How ancient art influenced modern art - Felipe Galindo

Translator: Ahmed Fawzy Editor: Hussain Laghabi It seems that nowadays the term

modern

art means popular art. But in fact,

modern

art has been shaped over the last 150 years. It includes artists that we consider to be from the classical era, such as: Picasso, Matisse and Gauguin. Ironically, the movement they started was considered revolutionary and shocking. They were very concerned with abstraction in old and traditional designs. Since the Renaissance, Europe's major art movement has had a controversial existence. And a commitment to classic shapes. But this began to change at the end of the 19th century, when artists such as Van Gogh and Cézanne expanded the horizon of painting.

A movement soon emerged that sought to create an entirely new style of art, and one way to do so was to look beyond Western civilization. For example, Paul Guaguen moved to an island in Tahiti in 1890, where he found inspiration in the island, its people, its landscape and its culture, to create his artistic works that mixed European themes with Polynesian traditions. While others turned to Islamic civilization, the most influential inspiration came from south of the Sahara. As European empires expanded deep into the African continent, the works of African civilizations were left in the hands of collectors and museums.

One of his collectors was Henri Matisse, who showed his friend Picasso a mask that he had obtained and that had been made by the Dan tribe in the Ivory Coast. The mask piqued Picasso's curiosity. Which prompted him to visit the Ethnographic Museum of the Trocadero in Paris in 1907 to preserve the loot of the colonial conquest. The museum prided itself on its display of African art, with modified figures and wooden masks decorated with simple colors and materials. This visit was a source of inspiration for Picasso, who stated that African masks were for painting. Meanwhile, Picasso worked on drawing five nude women in a style that would later be known as Cubism.

Three women show facial expressions typical of

ancient

Iberian art. It also references Picasso's Spanish heritage. The faces of the two women on the right almost look like African masks. It was completed in 1907 after hundreds of plans and research. "The Young Ladies of Avignon" is rightly considered the first masterpiece of the 20th century. Leaving many common ideas in the art of that time. It was simply aggressive and extremely abstract, camouflaged and still primitive in its basic materials. It is a new artistic language with shapes, colors and meanings. The prominence of these features caused a sensation. When the painting was shown for the first time, the public was stunned.

Critics called it immoral. Even Picasso's closest friends were shocked, insulted and fascinated by his audacity. Many artists followed in Picasso's footsteps: Constantin Brancusi and Amedeo Modigliani in Paris, as well as the German Expressionists. All of them turned to African sculptures in their works, while others sought inspiration from another continent. British sculptor Henry Murray sculpted his semi-bronze sculpture into a replica of Jacmul, the Toltec statue of a reclining man resting on his elbows. Pre-Columbian art

influenced

Jozi. He created a series of compositions, such as the Geometric Series (Homenaje a la Plaza), where he was inspired by the pyramids and folk art he encountered on his multiple visits to Mexico.

Inspiration from

ancient

cultures began one of the most revolutionary movements in the history of art. But which of these artists played the role of explorer and conqueror, confiscating ideas and benefiting from cultures considered primitive? Questions like these must be examined as artists continue to redefine standards. Perhaps soon, those bold creations of modern art that look like balletic beliefs, it may be time to shed their radicalism and draw inspiration from an unconventional source.