The Armory Show is like no other in that rather than displaying a cohesive curatorial job, it instead appears to be vast space in which ideas from different philosophies on art and the rapidly industrializing world are constantly ricocheting off of each other, leaving traditional, naturalistic works on one wall and revolutionary cubist canvases on another. The radical new art forms that the modern world inspired naturally brought about some stark opposition, however some responses were much more ambivalent.

George Bellows, an American artist, is a classic example. Having never traveled to Europe, the Armory Show was his first experience with European modernism. His recognition of the changing world is evident in the fairly contempo-

rary subject matter of his 1912 painting Circus, as well as his frequent paintings of metropolitan life. Circus demonstrates Bellows’ indifference to Cubism (he is quoted as claiming “They have arrived on the borderland of possible technical discoveries which may or may not be new and which may or may not be valuable.”, of the Cubists), but the emphasis on the beautifully expressive and glowing performer in the center explains his attraction to the vibrantly colored works of other modernists such as Auguste Renoir, Georges Seurat, Vincent van Gogh, Henri Matisse, and André Derain. Although the piece does not represent any revolutionary thinking, it nonetheless is a gorgeous snapshot of vertical, horizontal, and circular motion and modern life; a sort of functioning solar system with a compelling spritely sun at its center.

 Similarly to Bellows’, Robert Henri’s intentions are difficult to discern. Henri, the leader of the urban realist Aschan school, painted Figure in Motion specifically for the Armory Show, departing from his characteristic subject matter. While he protested the restrictive standards of academic painting, it is obvious that he did not succumb completely to modernism in this painting. However, the title “Figure in Motion” seems to be a nod to other nudes in the show, such as Duchamp’s Nude Descending a Staircase, No. 2 and Matisse’s Blue Nude, but his reaction is ambiguous. The soft, sensuous figure retains the same integrity as traditional nudes, but the subtle suggestions of motion, painterly strokes, and cropped hair lend a modern touch, placing him in the same ambivalent realm as Bellows.

The circulation of ideas that occurred during this era was obviously encouraged prolific experimentation amongst artists. In order to take advantage of the diverse influx of ideas, many artists began using paper in order to test their hand at these modern practices.

John Marin’s studies of the Woolworth Building were some of the most discussed pieces at the Armory Show and they perfectly demonstrate the capacity of paper (and watercolor, for that matter) to encourage experimentation. These watercolors are marvelous studies that apply the motion and musical quality of the city to a static structure, with generously abstracted results that reflect a contemporary aesthetic as well as modern subject matter. Marin’s brushwork evokes a sensation of pushing and pulling forces, a sensation that is reiterated throughout the Armory  thanks to the whirlwind of ideas and opinions that were manifested in the revolutionary show.