What was once astonishing and scandalous for the population of 1913 can now be considered a brilliant form of expression. In 1913, the nation was at the end of the Progressive Era. They were developing socially, politically, and scientifically. Of course, with change comes the transformation of art. The Armory Show is a representation of that change. Until then, art was realistic. Most works of art were focused on everyday life. The Armory Show was revolutionary in the fact that it displayed modern art: art that had hardly ever been shown before. It focused on Fauvism, Cubism, and Futurism.

This can be shown in Paul Gaugin’s painting, “Parau na te Varua ino” (Words of the Devil).

This painting portrays a belief in Tahitian culture of a devil that can paralyze a woman by fear. This painting was very controversial, one teacher even calling it “nasty, obscene, indecent, immoral, lewd, and demoralizing.” Others saw this painting as great symbolism. This mixed review exemplifies the gradual and hesitant progression of society towards modern art.

Another controversial piece is the infamous “Nude Descending a Staircase ” by Marcel Duchamp. The nude, once a customary subject, had been turned into an abstract piece. Not only was there much debate about the painting, there were also many parodies to follow. One parody was named “Rude Descending a Staircase (Rush Hour at the Subway)”.

This piece is a mockery not only of ”Nude Descending a Staircase”, but also Cubist art as a whole.

Trying to educate instead of shock the viewers, Chavannes showed a more traditional type of painting, “Le Verger, Les Enfants au verger, L’Automne”.

Shown are children gathering fruit in front of their mother. Both conservative and modern artists admired his work. His painting allowed the more traditional artists to have a taste of modern art without scaring them away.

Even though this work was astonishing to the viewers of 1913, it has become revolutionary to the ways in which art is understood today. Only 100 years after The Armory Show, we have come to the point where we can be open to the constantly changing world of art. Even though we are still progressing, the Progressive movement definitely helped us move forward into a new era of expression.

One of my favorite pieces at the Armory Show was “White Slave,” which is a sculpture by Abastenia St. Eberle.  The title is a euphemism for child prostitution.  I liked it because of its blatant social and feminine message, and because of its theme of cruelty and restraint.  This lack of freedom was important to Eberle, who was a progressive as well as a suffragette.  I also found this piece meaningful because, although it comments on issues of the artist’s times, it transcends eras and can be a message for everyone in relation to many different topics.  It can speak to someone personally of an internal struggle he or she is going through.  It was eery how well Eberle was able to universally represent something so personal and emotional.  Taking out the historical context, to me the naked girl represents our vulnerabilities, weakness, and insecurities laid out bare before us, and the man represents our demons.  This was an extremely powerful and deep work of art that really stuck with me.

I also liked the portrait “Man on a Balcony” by Albert Gleizes.  This painting strongly reminded me of DuChamp’s “Nude Descending a Staircase” because of their intentional distortion of reality and abstract qualities.  The subject of Gleizes’ piece, though, is more discernible than DuChamp’s, but I still had to study it for a while to fully see it.  I liked his use of distinct geometric shapes to create a whole image.  Although at first glance this piece appeared fragmented to me, after analyzing it for a while, I found it to be harmonious and flowing.  I think this is in part due to the colors of the painting, which are subtle and understated and universal throughout.  Gleizes was a founder of Cubism, which is displayed in this work.  I find paintings that illustrate Cubism interesting, not only for their aesthetic qualities, but also because of what they represent.  Cubism emerged as a reaction against classicalism and was used as a mode of expressing individuality and rebelling against the norm.  In a way, it was a means of attainting freedom.  I think this is important because freedom is an age-old theme and goal that we are still trying to grasp today.  That makes these paintings very relatable and meaningful.

In gallery H, the “radical” gallery of the Armory Show, there was a wall covered with written responses to the original exhibition.  There were the words “ugly,” “vulgar,” “hideous,” “revolting,” “crude,” and many other negative remarks.  I found these comments interesting because it shows how evolutionary our society is, especially in terms of art.  In modern times, the pieces on display at the Armory Show are considered creative and are lauded for their artistic individuality and expression, a far cry from the backlash this same exhibition created in 1913.  This made me curious about how art today will be received in a future time; whether it be paintings, music, or performances, will art that is considered radical be accepted and praised?