Let’s introduce another Dada who was smart, had a sense of humor, wasted, and caused greater damage to Western modern art, Marcel Duchamp.

He is also an artist that I personally like very much. Or in his own words, "non-artist". His most famous deed may be that he took a urinal "Fountain" to an exhibition in 1917.

Duchamp

Fountain

1917

However, Duchamp did not devote himself to "non-art" from the beginning. It was a very long and complicated process, with many interesting accidents in it. In this lecture, we will first introduce Duchamp’s early creations and see what he looked like when he was “painting well”.

Duchamp’s family

Duchamp was born in 1887 in Blainville, a small town 19 kilometers north of Rouen, France. He is the third child in the family. The two older brothers changed their names after becoming artists. The eldest brother changed his name to Jack Villon. He is a painter and did not become famous until he was over seventy. The second brother's name was changed to Simon Villon. He was a sculptor and died in World War I. Why did the two brothers change their names? Because Duchamp means "field" in French, which is too rustic for an artist.

Duchamp’s father was a tax collector in a small town tax office. Although unremarkable, he married into a good family. My father-in-law used to make a fortune as a freight forwarder, so when he married his daughter, he gave her a large dowry. Duchamp's father was very shrewd. He used his daughter-in-law's dowry to buy the notary business in the town of Blainville.

It was very difficult to be a notary in France at that time, because people were used to notarizing big and small matters, contracts, sales and inheritance. In this way, the notary knows exactly which assets in the town are undervalued, and who makes what business and how much money they make. Duchamp's father relied on information asymmetry to make a lot of money in addition to notary fees.

Duchamp’s father was also very liberal. Four of the six children wanted to study art, and he didn't stop them. Each person was given a monthly living allowance of 150 francs, and every expense was recorded and then deducted from their share of the inheritance. This is really a very reasonable approach.

If Duchamp’s father solved his financial problems, then his mother provided him with artistic talent.

Duchamp’s grandfather retired early because he got rich, and then devoted himself to painting. His works were even selected into the official salon and he was a very good landscape painter.

Emile Frederic Nicolle (Duchamp’s maternal grandfather) Emile Frederic Nicolle

The Village

1889

< p>His mother was influenced by both her ears and her eyes, and also liked painting and music. However, when Duchamp was born, he was almost completely deaf due to illness. Deafness greatly affects a mother's emotional expression to her child. This had a great impact on Duchamp.

Duchamp had a calm personality all his life. He was willing to do anything, but just wanted to take things as they came. With such a young man's demeanor and extremely handsome appearance, he has a good rapport with women throughout his life.

Impressionism and Fauvism

Duchamp left home when he was 8 years old and went to study at the Lycée Corneille in Rouen. This school is very good. In addition to the dramatist Corneille, Corot, Maupassant and Flaubert also came from this school.

While at school, Duchamp won a mathematics competition in 1902, and when he graduated, he also won the medal of the "Art Association" of Rouen. This medal is only awarded to the most talented child in the school. If it were an ordinary child, this achievement would already be something to be proud of. But you must know that Duchamp stopped painting later, specialized in chess, and even represented France in the World Series. His head is not an ordinary head. So he only passed the exam in other subjects in middle school, entirely because he didn't study hard enough.

Let’s look at two works by Duchamp when he was in middle school. Although it can't be said to be brilliant, it is still a decent impressionist style and shows good basic skills.

Duchamp

Landscape at Blainville

1902

Duchamp

Blainville Church at Blainville

1902

In the autumn of 1904, 17-year-old Duchamp went to Paris to join his two brothers and embarked on his journey as an artist. However, Duchamp was not admitted to the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris. This incident made Duchamp feel very embarrassed. Since then, he has adopted a bohemian style and no longer wants to become famous or rich. He thinks that he can earn some income as a cartoonist, plus his father's 150 francs per month, so that he can have enough to eat. At least that's what Duchamp himself said.

In 1905, Matisse and his Fauvism made a splash at the Autumn Salon. This incident touched Picasso, as well as Duchamp. Although Matisse and others abandoned Fauvism painting after 1908, Duchamp always insisted on this creative technique.

Duchamp

Man Seated by a Window

1907

In 1909, he painted a The painting "Nude on the Sofa" was even bought by the American dancer Duncan as a gift to a close friend. Because Duncan did not say who specifically sent it, the whereabouts of the painting was unknown. But the style should be similar to this painting "Nude Girl in Black Stockings". They all use black edges to form an outline, and then use thick strokes to fill in subjective colors.

Duchamp

Nude with Black Stockings

1910

In addition to always adhering to the Fauvist painting method, Duchamp Another difference from Matisse is that Duchamp did not compress the space into a complete plane, but retained the Manet-style shallow space. This mixed style shows Duchamp's hesitation. He is still making careful attempts at various genres.

In 1910, Duchamp became obsessed with Cézanne again. When we look at his "Portrait of Father", "Playing Chess" and "Two Nude Girls" created in 1910, it is obvious that he was influenced by Cézanne.

Duchamp

Portrait of the Artist's Father

1910

Duchamp

Two Two Nudes

1910

Among the works of this period, the best one is "Playing Chess", which is obviously imitating Cézanne's "The Card Players". The difference is that in addition to the two brothers playing chess, Duchamp also painted the two sisters-in-law to reflect the boredom and boredom of married life.

Duchamp

Chess Game

1910

Cezanne

The Card Players< /p>

1890

Although Duchamp was married twice and the last marriage was very happy, he spent his life denigrating and attacking the institution of marriage. He said, "Wives, children, houses, cars... these are all things that life forces on men, and I don't want any of them." What's funny is that among the six brothers and sisters of Duchamp, only he gave birth to a daughter. , but an illegitimate daughter.

However, the period during which Duchamp was influenced by Cézanne was not long, only more than a year. Moreover, during this period, there was a very important difference between Duchamp and Cézanne.

Cezanne regarded himself as a scientist and wanted to "find the harmonious relationship between the various elements of painting", so of course he had to avoid and oppose the specific meaning of the painting. Many of Duchamp's works pursue some kind of symbolic "meaning". This is a very important key to understanding Duchamp's future artistic direction.

In other words, what Duchamp pursues in painting is not the visual effect, but the concept. He wanted a painting to represent the thoughts in his head.

The period of Analytical Cubism

By 1910, the Analytical Cubism of Picasso and Braque had a great influence. A group of painters gathered around Duchamp's eldest brother Jack Villon. They discussed the internal structure of atoms, the theory of relativity, and four-dimensional space every day, and also followed Analytical Cubism.

Because Duchamp’s two brothers, as well as the aforementioned painter Kupka, all lived in the city of Puteaux, west of Paris, this group of people was called the Puteaux Group. Plance, the mathematician who had previously made the equations for Picasso, was driven away by Picasso because he had to order something every time he went to Picasso's studio. The Pito Group also invited him here and asked him to write equations. It’s such a learning atmosphere.

Although everyone is engaged in Analytical Cubism, there are several reasons that led to Picasso and the Pito Group not having contact with each other.

The first reason is that in 1903, when Picasso first moved his large bags and small rolls to Montmartre, Duchamp's eldest brother thought he was evading the rent and laughed at Picasso in public. Is Spain trying to take advantage of us? That's pretty much what it means. This incident bothered Picasso for many years.

The second reason is that both Picasso and Braque were contracted painters by the art dealer Kahnweiler, and their paintings were exhibited in Kahnweiler's gallery. The Peto Group came to learn their skills every day, and Kahnweiler was very annoyed and called them fakes and second-rate goods.

The third reason is that if you engage in analytical cubism, you will have to talk about Riemannian geometry, Poincaré’s four-dimensional space, Einstein’s theory of relativity, and Thomson’s plum pudding atomic model every day. of. Well, the eldest brother Duchamp studied law and the second brother studied medicine. They are both serious intellectuals. Although they didn't really understand these advanced gadgets, Picasso and Braque didn't dare to meet them because opening their mouths would definitely reveal their timidity.

This led to a strange phenomenon. Brother Duchamp and his Pito Group beat gongs and drums every day to organize Cubism exhibitions, but Picasso and Braque never participated. Later, many people said, look at Picasso, he is a great artist, quiet and far-reaching, indifferent and clear-minded, blabla. In fact, it is not because of this.

Duchamp is smart and good at mathematics. His eldest brother is also the leader of the Pito Group.

Of course he was immediately fascinated by Analytical Cubism. Salon hostess Gertrude Stein once recalled: "Duchamp was very shy and didn't like to talk in crowded places. But you must never mention the fourth dimension. When he mentioned this, he couldn't stop the car. ."

We look at his 1911 "Serenade", "Portrait of Sister Susanna" and "The Chess Player". They are all in the style of analytical cubism.

Duchamp

Sonata

1911

Duchamp

Portrait of Chess Players

p>

1911

Duchamp

Portrait of Susanna About Young Sister

1911

This "Portrait of Susanna" is quite interesting , it is worth saying a few more words. Duchamp painted his sister very thin, and it would be impossible for a normal person to be that thin. Then he drew a circle of white around his sister's body. Why is this?

Because at that time, everyone talked about science and loved science, but the problem was that no one could really understand the theory of relativity in four-dimensional space. In this kind of anxiety and frustration, all kinds of strange forces and chaos come out. In 1895, Roentgen invented X-ray and said that there was a type of ray that could pass through walls without being damaged. Everyone thinks this is so magical, so painters like to express this effect in their works. Duchamp was obsessed with this for a while. He painted a circle of white around his sister's body, which was imitating the effect of an X-ray.

Duchamp

Young Girl and Man in Spring

1911

Duchamp

The Bush

1911

Well, it’s quite messy. Let’s summarize. Although Duchamp didn't come from a wealthy family, his father was very reasonable. Four of his six children were involved in the arts, and he supported them financially. In addition, his maternal grandfather and mother both had high accomplishments in painting and music. For a child who is interested in art, such family conditions are really ideal.

The biggest characteristic of Duchamp is that he is smart and has a very good brain. After he devoted himself to art and went to Paris in 1904, he was successively influenced by Impressionism, Fauvism and Cézanne. Then in 1911, he joined the Peto Group led by his eldest brother and entered the period of Analytical Cubism, which was a smooth journey.

At the Independent Salon held in March 1912, the Peto Group attached great importance to organizing a group to participate in the exhibition and took the leadership of Analytical Cubism in one fell swoop. Everyone is gearing up. The work submitted by Duchamp is this "Nude Descending Stairs". But unexpectedly, it turned over this time.

Duchamp

Nude Descending a Staircase, No. 2

1912

Normally, this is not What a new painting method? Haven't Futurist painters already used this kind of thing to express movement? For example, the painting "The Dynamics of a Tethered Dog" painted by Bala.

Giacomo Barra

Dynamism of a Dog on a Leash

1912

1 Duchamp's involvement in Dada and "anti-art" did not happen in one step, but went through a long and complicated process.

2 After Duchamp devoted himself to art and went to Paris in 1904, he was successively influenced by Impressionism, Fauvism and Cezanne.

2 In 1911, Duchamp joined the Pito Group led by his eldest brother and entered the period of Analytical Cubism. But the Pito Group has no dealings with Picasso and Braque.

Miss Sweet:

In 1917, Duchamp and his friends went to J. L. Mott's iron workshop, which sold bathroom facilities, and bought an ordinary white-ground The white porcelain urinal, which Duchamp then brought back to the studio. It was flipped 90 degrees from its normal use position, making it look like it was upside down. Then, on the right side of the water pipe joint, a pseudonym of "R. Mutt 1917" was painted in black paint (there are different opinions on why such a name was given, one of which is that it was adapted from the name of this workshop, Mott), and then, The name "Spring" was given to this work. He anonymously sent it to the American Independent Artists Exhibition to be exhibited as a work of art. But the council held a lengthy discussion over whether the work submitted by "Mr Mutt" was a work of art. In the end, this work, which was regarded as a joke, was placed behind the exhibition wall of the exhibition venue and was not officially exhibited. Duchamp protested against the Board of Directors of the Independent Artists Association, believing that it could not fairly judge his work "Fountain", so he decided to withdraw from the Board of Directors. In 2005, his urinal was rated by 500 important art world authorities around the world as the work of art with the greatest impact on art history. We return to the Council's question, what is art? If "urinal" is art, what else is not art? If there is nothing that is not art, then everything is art.

If everything is art, it means nothing is art. If nothing is art, then art will only be left with questions and inquiries about art itself. The concept of art becomes blurred and broader, and it directly engages in equal dialogue with life. Just as Wittgenstein led philosophy to the world of language, Duchamp introduced painting to the realm of artistic freedom: he selected common daily necessities and transformed them into works of art. In this process, the artist's role is to give meaning to the objects. Duchamp's theory has three key points: 1. The selection of an object is itself a creative act; 2. By removing the "useful" function of the object it becomes art; 3. The presentation of the object and the addition of a title give it "new ideas" ". Well, I feel like I'm ahead of what Teacher Gu will talk about tomorrow.

Ryan:

Duchamp's "normal" paintings are actually very interesting. Picasso also had a similar process. His works as a boy were astonishing in skill, but they lacked "ideological concepts". And with the blessing of "the trend of the times", it seems that it is still a follower. A kind of witchcraft, if the props are consistent, then the psychic effect can only be achieved by changing the way the props are used and the content presented. If this idea is applied to painting, we can generally understand the evolution of the artistic styles of Picasso and Duchamp. Bold I made a guess: each individual individual of the unconventional artists since the late 19th century is almost a simple art history. Then I thought of what Mr. Acheng mentioned in the book "Common Sense and General Knowledge": "Art is first self-hypnosis, and the resulting works hypnotize the reader" and "Movies are the most hypnotic art. Combining all the artistic means that humans have worked hard to accumulate and displaying them in a dark room, the cinema was born to imitate the hypnotist's treatment room."

I am who I am:

Coming from a well-off family, being influenced by the family’s artistic atmosphere, and having a smart little brain, Duchamp really has the right place and the right people on the road of art. He was influenced by Manet, Matisse, Cézanne and the Cubist Analysis School along the way, and he painted in a decent way for many years. But he did not insist on exploring scientific laws and embodying scientific elements in his paintings like Cézanne and Picasso. His early paintings not only presented visual effects, but also contained some thoughts and concepts in his own mind. He was a thoughtful person. Painter, this is what makes him unique. "Chess Game", two couples, four people, the man is concentrating on playing chess, the woman is not communicating together (or maybe everything that needs to be said has been said), she is bored and has her own thoughts beside her, and the flowers of waiting have faded... ... "Serenade", I like this painting very much. The colors are elegant. The four women are sitting or standing, playing or playing, as if they can hear the beautiful melody hovering in the air. "Young Men and Women in Spring", how can I think of Adam and Eve? What about apple picking in the Garden of Eden? Is it a metaphor for not listening to God’s instructions and not taking the ordinary path? Or I'm overthinking "Nude Girl Descending the Stairs No. 2". I didn't feel it when I watched it for the first time in the previous course, but now I watch it: the stairs, the swinging arms, the big breasts and the buttocks, the flying skirt, all of a sudden Yes, it’s really a strange feeling. Did the title of the painting give me a hint? Did my subconscious mobilize this concrete image? This is the fun part of appreciating paintings. You and the paintings can communicate, like having heart-to-heart conversations again and again, looking forward to Teacher Gu's next lecture - an "anti-art" Duchamp! Why does a good road take a turn?

Mermaid?♀?Wandou:

The interesting free soul Marcel Duchamp, one of the earliest practitioners of olfactory art, would paint a small picture of the Mona Lisa. A man with a beard is destined to be deviant and independent. He can always live his life the way he likes. He is not imprisoned by the things around him at all. He lives so freely and freely. He said: "I like breathing even more than working."

Mao Kai:

Duchamp really learned what he wanted, and all styles are quite solid. This is not easy for an artist - he has to learn these things. For painting schools that are contradictory and related to each other, it is definitely not possible to just hire a master. Most of them need to be taught by themselves, which is really amazing.

Shan Hongwei:

Duchamp’s analysis of the Cubist period works has a sense of technology, such as the chess players and the naked woman walking down the stairs, and the Autobot leader Titanium before Optimus Prime in Transformers The master looks like him.