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The transportive work of Vincent van Gogh has transposed us through the limits of time and into an era where Impressionist paintings were a statement to be made. While the artist himself may be of post-impressionism, he manages to capture the open composition of the movement perfectly.

Through his swirling brush strokes, the artist would convey his feelings and his state of mind. His belief that there was a power behind nature made him try to capture it through his work. Therefore, he strove to become a painter of rural life and nature.

Van Gogh always aimed to stay within the “guise of reality” which gave his paintings an abstract form. However, he later wrote that at times he might have taken it too far, reality having been set as a background character and being heavily overshadowed by the protagonist: symbolism.

Each artistic development Van Gogh had gone through has been owed to his living across different places in Europe. He took to immersing himself in the local culture and activity, he judged and studied the lighting and implemented in his various paintings. His evolution had been slow, and he was acutely aware of his painterly limitations, yet he kept his individual outlook throughout each work.

He might have been pushed to move often as a coping mechanism when faced with the realities of his current situation, however, it also contributed to his development of his technical skill. Whenever he painted a portrait, he wanted them to endure through the passage of time and would use colors to capture the emotions of each person rather than aim for realism.

 

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Cubism is an artistic movement, created by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, which employs geometric shapes in depictions of human and other forms. Over time, the geometric touches grew so intense that they sometimes overtook the represented forms, creating a more pure level of visual abstraction. Though the movement’s most potent era was in the early 20th Century, the ideas and techniques of Cubism influenced many creative disciplines and continue to inform experimental work.

Picasso attended the School of Fine Arts in Barcelona, where his father taught, at 13 years of age. In 1897, Picasso began his studies at Madrid's Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando, which was Spain's top art academy at the time. Picasso attended only briefly, preferring to roam the art exhibits at the Prado, studying paintings of Rembrandt, El Greco, Francisco Goya, and Diego Veláquez.

During this nascent period of Picasso's life, he painted portraits, such as his sister Lola's First Communion. As the 19th century drew to a close, elements of Symbolism and his own interpretation of Modernism began to be apparent in his stylized landscapes.

In 1900, Picasso first went to Paris, the center of the European art scene. He shared lodgings with Max Jacob, a poet and journalist who took the artist under his wing. The two lived in abject poverty, sometimes reduced to burning the artist's paintings to stay warm.

Before long, Picasso relocated to Madrid and lived there for the first part of 1901. He partnered with his friend Francisco Asis Soler on a literary magazine called "Young Art," illustrating articles and creating cartoons sympathetic to the poor. By the time the first issue came out, the developing artist had begun to sign his artworks "Picasso," rather than his customary "Pablo Ruiz y Picasso."

 

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Nearly 500 years after his death, Leonardo da Vinci still remains the most well-known Renaissance Man. A jack of all trades, his masterful combination of art with math and science gave birth to plenty of inventions. As an artist, his masterpieces such as the Last Supper, Mona Lisa, and the Vitruvian Man, remain religious and cultural icons to this day. Discover the life and works of The Master, fall in love with his brilliance, and decode his genius with our top picks.

Leonardo da Vinci is probably the best-known Renaissance artist, famous for his masterworks The Mona Lisa and The Last Supper. The classic “renaissance man,” da Vinci was not only an artist but also an inventor, scientist, architect, engineer, and more. His innovative techniques included layering of paints, precise attention to light, shadow, and human form, and a detailed eye for expression and gesture — the last of which has led to endless speculation over the impassive face of the Mona Lisa. His famous sketch known as The Vitruvian Man is shown to the right.

In 1472 Leonardo was accepted into the painters’ guild of Florence, but he remained in his teacher’s workshop for five more years, after which time he worked independently in Florence until 1481. There are a great many superb extant pen and pencil drawings from this period, including many technical sketches—for example, pumps, military weapons, mechanical apparatus—that offer evidence of Leonardo’s interest in and knowledge of technical matters even at the outset of his career.

 

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Frida Kahlo was a Mexican painter known for her many portraits, self-portraits, and works inspired by the nature and artifacts of Mexico. Inspired by the country's popular culture, she employed a naïve folk art style to explore questions of identity, postcolonialism, gender, class, and race in Mexican society. Her paintings often had strong autobiographical elements and mixed realism with fantasy. In addition to belonging to the post-revolutionary Mexicayotl movement, which sought to define a Mexican identity, Kahlo has been described as a surrealist or magical realist.

Born to a German father and a mestiza mother, Kahlo spent most of her childhood and adult life at La Casa Azul, her family home in Coyoacán—now publicly accessible as the Frida Kahlo Museum. Although she was disabled by polio as a child, Kahlo had been a promising student headed for medical school until she suffered a bus accident at the age of eighteen, which caused her lifelong pain and medical problems. During her recovery she returned to her childhood hobby of art with the idea of becoming an artist.

Kahlo's work has been celebrated internationally as emblematic of Mexican national and indigenous traditions and by feminists for what is seen as its uncompromising depiction of the female experience and form.

 

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How did you spend the COVID-19 lockdown? Making Dalgona coffee, attending Zoom calls endlessly, or simply doing nothing? Well British visual artist Sacha Jafri took a slightly different approach. Jafri spent 18 hours a day painting what is dubbed the world’s largest artwork on canvas, measuring close to 2,000 square metres.

Titled “The Journey of Humanity,” the work is roughly equivalent in size to four basketball courts or two soccer fields combined. It is being painted in the ballroom of the Atlantis The Palm hotel in Dubai, where Jafri has been based for over five months – amid strict COVID-19 restrictions.

Jafri is expected to complete the painting by the end of this month (November), after which it will be displayed on the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa. The painting will then be cut into 60 square metres each, and will be auctioned off individually in Dubai this December.

The painting in Jafri’s abstract style also incorporates work by children from around the world on the themes of separation and isolation during the pandemic. As part of his “Humanity Inspired” project, Jafri hopes to raise 30 million USD through the painting to support health and education initiatives for children living in poverty worldwide.

 

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The first references of Kalaripayattu can be proved by the mention in Sangam literature era 300 BC. But, Kalari was first officially recognised as a martial art of Kerala in 1362 AD.

Sage Agastya is considered to be the creator of Kalaripayattu. Speculated to have lived sometime around 15,000 BCE, Agastya is one of the ancient saptarshis, a revered Vedic sage. He is considered to have fathered the ancient form of warfare which is speculated to be either a direct translation or parent form of Kalaripayattu. From this account, there seems to be no doubt that Kalaripayattu is the oldest art form of war. The word kalaripayattu is a combination of two words, namely, ‘kalari’ and ‘payattu’ which mean training ground and fight.

During its peak, kalaripayattu was used as a code of combat by Indian dynasties. Kalaripayattu reach its zenith during the years of war between the Cholas, Pandyas and Cheras. The constant fighting between the states helped fighters in refining the art into a martial art form.

Many movements and postures in Kalaripayattu are believed to be inspired by the raw strength of animals and are also named after them. There is a strong belief that this art was developed in the forests when hunters had observed the fighting techniques of different animals.

In 5th century, a Buddhist monk Bodhidharma took Kalaripayattu from India to China, Kalaripayattu is also the predecessor of Chinese martial arts. Once it was brought to China, practitioners of Kalaripayattu merged it with existing forms.

 

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Theyyam is a ritualistic dance form wherein pantheistic deities are summoned to the body of the performer. The performers are generally men and they perform in a kaavu (small rain forest) manifesting varied aspects of nature. The performers are decorated with leaves, garlands, flowers and fruits. The headgear is really big and personifies Chamundi Theyyam who is the goddess invoked. Particularly prevalent in North Malabar, there are several types of Theyyam, and the dance is performed near temples. There are particular communities that follow this custom with strict adherence.

Puli Kali is the play of the leopard or tiger; dancers are attired with masks and are completely made-up like tigers. It is performed by men, women and children during festivals like Onam. Pot-bellied men practically shake their bellies that are painted with the face of the tiger! It has more of recreational value of fun and frolic and is prevalent in many districts of Kerala.

 

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The word ‘Ottam’ mean ‘running’ and ‘Thullal’ means a form of ‘dancing’. In other words Ottam Thullal is a playful dance with entertainment, accompanied by a message and with plenty of puns and satire. Kunjan Nambiar was a great promoter of this art, who also composed the lyrics in Malayalam which can be understood by the common people. For instance “Ottam Thullal thulli Verumbo, Veetil Kanji KudikyanIlla, Ethera Valliye Vanna Thadiyan, Yedenna Kollam, Yendena Kollam, Ullokeya Polay Oru Thannine Kollam” (After the Ottham Thullal, the artiste returns home but has no food to eat, what is the use of being such a big man when he is unable to take care of his basic needs). Known as the ‘poor man’s Kathakali’, the make-up, costume and technique of performance is comparatively quite simple.

Another interesting thing is that the Thullal dancer himself plays the role of both the storyteller and the performer and the way he manages both the role is quite fascinating. And the entire performance provides for thought and entertainment for the audience.

 

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Chakyar Koothu for generations has been performed by the traditional family of Chakyars. Chakyar and Nangiars are two particular communities of Kerala that have developed their lives to the propagation and promotion of this unique performing art. The artiste is attired in a strange style that symbolises a bird, and gives a comic touch to the personality of the artiste. The artiste is known as a court jester or vidhushak who has a distinct role to perform.

While narrating varied stories from epics, the performer also portrays, enacts and narrates various ills of the society that need to be corrected for the betterment and welfare of the people. During the days of royal patronage, it was not easy for common people to reach the king; hence they would face several problems regarding their survival, and were exploited by rich landlords or feudal lords. Hence this art form was used as a social corrective, so as to attract the attention of the king. While narrating the stories with wit and humour, they would also be related to contemporary society and at times make fun of people from the audience in a different context. While Chakyar Koothu is performed by men, Nangiar Koothu is performed by women.

 

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Koodiyattam is considered the mother of Kathakali, and also the greatest form of Sanskrit theatre that led to the development of the dramatic and form of Kerala. Koodiyattam literally means dancing together and is also based on the ‘sastras’, and the language of hand gestures is derived from Hasta Laksha Deepika and is the original form of dance drama and theatre. Kathakali is considered the refined and decorated form of Koodiyattam that portrays stories of Hindu mythology in a dramatized form. While the costume and make-up of Koodiyattam is comparatively simpler, Kathakali moves forward with stylised make-up and costumes that changes according to the character portrayed.

Inscriptions related to the dramatized dance worship services known as Koothu are available in temples at Tanjore, Tiruvidaimaruthur, Vedaranyam, Tiruvarur, and Omampuliyur. They were treated as an integral part of worship services alongside the singing of tevaram and prabandam hymns. There are mentions in epigraphs those forms of Koothu that are called aariyam when they use languages other than Tamil such as Sanskrit, Pali or Prakrit for plays.

 

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Understanding Cubism

Breaking away from centuries of tradition, Cubism was the first movement to preset art as an expression of multiple viewpoints rather than a single viewpoint. The artists showed the object take on reality. As a result, in the final image, it became quite difficult to recognize the original subject anymore.

How it got its name?

It is called Cubism because the items represented in the artworks look like they are made out of cubes and other geometrical shapes.

The movement was conceived as ‘a new way of representing the world’, and assimilated outside influences, such as African art, as well as new theories on the nature of reality, such as Einstein’s Theory of Relativity.

How it began?

Artists Pablo Picasso and Georges Barque were pioneers of this style.

Cubism is often divided into two phases – the Analytic phase (1907-12), and the Synthetic phase (1913 through the 1920s). The initial phase attempted to show objects as the mind, not the eye, perceives them. Most of the paintings were in monochrome, putting the focus only on the shapes and forms.

Picasso started adding colours to the Cubism style, giving birth to Synthetic Cubism. The Synthetic phase featured works that were composed of fewer and simpler form, in brighter colours.

Other major exponents of Cubism included Robert Delaunay, Francis Picabia, Jean Metzinger, Marcel Duchamp and Fernand Leger.

 

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In the 1800s, when the Industrial Revolution began to change the way people had lived their lives for centuries in Europe, it created an intense longing for the past among some. This gave birth to Romanticism, which brought to the fore the feelings of artists and how they expressed it, as opposed to creating within a definite set of rules. It was used mostly in art, literature and music.

It began to take shape in many countries in Europe, and emotions, nature and the past were gloried in paintings through bold brushstrokes. It used an intense emotion to create something authentic and new. Terror, awe, grief and horror were other strong emotions artists played with at this time.

Artists aimed to evoke the sublimity and raw beauty of nature and things gone by. And unlike the Rationalist movement, which aimed to stay close to the present, Romantic artists always looked back, elevating folk and myths to antiquity, in the hope that they could escape the early urbanism of the industrial Revolution. This, indirectly, also stoked nationalistic ideals among the people.

The movement was named Romantic during the 18th century in England and France –‘Romantique’(French), meant beautiful scenery or in general, the praise of a natural phenomenon such as sunsets. And since the art movement placed a lot of emphasis on nature and its beauty, the name stuck on.

But if one were to define what the movement really was, poet and critic Charles Baudelaire put it rather succinctly in 1846-“Romanticism is precisely situated neither in choice of subject nor in exact truth, but in a way of feeling”.

Examples of Romantic art:

Wanderer above the sea of fog: Painted in 1818 by Caspar David Friedrich, considered the most important German romantic artist, the painting shows a man is formal clothing standing on top of a mountain of rocks with his back to the viewer. The viewer can see a thick blanket of fog and his contemplative body language. The artist aims to show how small humans are in comparison to the grandness of nature.

The Raft of the Medusa: Medusa was a ship that fought in the Napoleonic wars. It survived them all but crashed in 1816 in a sandbank while transporting people to Senegal. The 400 people in it were forced to evacuate and over 150 of them set said on a small raft. They went through many ordeals and 13 days later, when the raft was found, only 15 men were alive. The artist Theodore Gericault studied the scandal and created this masterpiece. This painting is considered one of the most iconic in French Romantic art.

Liberty Leading the People: Liberty is a folk goddess in French culture – not only is she goddess but also women of the people. And so, during the French revolution, she was personified in many works of art. This painting by EUGENE Delacroix commemorates the July revolution of 1830 in which king Charles X was overthrown. Here, Liberty is leading the people of France to victory. The goddess also inspired the Statue of Liberty in New York.

 

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In the late 1800s, there was a change of thought among some artists. This was around the time that scientific thinking was beginning to spread, and so the idea that what the eye saw and the brain transmitted were two different things was something that artists pounced upon. This new group, with its bright unblended colours and short brushstrokes wanted to create art out of an impression, a fleeting second in time. These paintings were part of Impressionism.

In 1870, the Anonymous Society of Painters organized an exhibition in Paris where they displayed art that went against what was taught at major institutions and what artists in the era strived to be. The sketch-like paintings that many critics called ‘unfinished’, was the birth of Impressionism and focused on light and its effect on the surroundings. The founding members of this movement were Claude Monet, Edger Degas and Camille Pissarro. In fact, it was Monet’s painting “Impression, Sunrise” that gave the movement its name, since a critic called it an ‘impression’ of a painting.

As more painters got drawn to this style, they began to leave their studios and step outside to catch moments to paint. Everyday suburban and rural leisure became popular muses for these painters. Hence, boating and bathing establishments that flourished in that time became popular haunts for impressionists. They used brighter and innovative colours, coloured shadows and even featured industrialisation encroaching on the serenity of the landscape. This would have been allowed in the traditional painting style.

The moment was fleeting and powerful, and eventually, the collective of painters that began and nurtured it developed their own distinct styles, causing raptures in the organisation. Many began to focus on the purity of colour, thereby creating Neo-Impressionism.

Examples

Impression Sunrise:

Painted by Claude Monet in 1872, the painting became a symbol of Impressionism after it gave the movement its name. The subject is the Le Havre harbour in France or so it is suggested, since the brushstrokes are very loose and not defined. Monet captures the scene through light and colour rather than definition.

Le Boulevard Montmartre, effet de nuit:

This painting by Camille Pissarro depicts a scene of Paris in the 19th Century. Pissarro took a room on the Montmartre Boulevard and painted it at different times of the day. This one, painted at night, plays exclusively on light to capture the dramatic effect of the movement.

Paris Street; Rainy Day:

Considered one of the most ambitious paintings of urban lifestyle in the 19th Century, this painting by Gustave Caillebotte depicts de Dublin, an interesting near Gare Saint-Lazare in Paris. The painting was appreciated for its precision and photograph-like quality. Caillebotte creates the idea of overcast, rainy day just through the light and the reflection on water on the street.

Wow facts

• Impressionists were more concerned with the light and colour of the moment than its vivid details. They mostly painted outdoors and worked quickly to capture the moment before the light changed. For this, they used brush strokes and unmixed colour to save time. Often they had very unusual visual angles too.


• Impressionists were often accused of having unfinished paintings and dealing with social or banal subjects. Most of them could not sell their paintings and lived in poverty for years. In fact, Van Gogh – a post-Impressionist artist – sold only one painting in his lifetime and his buyer was his brother!

 

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A post-World War II movement that developed in New York in the mid 1940s. abstract Expressionism was all about filling the canvas with vibrant brushstrokes that exuded intense emotions. The most famous painters of this movement are Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning and Franz Kitne. The movement inspired artists to create monumentally-sized works that represented the inner psyche, breaking away from traditional forms of art.

The name Abstract Expressionism came to be accepted by the group of artists since they all expressed intense emotions and universal themes but were also inspired by Surrealist art. In the beginning, the artists looked at primitive and ancient cultures to inspire them, and hence, their early works had pictographic elements. Later on, the movement showcased different techniques of abstraction developed along the way. In 1947, Jackson Pollock developed a radical new technique, wherein he dripped and poured paint on a canvas. The paintings were large in scale and shocked many viewers, who were also exposed to Kooing’s new style of using figurative elements in abstract style.

The first generation of abstract expressionists grew between the mid-1940s and 1950s and changed the focus of the art world from Paris to New York. And, in a time of uncertainty and doubt, this movement emerged as the first authentically American avant garde art movement.

Examples

Excavation: This painting, made in 1950 by Willem de Kooning, showcases his innovative brushstroke techniques and organisation of space. It has a great mix of tension between abstraction and figurative elements. Over six-and-a-half feet tall and eight feet wide, this painting is the biggest he ever made.

The Moon Woman: This Jackson Pollock painting was during the days he shifted from Regionalism to Abstract Expressionism. There is a moon woman, a regionalist theme, strong and challenging. But there is also more because the painting doesn’t merely show everything clearly but abstracts it, and adds fiery colours to elevate its intensity. This is the perfect juxtaposition of two art movements.

Symphony No. 1, The Transcendental: Richard Pousette-Dart painted this monumental piece thick with dark colours. The work is a mix of Cubism, Surrealism, Abstract Expressionism and mural painting. The title allows us to believe that Pousette-Dart was trying to create an elevated, aesthetic experience, like an orchestral symphony.

Wow Facts

• Due to the chaos and tumultuous times in Europe, many artists migrated to New York, and suddenly, New York became the centre of modern art. And Abstract Expressionism, deemed an American art movement, created art that was large, individualistic and romantic.


• In the 1940s, Jackson Pollock’s approach to art changed the potential of contemporary art and redefined it. His technique of dripping paint on canvas to express intense emotions made him realize that the journey of making art was as important as the art itself.

 

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Regionalism (1930 to 1935 AD)

During the Great Depression, many American artists rejected urban and modern art movements and went back to traditional paintings and using art as a form of storytelling. Regionalism was born. The artists so they can be enjoyed by a larger audience. The art depicted rural and rustic America, particularly the Midwest and the Deep South, and was appreciated for the positive images it created during a hard time.

What regionalists tried to do was to create something distinctly American, and rejected the idea of abstraction. So they painted the rustic world around them – farmers, ranches, the atmosphere, small cities, everyday life and generally imbibed American culture and traditions into their art. Three artists were at the forefront of this movement – Grant Wood, John Steuart Curry and Thomas Hart Benton.

Unlike other art movements that had a manifesto and agenda, Regionalism developed rather organically. It was a natural response to a situation, and this is probably also why it didn’t last long. At the end of World War II, Regionalism lost its status. There was peace and prosperity and the upcoming Cold War also changed the political and social situations, which led to the movement’s decline.

Examples

American Gothic: This 1930 piece by Grant Wood is instantly recognisable as one of America’s timeless works of art. It shows an aloof couple, where the man stares straight at the viewer at the while the woman looks at the frame.

The People of Chilmark: Thomas Hart Benton summered in the Chilmark area of Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts, where he found several inspirations to paint – from waves and boats to dramatic skies and people. “ The People of Chilmark” was one of his works there, and it featured family and friends busy with several activities from boating to playing basketball.

Baptism in Kansas: Painted in 1928 by John Steuart Curry, this painting depicts a baptism in a water tank. The sky has a dove and raven, a reference to the birds Noah first released from the Ark. The painting has spiritual and religious significance.

Wow facts

• All three artists of the Regionalist movement studied in Paris and grew to create art distinctly American. They believed that the solution to the Great Depression and all of America’s problems was for it to return agrarian roots.


• Regionalism became a bridge between abstract and realistic art, so much so that following this movement came the intense and daring Abstract Expressionism. This is similar to how Impressionism was a bridge between academic art and post-Impressionism.

 

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