Early Modern Blog
Motley. Archibald. Gettin' Religion. 1948, Whitney Museum, NY.
Motley, a renowned visual artist, created the painting "Gettin' Religion" during 1948. This came shortly after the Harlem Renaissance, which lasted from about 1918-1937. The influence of such a movement can be seen in not just "Gettin' Religion", but in many of Motley's other works. Born in New Orleans in 1891, Motley lived through the historic Harlem Renaissance and was not just influenced by it, but was a big influencer of it. Motley uses vivid colors and twisting shapes to create an eye catching- if not visually pleasing- scene. In this painting you can see the mingling of both black and white people during a time when segregation was in full swing. The crowded night scene pairs well with the band of jazz players on the left hand side, all the while an unnaturally tall man preaches in the middle of the street. This is all to show just how vibrant and loud the world Motley lived in was.
I like the use of vivid colors such as blue, purple, red, and pink to create the atmosphere of a colorful night lit by fluorescent bulbs. I'm usually not a fan of paintings with people drawn in an almost caricature style, but the contorting shapes drawn by Motley serve to draw you into the scene all the more. Certainly a lovely painting which demonstrates both the influence of things such as jazz and religion at the time while not making it a large focal point.
A painting done by George Biddel, "Sand!" features striking imagery of skeletonized farm animals to convey the sense of death and hopelessness that flooded the dustbowl during the early 20th century. Prominently featured in the foreground, the broken wheels symbolize the disarray and destruction that the nameless farm endured. Created in 1936, "Sand!" conveys the harsh reality many people experienced during the Great Depression, which ended in 1939. The jarring scene depicted is almost hard to believe when you consider that Biddle himself was born into an established family and became a Harvard taught lawyer. He wouldn't practice law for long though, as after 1911 he studied art in Madrid and Munich, later enlisting in the First World War.
To me, Biddle has built a character around himself throughout his life which lends a great credence to the things he paints. He was born wealthy and became highly educated, but decided to answer the call of the First World War and later travel throughout the world. I believe that it was only through these travels and experiences that he came to understand the hardship everyone faces, allowing him to create some truly daunting imagery which showcases the hardships of the world at the time.
Painted by William Wollen, "Canadians at Ypres" showcases horrors of the front lines firsthand. While it was never clarified whether Wollen actually served, he was commisioned to create art about covering the Boer War. It seems Wollen found his calling in doing so, as he would go on to create several more paintings. Of these, "Canadians at Ypres" is arguably one of the most striking, as it encapsulates the death, destruction, desperation, and duty of the war. With the inevitability of death, these soldiers fight on. The battle of Ypres itself goes down with a horrifying history, as the Germans flooded the trenches using nearly 200 tons of chlorine gas. It was the indomitable spirit of the Allied Forces- including the Canadian soldiers- which led to this decisive attack being largely in vain (Britannica).
As a fan of realism, I quite like this painting. It has an authentic feel and does well to encapsulate the horrors of the First World War. There's something about seeing more modern guns and explosives in the context of a painting which I find so jarring. I think of art as being a lens to view history gone-by through, so to see something much more new and recent (even though it's as old as 1915) truly creates a sense of wonder. Though that wonder is short lived when you see how brutal and dreary this painting is, taking place on the front lines of a horrifying war.
Works Cited
Britannica. (n.d.) Second Battle of Ypres. https://www.britannica.com/event/Second-Battle-of-Ypres
Hi Elliott, I want to say that I love the art pieces you picked for this blog. Each of them has their own unique theme and art styles for the event that is happening within them. I mostly like the "Getting Religion" because this is what I always pictured what New Orlean looks like. I love that while everything is using dark colors because it's nighttime, we can see those hints of bright oranges around.
ReplyDeleteHey Elliot! I'm not sure what your overall theme is, but I like the little collage you have going here. The Harlem Renaissance is still something I need to read up on, and I can see the irony of a well-off law student painting the desolation of the dust bowl. The Canadian Expeditionary Forces in WWI are well-known for their successes against gas attacks, and just being successful in general. I also agree with your opinion on the caricaturized faces, but the faces in "Gettin' Religion" seem only marginally caricaturized, so it's easier for me to enjoy the movement of the painting.
ReplyDeleteGettin religion by Archibald Motley is a painting that to me is very visually appealing and its fine art. It's very vibrant and dynamic and it shows how life was in Harlem and being African-American. It is said that his inspiration for the painting came from his experiences growing up in Chicago and observing the lively church scenes in African- American communities. The painting captures the emotion and spiritual intensity of a religious gathering. The beautiful colors cause the back round to stand out. The lithograph Sand has great detail and the bones make it eerie.
ReplyDeleteHi, I enjoyed your blog and all the pictures you chose. I like Archibald Motely Jr.'s artwork and how he put everything together in one piece of city life. He has people of all ages doing different things. It is a bit busy, but this is what life is like, all the hustle and bustle. He also paints all the people of different racial backgrounds, possibly because he married a woman of a different race, in which her family disapproved. Even though they were of different races, their marriage lasted a lifetime until his wife's passing. Awesome work!
ReplyDeleteYou have done a fantastic job of choosing a diverse body of work giving us a good understanding of the variety of art during this time. I especially like what you pointed out about religion being used as not a main focal point but a harmonizing element. The words on the tall mans stand appear to say 'Jesus Saves' but only the J and S are visible leading the viewer to denote their own conclusion about what it says. The primary only color scheme seems to bring a sense of vibrancy to this piece that like you said adds an extra bit of energy. To further this connection we can look at the historical meanings behind the colors, for blue it has traditionally represented trust and has long been used in religions works. Red on the other hand traditionally represents love and passion, in this piece it has been reserved for the clothes of the women seeming to continue this correlation. Love the works you picked out, I wish there was a bit to unify the themes behind them but all together great job!
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