Sunday, August 28, 2011

Art History Is Not Linear No. 2


Earlier this month, I published a posting describing how I tried to instill in art students the idea that art history is not linear, and that the totality of art is a never-ending circle of inspiration. Then I showed paired examples that crossed time and cultures, which can be found here.

I couldn't help adding a few more, as I will continue to do.

Marcantonio Raimondi, 1520   |   Edouard Manet, 1863


Eskimo seal-hunting stool, 1850s*   |   Magis Gallery coffee table, 2011



Leonardo da Vinci, 1509   |   Buckminster Fuller, 1967*



Lascaux cave painting, C. 15,000-10,000 B.C.   |   Utagawa Kuniyoshi, 1837



Antoni Gaudi, chimneys of Casa Mila, 1912  |  Jonathan Adler ceramics, 2011



Leonardo da Vinci, 1499   |   M. C. Escher, 1969

* The photograph of the Eskimo stool is from
Crossroads of Siberia and Alaska,
by William W. Fitzhugh and Aron Crowell.

* The photograph of Buckminster Fuller's Montreal Biosphere
is by Ryan Mallard
.

24 comments:

  1. The Gaudi chimneys look like they in turn were derived from some primitive source. In that sense they remind me of a sewage treatment plant in Bali (Taiwan, not Indonesia) where the treatment towers were decorated with motifs from prehistoric art excavated in the vicinity.

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  2. Another great selection, and yes you did surprise me with the Lascaux cave painting - I have never heard of Utagawa Kuniyoshi before, but good choice. Is the coffee table Scandanavian? it looks 1960s.

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  3. Hello Mark, Fascinating subject. So glad you have decided to continue with this theme. I look forward to seeing more. Have a great week.
    Gina

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  4. Hi, Parnassus - I agree that the Gaudi chimney designs have a very primitive look – I could easily see them as African masks upon long necks.

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  5. Hi, Gina - I'm already working on the next installment, and of course the possibilities are endless!

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  6. Hi, Rosemary - the coffee table comes from Magis Gallery, a Miami-based company that features a lot of retro furniture designs.

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  7. Hello Mark:
    What interesting pairings you delight us with here. Such fun to see compositions and designs reworked with centuries between them. Kuniyoshi iscompletely unknown to us so we shall investigate further.

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  8. Hello Jane and Lance: My example of Utagawa Kuniyoshi's work is a tame example. An apt description of his designs would be "fantastic," in every sense of the word! Looking at his blockprints, I am guessing that Kuniyoshi must have had a powerhouse personality.

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  9. Another intriguing comparison post, Mark. I love these. Can't wait to see more.

    The Manet one is an eye opener.

    The DaVinci comparisons also.

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  10. Hi, Yvette - The challenge for me will be to limit how many times I make comparisons to da Vinci, he was such a universal and modern man!

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  11. Mark , another completely wonderful selection. In an oblique sort of way it reminds me of a series of paintings Picasso did with Goya's Infanta ? as inspiration.

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  12. Hi, David - You make the exact point that I was trying to get across to my students. There was Picasso, the Cubist master, looking back through all of art history.

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  13. I am all over this post- You are a genius Mark Ruffner! Great comparisons!

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  14. Thank you so much, Theresa. You made my day!

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  15. amazing post, i think you've chosen some great examples.

    Costin M.

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  16. Thank you, Costin - I enjoyed looking at your style blog as well.

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  17. Mark this all so true. and by the way I love that you are teaching. I can't think of a teacher I would rather have. The Eskimo stool is a brilliant touch!

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  18. Thanks so much, Kevin! The teaching I referred to was in the distant past, but perhaps there are still some classes in the future — I'd love to teach art history!

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  19. I really enjoyed your post today. Thank You for sharing very intresting images......Julian

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  20. Thanks for visiting, Julian! More comparisons are under the same title in the sidebar ...

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  21. What an exciting post. Puts "modern" narcissism in its place ( or it should).

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  22. Thanks, Valerie - I often look at art from the distanct past (the work of El Greco, for example) and think that such artists would be very comfortable working in the present.

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