held in USA and paid the entry fee, but they declined it and wanted to send it back to R. Mutt the pseudonym of Duchamp o Bicycle Wheel (1913-1951) a bicycle wheel on a kitchen stool - The idea of chance; letting things go by themselves and creating an atmosphere in a studio where it helps getting ideas coming out of your head - The wheel was soothing as if it were opening avenues on other things than material life of every day. WHAT THE ARTIST IS TRYING TO SAY - Duchamp enjoyed watching the wheel while it spun, like looking into a fireplace "I enjoyed looking at it," he said. "Just as I enjoy looking at the flames dancing in the fireplace." - This wasn t meant to be an artwork, but more of a personal experiment/distraction/idea stimulator : - Kinetic energy: the forks in the wheel can spin
- Comic effect: an ordinary unicycle turned upside down and immobile - Juxtaposition of motion and stasis - Resembles a human form with a neck and head, or an eye on a pedestal NOTES: - He made many copies of the Bicycle Wheel during the years of 1913-1951 as his original was thrown out by his sister while cleaning out his studio in Paris when he was in USA. BIOGRAPHY: o Is an art teacher o Lives in the UK ARTIST S CHOICE OF MEDIA: o Readymade Sculptures ARTIST S CHOICE OF MATERIALS: o Old TV and computer screens o Electrical appliances o Household objects INFLUENCES: PRACTICE: IDEAS ANTHONY HEYWOOD [RECYCLED REIMAGINED] o From documentaries on the slaughter of elephants for ivory
o Modern technology o Influence the audience to think about the audience o Influenced by earlier Readymade artworks o Wanted to challenge modern view on art PRACTICE: ACTIONS o Used Readymades ARTWORKS: o Broken Family (2004) made of TV s and computer screens - Elephants shouldn t be killed for their ivory WHAT THE ARTIST IS TRYING TO SAY - The female elephant has lost her husband as he was shot for tusks - The TV s and computer screens are representative of the documentary that Heywood had watched where he found out about the ivory hunt - The ears are made of rubber and are cladded with different paraphernalia to make the elephant look feminine - The size of the elephant represents the life size of the elephant but the way it is put together shows the fragility of these creatures NOTES - This sculpture was displayed at Bondi for Sculpture by the Sea o Pegasus No 5 (2008) made of electrical applicances and household objects like jewellery boxes, computers, vacuums, torches etc - Showing that household/ordinary objects can be something unique [it looks like a horse, but is called Pegasus shows more significance] - Can be hinting at environmental issues WHAT THE ARTIST IS TRYING TO SAY - He is passionate about making art that challenges the audience s views on things - The electrical appliances and household objects represents the forgotten, or overlooked things in our lives - The horse represents life forms - It is 3 metres in height, making it seem more important/significant NOTES
- Made for a BBC film called Dustbin Baby where a girls finds outs she was abandoned at the Dustbin after leaving her foster family home ARTIST S CHOICE OF MEDIA: o Biomorphic abstractive sculptures ARTIST S CHOICE OF MATERIALS: o Soapstone o Bronze o Plaster & clay INFLUENCES: PRACTICE: IDEAS JEAN ARP [BIOMORPHIC ABSTRACTION] o Art Nouveau and JugenstiAfrican and Oceanic cultures o Pure naturalism eg. fossils, plants etc o Universal shapes that everyone is conditioned to think that it comes subconsciously o Post WWI, opposite to the Industrialised world o Wants to challenge society o Wants to capture the essence of life and organic growth in humans and plants o Can show growth and decay o Lover of peace & nature
PRACTICE: ACTIONS o Carved into plaster and bronze o Reduction ARTWORKS: o Little Sphinx (1942) bronze / WHAT THE ARTIST IS TRYING TO SAY - Capture the universal shape of an organic form - A sphinx can represent the importance of it, since sphinxes are important to Egyptian - It reminds people of bones - It looks similar to a cat, dinosaur, - Flowing shapes of pure naturalism o Shell Crystal (1938) plaster - Simple things can cause people to feel in a certain way, [nose like] WHAT THE ARTIST WAS TRYING TO SAY - That simple forms can still be recognised because of the conditions that people grew up in SYMBOLS IN ART - Significant to a shell crystal shows importance - It looks like a nose can show that these artworks make people feel something