Marcel Duchamp Analysis

What is art?

Over the years many artists and art historians, such as Giorgio Vasari, Pablo Picasso, Paul Rand and Marcel Duchamp, have explored the definition of art. This essay will look at the opinions of these individuals and explore the concept of art by looking at various art movements, such as Dadaism and Cubism, which have influenced the definition of art, as we know it today. In this essay, I will also discuss the two elements of art; form and content, as well as how they are key to any discussion about what makes “good art” and “bad art”.

Throughout much of European history, art has been used either to portray religious stories and icons or to capture landscape, or a person’s image. Many have argued that art is simply a representation

of Nature. Renaissance artist Giorgio Vasari wrote “Painting is just the imitation of all living things of nature with their colours and designs just as they are in Nature” Whilst this may have been the case in the past, nowadays art is more than just imitation; it is creation in its own right. Artists no longer seek solely to imitate reality, but to express internal thoughts, visualize concepts, or to create a commentary. Art is no longer reviewed solely on its accuracy or realism, but rather on the beauty and originality of the piece, and what it is saying.

Art movements such as Dadaism have sought to challenge and redefine traditional views surrounding what makes good art.

Dadaist artist Marcel Duchamp has been quoted as saying “Dada was an extreme protest against the physical side of painting. It was a metaphysical attitude.” Dadaism focused more on the concepts displayed in artworks than their visual characteristics. Dadaism subverted conventional definitions of art, and was so radical that it managed to expand our views on what art is. Art has become so broadly defined that Marcel Duchamp can place a urinal in a museum, as an art installation, and it is still art. Because of this, it can be difficult to distinguish what exactly art is, and to draw the line between what is art, and what is not. Artists like Duchamp have expanded our views, so that art can now be found objects; not made, but chosen by an artist. This can be seen in his “Readymades”, which were everyday found objects, designed and displayed as art. He is quoted as arguing “An ordinary object (could be) elevated to the dignity of a work of art by the mere choice of an artist.” Marcels ‘Readymades’ challenged the idea that art has to be beautiful, and showed that art can be conceptual rather than solely

aesthetic.

Another artist, who is famous for challenging traditional views on what makes good art, is cubist painter Pablo Picasso. Picasso broke away from classical art and founded cubism, a movement that deconstructed images and rebuilt them abstractly, with geometric forms. This movement was revolutionary for its time, as it defied the commonly held idea that good art has to be a realistic depiction of the subject matter. Picasso has been quoted as saying “Painting is a blind man’s profession. He paints not what he sees, but what he feels, what he tells himself about what he has seen.” This shows, yet again, how for many artists, content is more important to art than form.

But what is form and content?

Simply put, form and content are two integral components to a work of art; form being the physical and visual elements (such as colour, composition, technique etc.) and content being the ideas behind the piece and what it is saying. I would argue that art could be defined simply as the combination of form and content, as this definition broadly encompasses any type of art and art movement. It can be noted that much of modern art has disassociated itself from the importance of form in order to focus almost exclusively on content. In recent decades, lots of art has become ugly, as more and more artists strive to express concepts rather than creating visually appealing art works. Whilst content is a key element of art, the importance of form cannot be underestimated. It is my opinion that good art is art that balances these two elements, art that is both intellectually stimulating and aesthetically pleasing. In the words of American Modernist Paul Rand “A work of art is realized when form and content are indistinguishable. When they are in synthesis. In other words, when they fuse. When form predominates, meaning is blunted… when content predominates, interest

lags.”

To conclude, art can be defined by its two integral elements; form and content. In the past art has focused largely on form, and has simply served to realistically depict the world around us. However, art movements such as Dadaism and Cubism, and key artists relating to them such as Marcel Duchamp and Pablo Picasso, have shifted our attitudes about art, and now most art focuses on content. Art has become about the commentary behind the piece of work, rather than on the work itself. As stated previously, it is my opinion that in order to create good art the artist must strike a balance between form and content, to create works of art in which the aesthetics compliment the ideas behind it, art that is meaningful and interesting, as well as visually appealing.