The Controversy of Marcel Duchamp Essay - 855 Words

One of the most unique figures in the continuum of the art world, Marcel Duchamp changed the way we look at and produce art today. Marcel Duchamp was by far, one of the most controversial figures in art. Two of the most well known and talked about pieces by him are The Fountain and The Bride Stripped Bare by her Bachelors, Even . Duchamp created many other pieces that caught the attention of critics, other artists, and the population in a negative way; however, these two pieces alone, brought about the greatest amount of controversy. In 1917, Marcel Duchamp submitted his urinal, the Fountain, to the American Society of Independent Artists . The urinal was taken from J. L. Mott Iron Works in New York City, rotated ninety degrees and†¦show more content†¦Whether Mr. Mutt with his own hands made the fountain or not has no importance. He CHOSE it. He took an ordinary article of life, placed it so that its useful significance disappeared under the new title and point of viewâ₠¬â€created a new thought for that object. As for plumbing, that is absurd. The only works of art America has given are her plumbing and her bridges.† Marcel Duchamp was showing off one of his readymade sculptures at its finest. He was making a statement that an everyday object is also art. The fact that Duchamp chose the object and called it art was just another cause for rebuttal in the art world. Now, approximately one hundred years later, everyday objects are commonly accepted as art. Shortly after Duchamp released the Fountain, another controversial piece of art debuted—The Bride Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors, Even . This piece was not a readymade, but a more â€Å"accepted† form of art. The Bride Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors, Even went through many years of Duchamp researching, working on and repairing the piece. Marcel Duchamp started working on the piece in 1915 and worked on it consecutively for the following eight years. After that time frame, Duchamp took a break from it—other scholars may argue that the piece was abandoned and not merely on hiatus. Regardless of whether the piece was abandoned or on hiatus, The Bride Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors, Even was still exhibited and purchased. The upper pane of The Large Glass represents â€Å"theShow MoreRelatedMarcel Duchamp And John Cage1574 Words   |  7 Pagesrevolutionary artists, Marcel Duchamp and John Cage still play a significant role in contemporary art practice and theory today. During the early 20th century, Marcel Duchamp was influenced by the emerging artistic movements such as Dada and Cubism. He experimented with Cubism briefly and attempted to capture time and motion in a cubist style painting. He endeavoured to â€Å"detheorize’ Cubism in order to give it a freer interpretation’. Inspired by his time lapse photography, Duchamp painted ‘Nude descendingRead MoreNude Descending Staircase By Marcel Duchamp1861 Words   |  8 PagesNude Descending Staircase, no.2 is by Marcel Duchamp who is best known as a painter and mixed media artist associated with Cubism, Dadaism and Surrealism, although he himself avoided any alliances. His work is characterised by its humour and the variety and unconventionality of its media. He was passionate in his belief that ideas should be given more value than worldly things, a revolutionary notion that would resonate with a later generation. Inspired by new born cinema and photographic studiesRead MoreMarcel Duchamp’s Fountain Essay1784 Words   |  8 PagesMarcel Duchamp’s Fountain by Sarah Shea HUMN406-01 Professor Nelson Marcel Duchamp’s Fountain People often ask what constitutes good art. Who decides whether or not a piece is art and whether it is good art or not? Marcel Duchamp challenged popular notions of his day about what art actually is. Duchamp, a French artist living in New York at the turn of the century, believed that it was up to the artist to determine what art is. Duchamp is most famous for a type of sculpture he created calledRead MoreCommentary On The History Of Communication Design788 Words   |  4 PagesAnti-historicism falls perfectly within the Dada movement, considering the rebellious nature of the Dadaists., it served to remove memories of the past which previously had been art’s intention. The first image I propose for the exhibition is of Marcel Duchamp’s 1917 ‘readymade’ Fountain. Fountain is perhaps Duchamp’s most famous work and one of the defining pieces of art from the 20th century. In 1917, to have a urinal, lay flat with only a signature was certainly not considered ‘art’. It wasRead MoreI Will Address Why Readymades Are Regarded As A Work Of Art1473 Words   |  6 Pagesmovements that caused great controversy but the dada movement is one that continues to cause great controversy even now with their use of read-made objects. Ready-made objects are a strong source of controversy because it pushes the borders of concepts and meaning by using artworks that they didn’t create themselves. In this essay I will address why readymades’ are regarded as a work of art despite the controversy behind them and how they influenced conceptual art. In Blindman Duchamp wrote an anonymousRead MoreMarcel Duchamp ( 1887-1968 )1171 Words   |  5 PagesMarcel Duchamp (1887-1968) was a French artist, known for his contributions to the Dada movement and for his influence on other artists that followed him. He was born in Blainville-sur-Crevon, a small town in northern France where his father served as a notary. His mother was artistically inclined and thus Duchamp became interested in sketching and painting when he was a teenager. At the age of seventeen, he moved to Paris to study art at the Acadà ©mie Julian. As a young artist, he was influencedRead MoreSurrealism And Its Impact On The 19th Century During The 20th Century927 Words   |  4 PagesThere have been some controversy during the early 20th century during the world wars. Art lost its meaning during this time and the only way to give it meaning again was to make it different, to offend people to help to make a point. This is similar to the artist/rapper Eminem, how his u se of profane language draws attention to his work and its controversy makes it a topic of conversation. After the rise of abstract art rose a new style called Dada art. This was one of the most unusual time in partRead MoreGeorge Benjamin Luks : A New York City1437 Words   |  6 Pagesshowed less interest in the significance of things and more in emotion and life (ART, POSTMODERN CRITICISM, AND THE EMERGING INTEGRAL MOVEMENT), Artist such as Marcel Duchamp were influenced to further push the concepts of art.. Duchamp was a modern artist from northern France that often used brushes to create art (Camfield). In 1913 Duchamp began experimenting with a new concept of art called readymade. His first creation was called the Bicycle Wheel. This type of artist style was coined as beingRead MoreHsc Art Case Study. Marcel Duchamp Essay examples1998 Words   |  8 Pagesâ€Å"The Duchampian Influence† Marcel Duchamp. In 1913 a French artist mounted a bicycle wheel on a stool, and changed the art world forever. Duchamp is arguably the most influential artist of the twenty-century, his influence is not always obvious or dominate however the underlying acceptance of radical freedom of action and thought that is concurrent in artists practice can always be traced back to Duchamp. Duchamp was a French artist who was a part of the Dada movement, a modern art movementRead More Marketing, Advertising, Style and Art Essay1859 Words   |  8 Pagestechnique Marcel Duchamp once said in his talk delivered to the Museum of Modern Art, New York, 19th October 1961, â€Å"Imagine taking a Rembrandt and using it as an ironing board.† In 1914 Duchamp had signed his name to a bottle rack in effect creating the first in what was to be a series of ready-mades. Ready-mades are objects that are signed and titled becoming more an object of observation rather than a functional one. The ready-mades were an attack on traditional western art. Duchamp felt that