“Ugly, vulgar, crude, monstrous, brutal, savage, hideous, grotesque” are only some of the words art critics of the 1900’s used to describe the 1913 art exhibit now on display at the New York Armory. The exhibition began in New York City’s 69th Regiment Armory and lasted from from February 17 until March 15, 1913. Being the first exhibition of modern art in the United States, the reaction was to be expected. At the time the nation was moving towards the end of the Progressive Era; an Era The New York Historical Society website explains “was an era of change and New York was the capital of the new; drawing the latest movements in politics, social reform, progressive thought, developments in communication, and modern architecture.” Although critics of the past such as Kenyon Cox viewed the art shown as “the total destruction of the art of painting”, critics now view the paintings as remarkable pieces.
http://armory.nyhistory.org/category/artworks/
One art piece that immediately caught my attention was Vampire by expressionist Edvard Munch. Although originally named Love and Pain many at the time only saw the scene that would be repulsive to many people of the time; a woman sucking a mans blood. Vampires usually represent evil, blood, sin, and even a bit of chaos. The choice of using black for a background adds to this evil mood. The idea of such a monstrous creature being a female I’m sure also added to critic’s disgust. The idea of a woman possibly having this type of control over a man would have been such a foreign idea to New Yorkers at the time. However while I look at the painting I see more thank just a vampire and a man. I see two lovers showing how painful love can really be. I see a man who sacrifices himself for his lover. He gives her what she needs to stay alive because it’s the only option she has. The painting shows how love can be both pure and evil; a truth many New Yorkers in the 1900’s wouldn’t have accepted.
http://armory.nyhistory.org/category/artworks/
Another piece I also found myself fascinated by is Madonna by Edvard Munch. In this painting, Munch focuses on a woman which he shows by using such a light color against a dark background. The woman in the painting seems to have her arms up to her ears possibly silencing her from the darkness surrounding her. Her facial expression reminds me of when I try to be oblivious to everything around me so that I can find peace. As Sarah Hussain wrote in her blog post, “the portrayal of the victimized woman could relate to how women were feeling around [the time]”. At the time women still had little to no rights so Munch may have been trying to portray that through his painting.
Whatever it be that the artists were trying to portray through the Armory Show, they definitely made an impression. All of the art works brought something new into the art world and who knows what art would be now without the Armory Show.
Ashley, You completely grab your reader’s attention with that first sentence. You give an good sense of the context of the original exhibit. And your commentary on the paintings shows that you looked long and hard at them and gave them some thought. It is difficult to synthesize the formal analysis with social commentary. It is true that there is a sense in which Munch’s depictions of women seem very distressing. It would take more research to really get at the full meaning of all this. But, I think it is fair to say that his depiction of the female form has something to do both with his perception of women and their condition in the world of his time. You might want to look into this further to see what others have written about Munch’s depiction of women.