Dada Manifesto continued

The pillars of society, George Grosz 1893-1959

http://www.artyfactory.com/art_appreciation/art_movements/dadaism.htm

George Grosz was born in Berlin. He was a prominent member of Dada and the Communist Party of Germany. He was later influenced by expressionism and futurism.  

Grosz’s   paintings are crude, to the point and politically motivated. It tells people what is going on behind closed doors, of people in high office.

       The faces of the characters in the picture are dirty, smoggy, not healthy and puppet-like. Their stance is deceptive politicians or people of the justice system portraying their greed, hate, and deception (there it is nihilism).  A war goes on outside, the city is on fire yet they pay no attention. The painter does not think highly of the characters in the picture, one has feces for brain; the other worms and the next has a urinal on his head. The painter clearly despises the characters. I’m still trying to figure out the meaning of the feather in the man’s hand in the brown suit. Does this mean he has a fetish of some sort? The characters in the picture are not for the people, but for themselves and of destruction.

The Café Terrace at Night, 1886, Vincent Van Gogh

http://www.artyfactory.com/art_appreciation/timelines/modern_art_timeline.htm

Vincent Van Gogh was born In Groot-Zundart. He was trained as an art dealer in Hague and London. He was an apprentice and study under his cousin, the artist Anton Mauve. He was later inspired in 1886 by impressionism. He experimented with oil painting and water colors and commonly used landscapes, scenery and figures to express himself. Van Gogh’s styles of painting, the dark earthy colors of traditional Dutch art and the vibrant hues of impressionism were commonly used. He committed suicide due to depression at the age of thirty seven.  After his death he was considered a renowned impressionist.

      The lines of the buildings are defined; even the cobblestones are intricately detailed and neatly drawn. Of course he loves to use constellations in his paintings. The colors are vibrant but not overwhelming. The scenery is calm, for a midnight walk or visits the local coffee shop. The night-sky is such a dark contrast to the softer colors of the village. This is also how we live in contrast, no matter how difficult or unforeseen we have to make light (or the best) of it. I really enjoy his paintings. All of the paintings contain contrasts of light, dark, good and bad and that is reality. Nihilism exist whether we want it or not. 




References:http://www.artyfactory.com/art_appreciation/art_movements/dadaism.htm

http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Dada_Manifesto_(1916,_Hugo_Ball)--Dadaism, Hugo Ball, "Dada Manifesto"