Quiz #2

Circulo and Cuadrado Journal

- a journal published by Torres-Garcia that propelled Uruguayan modernism; emerging from ideas of Constructive Universalism (focus on geometric shape) - develops universalist ideas further, promoting indigenous symbols and imagery as universal - journal that is emphasizing the ideas that sought to imbue geometric art with a new spiritual dimension, achieved through the appropriation of ancient symbols - as a journal, it would have been easily circulated and played a central role in sharing these universalist ideas - this journal became especially important in emphasizing the circle and square as recurring motif to comment on the "modern grid"

Walter Gropius, Bauhaus in Dessau, Germany, 1925-26

- debates of ornamentation, function, and modernity also come up in Bauhaus in Germany - looking at notion of "streamlining" → form can be streamlined, the elimination of ornamentation, modernized production - works defined by rectilinear, undecorated, asymmetrical and color white - looking at building for example, the windows emphasize function with strong panes of glass allowing light and air (strong functional aspect and aesthetic) - because philosophy of functionalism commands order and structure, these design principles are used in the school building to produce efficient work and outcomes amongst students (separate, distinct areas/wings differentiating living versus working) - union of art and technology defining the art/philosophy here - new modes of producing drove aesthetic standardizing and allowed works to be produced more rapidly -idea of breaking things down into standard models is foundational for modern society and this discourse fuels architecture, aesthetics, and art *Quote by Gropius - "Standardization is not an impediment to the development of civilization but, on the contrary, one of its immediate prerequisites"

Movimiento Madí Manifesto

- published in Buenos Aires (June 1946) this manifesto is in dialogue with Concrete Abstract Art but its authors emphasize ideas that differentiate them as a "splintered off" group - importantly, highlight the idea of the frame not the canvas - emphasis on interdisciplinary approach - theory intermixed with design

Le Corbusier's 5 Points of Architecture

a Swiss-French architect, designer, painter, urban planner, writer, and one of the pioneers of what is now regarded as modern architecture and functionalism - wrote book Towards a New Architecture (1923) which dictated his functionalist theories - theories first took hold in Mexico and Brazil - innovations proposed by him included 5 central aspects: (1) pilotis (free standing supporting pillars), (2) the flat roof garden (3) free plan (4) , free façade, and (5) the horizontal window curtain - these points were a structural basis for most of his architecture up until the 1950's, which are evident in many of his designs - established new aims for modern functionalist architecture.

Automatism

a term is borrowed from physiology, where it describes bodily movements that are not consciously controlled like breathing or sleepwalking. - Psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud used free association and automatic drawing or writing to explore the unconscious mind of his patients. - comes up in surrealism as an art form, allowing the artist to express the unconscious

Carlos Raul Villanueva and Alexander Calder, Aula Magna, University City, Caracas, 1944-1970.

* Consider Venezuela as a place where the field of architecture is dominating and discussions of form and function are taking place - building surge of 1950's saw plan for this major residential building program/complex actualized - buildings are massive and was conceived by Villanueva to be this site for integration of the arts - six general areas that were interconnected by undulating covered walkways and plazas - integration achieved both in building design/structure but in design and ornament, which saw Villanueva commissioning several artists in this "international collaboration" ESPECIALLY with Calder in this location... - this rectilinear space transformed into organic space via fan-shaped ceiling sculptures, that evoke an aquatic landscape; also referencing climate and environment of Caracas - most notable feature of the this place is its acoustic 'clouds', which serve both aesthetic and practical functions - this complex structure played with functionalism, notably via the use of light and shadow (seen in stadium and with walkways) - campus is defined by abstracted functionalism

Concrete Abstract Art

- Argentinian art movement that focuses on Concrete Art with a strong emphasis on geometrical abstraction - sought to give the view of a world as "form;" a break from figurative art. - first coined by Theo van Doesburg and was then used to define the difference between his vision of art and that of other abstract artists of the time; further defined and popularized by Max Bill, who organized the first international exhibition in 1944 - rejected the word abstract because it means to "take from" and they preferred to stress independent invention - invent a new reality, not abstract from reality - emphasized invention as further indication that their geometric compositions were the result of intellectual and premeditated process, not intuitive (where we see the link between this movement and Torres-Garcia and School of the South- Uruguay, 1935) - In Argentina it evolved during the early years of the Eva Perón administration - often equated with optimism and new order - art is primarily defined by experimentation with color, line, and balance - movement was primarily a postwar phenomenon with groups splintering off from these ideas: Arte Concreto Invención (Buenos Aires, 1945), Madí (Buenos Aires, 1946) and therefore these artistic/aesthetic debates often parallel political debates in Socialism/Capitalism

Art Brut

- a French term that translates as 'raw art', invented by the French artist Jean Dubuffet to describe art such as graffiti or naïve art which is made outside the academic tradition of fine art - "brut" meaning raw, crude, uncivilized. - often works that feature ideas associated with madness - can also extend to refer to art/artists without artistic academic training *Dubuffet saw/described Izquierdo's work as such (saw this associations with rawness and uncivilized madness)

Martinfierristas (c. 1922)

- a group in Argentina that helped launch the avant garde by publishing this 1924 cosmopolitan journal - group declared that they are "in the presence of a new sensibility and of a new comprehension" and "new means and forms of expression" - looking towards national and local figures while also embracing the larger modern moment - manifesto by this group expressed the idea that everything is new if looked at through modern eyes and expressed in contemporary accents - influence from futurism, the manifesto declared a modern sports car to be more perfect work of art than a Louis XIV chair - manifesto and goals of group were defined strongly by desire to be modern, with less nationalistic ties than Brazilian movement

Anthropophagia Manifesto (1928)

- based around Tarsila do Amaral's work, with this satirical message of cannibalism as the "absorption of the enemy" - metaphor for Brazilians to digest European culture and transform it into something original - metaphor enlivened expressions of modern Brazilian art - short lived journal, it became essential in defining Brazilian identity - denied the role and impact of the colonizers, reclaiming this savagery as something powerful and inherent to Brazilians (as a tool for power and reclaiming agency) - a modern response to the history of cannibalism - the movement as defined by the manifesto sought to create a link between the national and the cosmopolitan with central symbol being the "cannibalistic Indian"

Juan O'Gorman, Gustavo Saavedra, Juan Martínez de Velasco, Central Library, University City, Mexico City, 1950-51.

- building considered functionalist work of art but operating in different way because it does integrate ornamentation via vibrant mosaic murals - How do we see functionalism at play? → functional building as a library with enclosed, windowless are preserving books from light); flat roofs/lines - The building and architecture is serving as canvas for national identity - functional/form pathway with public space and precolonial past merging - ornamentation of geometric patterns is designed to blend visually with the architecture, while retaining this localized imagery/subject matter

Goeritz, Experimental Museum: El Eco, Mexico City, 1953

- characterized by high exterior walls, absence of 90-degree angels, use of illusionistic perspective, color, the building was conceived more by intuition than conscious design - space combined sculpture, architecture, and performing arts in an innovative way; example of how he is reworking abstraction to adapt to local contexts - building breaks down traditional categories between viewer and audiences so viewers become active participants - in architectural design action becomes integrated in functional ways (evident in design) - Exterior follows functionalist model and facade is a collaboration project - Interior has new approach with design to exemplify space and idea of emotional interaction and action amongst audience (see manifesto) - building is not a repository of objects but designed as a living identity; with the entire building serving to function as active, vibrant place NOT passive - Trying to create a space that would activate viewers and encourage them to encounter space in different way

Surrealism

- like indigenimso and modernism, this movement first arose in Latin America via literature, including the writings of André Breton and Benjamin Péret - its type and variations most closely responded to Breton's second manifesto of 1929 - 1929 definition/exploration by Breton included emphasized this movements political role and the value of incorporating occult systems (alchemy, magic, and Kabbalism) and science into a cohesive language - the movement proved to be away in which individuals could express political or social preoccupations, as well as for others ( including exiles) a space and psychological freedom to explore issues of personal or cultural identity, race, or gender *three central themes to this movement: - (1) Freudian psychoanalytic theory → plays an active role in the construction of these works, especially in the motifs of dreams/dreamscapes that crop up as subject matter for artists; works are defined by this juxtaposition of things that don't make sense; like a "stream of consciousness;" - (2) unconscious thinking → dreams ways to broach/explore the unconscious thinking and this allows people to critique social norms ... we will see that there is a political dimension to works especially with the ideas of radicality and madness - (3) body/corporeality → strong interest in the body (especially gendered and often fragmented); a way to explore psychology and identity construction as well as the irrational and repressed. the trope of the female body will repeatedly crop up and this fantastical conflation between body and psyche is where we see the body as a site where the rational and irrational come together (the body as commercialized, capitalized entity) - despite Breton's claims that Mexico was a surrealist country (a problematic Eurocentric vision), some artists/writers challenged this identity/movement name with the term "superrealism" - to denote a world beyond the real *comparing Mexican Surrealist women with European exile surrealists - the MX women imbue works autobiographical allusions to Mexican lore that are derived from popular art, whereas European exiles sought their sources in medieval alchemy, sorcery, magic, and witchcraft, oriental philosophy, and mythology (more similar to European surrealism)

Pao Brazil Manifesto (1925)

- literary manifesto by Oswald de Andrade and illustrated by Tarsila do Amaral - named for the brazilwood exported to Europe in colonial times and from which country took its name - Oswald refers to poetry as "poetry for export" rejecting the idea that Brazil imported its culture - cover represents the Brazilian flag (source of pride) but title replaces the positivist, European phrase - outright rejecting the importation of culture and instead looking at authentic and native - called for a rejection of Portuguese social and literary artifice and a return to what he saw as the primitive spontaneity of expression of the indigenous Brazilians, emphasizing the need for modern Brazil to become aware of its own heritage (invoking the imagery of the Carnival in Rio as symbol/stand-in for vibrancy of indigenous life/tradition; an emphasis on the cosmopolitan that allows Oswald to intersect Brazilian myth with modernism) - works of Tarsila do Amaral reiterate this literary imagery by painting such scenes using vibrant colors and mix of Brazilian imagery with European architecture/symbols/motifs to highlight this modern transculturation - Oswald saw duty of artist is "to see with free eyes;" rejecting naturalistic and photographic representation, art should instead be "regional and pure," and express a sense of its time *why close with Tarsila do Amaral - Founded the literary movement known as Antropofagia ("Cannibalism"), a splinter group of Modernism, which, although short-lived, proved influential in its emphasis on folklore and native themes.

School of the South Manifesto (1935)

- manifesto emerging from ideas of Constructive Universalism with central theme being "geopolitics" - created by Torres Garcia as a means to remedy the isolation created by Uruguay's geographic position far from the major art centers, this was both a form of painting and workshop, as well as written manifesto - sought to blend an integration of arts and crafts; make "no superior or minor arts" - city (Motevideo) itself becomes an important source of inspiration and emphasis on local identity and modernization within that locality is central - manifesto is primarily looking to how avant-garde and modernism movement can be shaped and fostered in Latin America - with this manifesto, developed a school/workshop in which he encouraged students to seek inspiration locally rather than globally, while at the same time establishing an independent artistic tradition. *As seen in América Invertida (Inverted America), the aim of Torres-García was to challenge the traditional frame of mind, and reposition the South as the new North; interest/appropriation of ancient symbols will set up the development of Constructive Universalism (1940s) which was this new style that sought to imbue geometric art with a new spiritual dimension via indigenous motifs

Synthesis of the Arts

- nineteenth century notion of a Gesamtkunstwerk or "total work of art" referred to a performance spectacle that synthesized multiple forms of the arts into a unified work, often times taking place in a grand setting that befit the spectacle. - include architectural elements that interact with key commissions by painters, muralist, or sculpturists - where one will see distinct elements of arts come together to allow viewers to encounter art in different way * consider Villanueva, University City, Caracas (Promenades and Covered Plaza), 1944-1970 → providing shade and protection from climate and sun of Venezuela and creating patterns AND [Villanueva, Fernand Leger, Mateo Manaure, University City, Caracas (Covered Plaza) 1944-1970] - art activating in spaces to respond to local climate issues

Constructive Universalism

- part of this larger movement beginning in the 1940's that saw artists in South American countries taking up variations of geometric art because of its two appeals: (1) promoted a sense of being modern at a time of growing urbanization/industrialization and (2) provided a link with pre-Hispanic cultures, especially those of Andean region where art was often based on geometric patterns - promotes cultural identity > national identity and is primarily based on IndoAmerican cultures and its reconciliation with the legacy of Universalism (via abstraction) - as a new art tradition it articulates a novel synthesis between the traditional Indigenist/nationalist and cosmopolitan/universalist - can be traced to Uruguayan painter and theorist Joaquin Torres-Garcia, who introduced modernism to Uruguay (Montevideo) in 1934 via focus on geometric shapes as universalist forms - this term refers to the style Torres-Garcia created/coined based on this synthesis of his experiences in Europe and emerging geometric-modernism of South America - harmonization of geometric form as both modern and distinctly pre-Columbian/indigenous - tied to constructivism and this interest in abstraction as a means to fund universalist meaning (why we see Torres Garcia drawing on connections to universal geometric spheres)

Arte Concreto-Invención (1945)

- the name of a group that splintered off from Concrete Abstract Art movement - based in Buenos Aires, Argentina and wrote a manifesto that decried the prevalence of representational art which tends to muffle man's term-cognitive energy, distract him from his own power - the art propelled by this group, because of its novelty, "exalts being" and "generates the will to act" because it makes people relate to real things, not fabrications - rejected the term abstract, creating work that stood for nothing but itself (see Concrete Abstract Art) - creators of this organization were primarily led by Tómas Maldonado, Lidy Prati, Alfredo Hlito, Raúl Lozza, Enio Lommi, Manuel Espinoza, and Juan Melé - Maldonado wrote extensively for this group and their ideas, often highlighting issues of hegemony and hierarchy in American and Europe, refuting the idea that Latin America lives in the shadow and are merely "copying" - the idea of the canvas becomes especially important to this group, often the form they rework in their art - reject the conventional rectangular canvas, and create art that allows it to take on new form

Madí (1946)

- the name of a group that splintered off from Concrete Abstract Art movement (in dialogue with Art Concrete) - similar to Arte Concreto-Invención (1945) but differed in that it was more interdisciplinary and playful - groups magazines contained articles on art theory and even a dictionary (integration/interdisciplinary connections between theory and design) - unlike Arte Concreto-Invención (1945) this group experiments and heralds the frame - they play with the irregular border, even looking at the linguistic roots for the frame (in particular, the English definition which sees it as a "constitutive element") *consider work by DIYI LAAÑ (1946)

Functionalism

- the principle that buildings should be designed based solely on their purpose and function. This principle is a matter of confusion and controversy within the profession, particularly in regard to modern architecture - consider Louis Sullivan → "Form ever follows function" - international modern movement against 19th century practices of eclectic, ornamentation, art nouveau and historicist styles

Brise Soliel

French for '"sun breaker" (sun shades) - an architectural feature of a building that reduces heat gain within that building by deflecting sunlight * consider Villanueva, University City, Caracas (Promenades and Covered Plaza), 1944-1970

Goeritz's "Manifesto on Emotional architecture"

Mexican painter and sculptor of German origin who created works at near-monumental scale - saw the function of architecture or sculpture as serving to express the spiritual condition of humanity - manifesto outlined how architecture can be used as a space to promote and channel emotion - reacting to original ideas of functionalism and exploring new visual languages via color and conceptual concerns - believe that only by receiving true emotion from architecture will man see it as art and thus the function of space as a place is where emotion can be activated by utilizing modern elements/design *These ideas will influence European artists (Piano and Rogers- Pompidou, 1977)

André Breton

a French writer and poet known best as the co-founder, leader, and principal theorist of surrealism. His writings include the first Surrealist Manifesto of 1924, in which he defined surrealism as "pure psychic automatism". - embodies the ideas of surrealism with manifesto and will label define Mexico as the epicenter for its production, organizing exhibitions across Mexico - saw Surrealism as a way to provoke a crisis in bourgeois consciousness which reduced all of life to "market values, religious impostures, universal boredom and misery." - defined Surrealism as "pure psychic automatism, intended to express, verbally, in writing or by other means, the real functioning of thought. The dictation of thought, in the absence of all control exercised by reason, and outside all aesthetic or moral preoccupations." (First Surrealist Manifesto, 1924)

Antonin Artaud

a French writer, poet, dramatist, visual artist, essayist, actor and theatre director, widely recognized as one of the major figures of twentieth-century theatre and the European avant-garde, and known for his raw, surreal and transgressive themes - arrive in Mexico in 1930s as a refugee and becomes/is a revolutionary figure in literary avant-garde - interested in indigenous culture on the basis of finding this "uncontaminated culture, separate from the "evils of Western culture" - condemns Europe and the constraints of modern life - embraces this transnational experience, albeit problematically... "The present civilization of Europe is in a state of bankruptcy. [...] Europe no longer has anything to offer the world but an incredible pulverization of cultures. [...]There remains only Mexico and her subtle political structure, which has not changed fundamentally since the age of Montezuma." - communicated/believes this problematic idea that Mexico has not changed; idea of orientalism of exoticism - encounters work of Izquierdo and sees it engaging with the "tortured spirit of surrealism"

Leon Trotsky

a Ukrainian-Russian Marxist revolutionary, political theorist and politician. Ideologically a communist, he developed a variant of Marxism which has become known as Trotskyism. - In April 1938, André Breton travelled to Mexico on a grant from France's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. There, he became acquainted with Leon Trotsky and co-authored the Manifesto: Towards a Free Revolutionary Art (1938) - The published Manifesto was signed by Breton, Rivera, and Trotsky. - Towards a Free Revolutionary Art → document called for the establishment of an International Federation of Independent Revolutionary Art; "Our aims" the independence of art -- for the revolution. The revolution -- for the complete liberation of art!" - his engagement (as politician) with Breton (writer) and Rivera (artist) illustrates the cross-cultural and interdisciplinary breakdown of surrealism as a movement (it had political ideologies interwoven with its philosophies) and as a movement it paralleled political changes/developments; the evolving political situation allows for artistic/philosophical exploration rooted in surrealism

Semana de Arte Moderna (1922)

a landmark exhibition in 1922 that propelled radical and modernist shifts in the art world; featured artists who were exploring modernism and experimenting with expressionism - in English "Modern Art Week" - it marked the start of Brazilian Modernism - out of this exhibition we see the art movement splintering - (1) the Anthropophagics (cannibalists), led by Oswald de Andrade and (2) The Nationalists wanted no foreign influences, and sought a "purely Brazilian" form of art

Ex-voto

a votive offering to a saint or to a divinity; the term is usually restricted to Christian examples - Kahlo and Rivera (Kahlo especially) as an artist looking toward pre-Columbian imagery, folk art, and colonial Christian symbolism collected popular and folk art - collection of Kahlo included retablos (or these votives) which were small paintings, usually on a tin, offering thanks to a saint or the Virgin for the fulfillment of a wish or the escape from some misfortune in which both the event and holy being are represented

Adolf Loos, Ornament and Crime, 1908

an essay and lecture by modernist architect Adolf Loos that criticizes ornament in useful objects. - example of how intense (problematic) these debates of functionalism became - claimed ornamentation forces objects to go out of style and become obsolete and argues to remove ornament - Loos' work identifies how racism is tied to arguments because work argues there is a moral aspect to aesthetics (moral view places ornamentation (and the "oriental") as immoral, backwards, obsolete, inability to be modern, and degenerate); therefore regulating both physical bodies and architectural bodies - evidence of how systemic racism is rooted in design discourse/debates

International Style

emerges globally; a major architectural style that was developed in the 1920s and 1930s and was closely related to modernism

Abaporú

from a Tupi-Guarani dictionary meaning "man who eats" - origins in indigenous Brazilian culture/history - problematic legacy of cannibalism but for Oswald Andrade who saw cannibalism as the absorption of the "sacred enemy" this concept enlivened expressions of modern Brazilian art

avant-garde

new and unusual or experimental ideas, especially in the arts, or the people introducing them. - literally translates to "front guard", with subculture meaning of artist-intellectuals in mainstream culture - the function often being a criticizing or contesting of the dominant society - coined by Henri de Saint Simon *Consider Oswald de Andrade as a major figure in Brazilian avant-garde movement and work with artist Tarsila do Amaral as leading the way in establishing modern painting in Brazil//consider Martin Fierro and "martinfierristas" in Argentina

uncanny

strange or mysterious, especially in an unsettling way - In Surrealist art, ideas of [this type] are experienced when objects of varying scale are placed in careful juxtapositions with or next to each other in a single work or space.

Frottage

the technique or process of taking a rubbing from an uneven surface to form the basis of a work of art.; consider the work of Leonora Carrington (Snake Bike Floripondio, 1975)

Anthropofagia

translates to "man eater" and becomes the title for the Manifesto by Oswald Andrade and Tarsila do Amaral - This Brazilian Movement (of this name)- (1) addressed the historical roots of the destroyed civilizations of America, (2) strove to achieve the recreation of a non aggressive relationship between nature and civilization, and (3) heralded a "cannibalistic" consumption of the cosmopolitan/foreign