Marcel Duchamp (1887-1968) was a French-American painter and mixed media artist who is best known today as being one of the most influential figures of modern art. Despite not being in alliance with any of the movements, Duchamp was associated with and greatly influenced by Cubism, Dadaism and Surrealism. His art sought to engage the intellect and imagination of the viewer instead of just the eyes - portraying invisible worlds instead of just visible ones. His aim was to introduce the fact that art can be about ideas and not just about worldly things. Duchamp refused to give in to the rules of an established art system, and this can be seen in his works which are characterized by their humour, the variety and unconventionality of the media used and most importantly the incessant probing of the boundaries of art. It is this 'new art' which makes Marcel Duchamp one of the artists in the history of art who has had the most impact on artists many centuries later.
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| Nude Descending Staircase, No.2 (1912) |
Nude Descending Staircase, No.2 is one of Duchamp's paintings which caused quite a stir when it was presented since it depicted a mechanical portrayal of a subject which was once so sensual and classical. Instead of capturing the woman restricted to the confines of the bedroom, Duchamp records the entire process of the woman coming down the stairs.
In this oil painting, one can see the influences of Cubism and Futurism. The former can seen through the deconstruction of forms and monochromatic tonality which were major characteristics of the Cubist movement. The latter is seen in the way that Duchamp doesn't immortalise a single pose or gesture, but he captures the motion and energy of the body as it moves by painting each static phase (like the Futurists who were obsessed with notions of velocity).
Essentially, the painting is made up of abstract lines and planes, but they are assembled in such a way so as to suggest rhythm and convey the movement of the figure. The dark outlines show the contours of the body while also emphasizing the dynamics of the moving figure by acting as motion lines. There are also some accented arcs made up of dotted lines which suggest the thrusting pelvic motion. Despite being monochromatic, the use of tones and shades of the ochres and browns in the painting are also essential in depicting movement. The colour seems to be fairly darker at the upper left corner than the centre and bottom right corner of the painting. This was probably done to show the initial movement - an action which occurred previous to the ones that followed. The shaded planes also help to give depth and volume to the form.
References:
Andrew Stafford, 2008. Making Sense of Marcel Duchamp [online]. Available at <http://www.understandingduchamp.com/> [Accessed 26th October, 2013]
Terry Riggs, 1997. TATE - Marcel Duchamp [online]. Available at <http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/marcel-duchamp-1036> [Accessed 26th October, 2013]
MoMa, 2013. The Collection - Marcel Duchamp [online]. Available at <http://www.moma.org/collection/browse_results.php?artistFilterInitial=&criteria=O%3AAD%3AE%3A1634&page_number=1&template_id=6&sort_order=1> [Accessed 26th October, 2013]
The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation (SRGF), 2013. Collection Online - Marcel Duchamp [online]. Available at <http://www.guggenheim.org/new-york/collections/collection-online/artists/bios/1174> [Accessed 26th October, 2013]
Image source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/c0/Duchamp_-_Nude_Descending_a_Staircase.jpg
