Modern Art Essay Example for Free

Modern Art Essay After viewing Georg Baselitz’s Auftritt am Sandtreich II – bei (Remix), and Cindy Sherman’s Untitled #224, one can see two very different artists trying to convey a topic that is relatable on many levels. George Baselitz is a German Neo-Expressionist, while Cindy Sherman created work in the American, Metro Pictures genre yet both have chosen to â€Å"remix† the past into new and somewhat inherent images of the day. One can relate to these images on the basis of recognition, and interpretation of the cultural meanings of the time. Both artists have chosen to give the audience snapshots of their past, Sherman with the 1950’s women’s rights movement, and Baselitz portrayal of a post-World War II Germany. The images selected are form a more modern era, Baselitz-2006 than Sherman-1990, and it is interesting to see the changes from the work of the 1980s. Baselitz became famous for turning his paintings upside-down to shift the viewers focus away from the subject matter to the expressive surface. In his later work, though, the inverted subject matter indeed seems to be the focus, deliberately so in order to effectively portray the image after years of contemplation and healing. Shermans later work is similar in stance, but is a colored photographic interpretation of Caravaggio’s Sick Bacchus portrait. One can make the comparison that both artists have overcome adversity, and their imagery conveys a message of hope and promise stemming from difficulty. Georg Baselitz, Auftritt am Sandtreich II – bei + 30 C (Remix), 2006 Oil on canvas http://www.ecopolis.org/georg-baselitz-remix-paintings/ Georg Baselitz grew up in Germany during WWII, a time of unrest and ever changing cultural norms. This makes sense, as Baselitz himself moved from East to West Germany as a youth living in Germany through the reunification of the Nineties. In Auftritt am Sandtreich II – bei (Remix), Baselitz has revisited the most challenging aspects of his own history, with hindsight, and made a brand new version of the art. Not only were the paintings enlarged, they were also revisited with bright colors and bold lines. When one looks at the work, one can see an inverted soldier’s legs extending into the bright scenery of chunked color. The transparency of the soldier seems to indicate that this is an image of the past, with the ghostly interpretation of faded color. One can conclude that Baselitz has forgiven the transgressions of the war torn society, and views it now as a faded memory that has shaped him into the person he is today. While the image is still vaguely gruesome with the soldier’s splattered outline, implying death, it still somehow looks through that to a brighter day on the horizon. The pallet is very bright, and the canvas is mammoth, almost swallowing the viewer up in its scale. The subject matter does not possess any formal qualities of realism or training, but does follow in Baselitz’s tradition of inversion and loose brushwork. Baselitz has revisited many of his earlier works, and challenged his previous discern of modernism. Cindy Sherman, Untitled #224. 1990Chromogenic color print, 48 x 38 (121.9 x 96.5 cm). http://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/2012/cindysherman/gallery/audio/8-224.php In Cindy Sherman’s Untitled #224, she has transcended her Metro Photo roleplaying into the work of Caravaggio’s Sick Bacchus, the painting from the late 16th century. This photograph is drastically different form the rest of the Untitled series due to the strong makeup, and use of prosthetics to become male. The emasculated arm is a well done prosthetic to illuminate the male form. The arm is one of the only parts of the staging that is inconsistent with the original painting. The figure in Caravaggio’s painting is more feminine than that of Sherman, slightly ironic. The costuming is consistent with Sherman’s other works, with exact attention to detail and accurate props. Caravaggio’s painting is thought to be a self-portrait of the artist as the Roman god of wine, Bacchus. Sherman was very interested in addressing the roles of women, and challenging society’s views on the subject, which at the time were primarily negative. Sherman’s Untitled #224 depicts a female in the role of a Greek god, which is not only a figure of power and celebration, but also a spiritual entity. As American culture was shifting towards equality in the 1950’s, Sherman’s work helped viewers to take on new roles otherwise unexplored by women. The implications were not only remixed to force a message, they were also liberating to women in a time of need. Both Baselitz and Shermans work sample information from the past. Both works reflect on their own cultural heritage with a moving awareness to historical events that they have experienced. So if one views these works in a Postmodernist standpoint the viewer is acknowledged to be an active participant in an explicit dialogue between the artist, the artwork, oneself, and ones cultural context. Sherman’s Untitled #224 allows women to interact with the work in a comical and almost satirical way. Even though one should not take women’s rights lightly, nor denounce the impact that it has had on American culture, viewers of this work can role-play along with Sherman. It is an interesting choice of role-playing as Caravaggio’s interpretation of Sick Bocchus portrays a frail and hung-over drunkard as his subject. Sherman’s choice of subject matter can say that if a woman were in this position she would be strong and handle it with poise. Sherman does not seem to be concerned with feedback from viewers, but rather interested in conveying a message in a new way. Baselitz has allowed the influence of time and criticism to heighten his awareness of change and fashion a new outlook on an old subject matter. Postmodern viewers can more readily relate to the remix works as they lend themselves to a brighter pallet, a post war recover of sorts. Society and culture always has a way of persevering out of trial and adversity, and both of their artworks convey that message of hope and promise.