Comparison of the Modernist Art of Edvard Munch and Michael Duchamp

The Modernist Timeframe

The modernist timeframe is a period that succeeded the Age of Enlightenment (a time of fast and spontaneous change that revolutionized art). With modernism, artists slowly shifted away from traditionalism and instead created and re-created new art forms. It saw the adoption of more liberal ideologies regarding sex and religion within the 19th and 20th century societies. There was the feeling that artists had to “make it new” as old art was then considered old fashioned. This paper compares two pieces of art - the Scream (1893) and the L.H.O.O.Q. (1919) - and identifies the modernist elements within them.

“The Scream” by Edvard Munch

“The Scream” is a painting created by Edvard Munch (1863-1944) in 1893. The art form depicts a screaming figure staring musingly into the distance. The painting is a simple work as the artist used less forms to achieve its expressiveness. It contains three main elements: a bridge, a shoreline landscape, and the sky. More specifically, Munch’s approach to the unification of senses is evidenced in his visual representation of emotion and sound (Anderson, Jonathan and Dyrness 174). Critics have postulated that the painting may be representation of himself experiencing emotions from a tragic past. Additionally, others have argued that the work is a depiction of a Peruvian mummy that he had earlier seen at a fair. Nonetheless, “the Scream” falls within the first phase of the modernist timeframe between the mid-19th century and the 1900s (Siedell 32). His work was within the Symbolist movement that depicted the nature of individuality and its figurative depiction. In particular, it is a work that articulated an imperative shift from the ideologies of the 19th century. It presented an individual at the center of an existential crisis that the modern institutions (religion, tradition, and society) could not fix. While this description may sound negative, it was part of the development of the “modern” artist as he transitioned from partially free to fully liberated from the concepts of traditional art.

The L.H.O.O.Q. by Michael Duchamp

The L.H.O.O.Q. (1919) was developed by Michael Duchamp and consists of a mockery of the Mona Lisa. More specifically, Duchamp added a mustache and a goatee on a reproduction of the Mona Lisa and quoted “She’s got hot pants” (Shearer and Gould 41). His move to deride one of the most famous works in history represents one of the key ideologies of the modernist artists - resistance against the past. It is to note that his painting was made during the second phase of modernism beginning the 19th century to the mid-20th century. More specifically, the painting was made in the period of expressionism post the first world war where artists felt that they were not going to tolerate brutality and all its symbols (Siedell 52). Furthermore, the painting could be considered as shock art due to its explicit title and amusing alterations. Duchamp radically challenged the traditionalist artmaking practices, criticizing the previously held notions about the sanctity of art and the hand of the artist. Additionally, the modernist element is evident in the way the artist placed unique emphasis on the artistic concept rather than aesthetics and technique. In this way, his work represents the heart of modernist expressionism.

Summary

In summary, it is evident that although the two aforementioned art forms have some differences, they have so much in common. To begin with, they are both modernist creations but fall within different timeframes. The L.H.O.O.Q. is more expressive and represents a further deviation from traditional philosophies than “the Scream.” Yet as the latter stands, it represented a key deviation from the then-existing ideologies about subjectivity, reflexivity, and the nature of institutions. Hence, both art forms are key to understanding different eras of the modernist timeframe.

References

Anderson, Jonathan A., and William A. Dyrness. Modern Art and the Life of a Culture: The Religious Impulses of Modernism. InterVarsity Press, 2016.

Siedell, Daniel A. Who’s Afraid of Modern Art?: Essays on Modern Art and Theology in Conversation. Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2015.

Shearer, Rhonda Roland, and Stephen Jay Gould. “Duchamp’s LHOOQ--From 1919 or 1930?.” Science287.5450 (2000): 41-41.