Artists that changed the world
Often, the course of artistic trajectory is influenced by a few individuals who lurk on the borders of social order and absolute chaos. The 20th century was a time where traditional concepts of what art constitutes were challenged. This magnitude of artistic wealth did not elude the Spanish, and some of the world’s most important works of art remain on Spanish grounds. This article will look at some of these artists through some of their most notable works, namely an art piece by Louise Bourgeois and one by Pablo Picasso.
Louise Bourgeois (b. 25 December 1911)
Maman, 1999
Bronze, Stainless Steel, and Marble
Louise Bourgeois experimented with movements such as Surrealism, Abstract Expressionism, and Post-minimalism, all the while remaining true to her own vision. The french artist translated childhood trauma, themes of the subconscious and sexuality into formidable symbols which revolutionized both installation and feminist art.
Despite her dabbling in many forms of art, Bourgeois remains known for her sculptures. Amongst these is Maman, which stands today at 9-meters-high in the Guggenheim museum in Bilbao, Spain. The menacing and sinister depiction of the spider -interestingly enough- is a symbol of the artist’s own mother. For the artist, making her art was a way of fighting her own fears. The depiction of motherhood as a spider reflected the artists fear associated with motherhood, and more specifically the fear of abandonment. Her mother’s death when she was twenty-one triggered these reflections of the ambivalent feelings between a mother and a child. Bourgeois’ mother worked in textile restoration in Paris, and the strongest shared attribute between both the mother and the spider is that of weaving.
A central part of the artwork is the fact that the audience always encounters Maman from the perspective of a child looking up from below. This archetypal depiction of a mother who is universal, just as terrifying as she is beautiful, is deeply referential of what the artists considers a mother to be. In a diary entry in Mach 1975, Bourgeois wrote ‘You need a mother. I understand but I refuse to be your mother because I need a mother myself.’ The artist thus thought of the concept of a “mother” to be an omnipotent, even fearful, figure. Yet, the beauty of a spider is not one that can elude the viewer, neither does its nurturing nature and protection.
Pablo Picasso (b. 25 October 1881)
Guernica, 1937
Oil on canvas
Pablo Picasso needs no introductions; a revolutionary figure and widely regarded as the one of the greatest artists that ever lived, Picasso holds a special place in a multitude of artistic movements. Probably one of Picasso’s most famous works, Guernica is without a doubt the strongest political statement throughout his career. Painted as an immediate reaction to the bombing of the Basque town Guernica by the Nazi’s during the Spanish Civil War, it is a piece that shows the tragedies of war and the suffering it inflicts upon innocent civilians. The town was considered by nationalistic forces to be the beacon of Basque culture, and was therefore a strong symbol for the Republicans, making it the ideal target. Under the direction of Adolf Hitler, new military weaponry was tested out by bombing Guernica under the permission of General Francisco Franco.
Painted in a Cubist fashion, the lack of color helps to intensify the dramatic reach of the work. With the central figures being that of the bull and the horse, which derive back to their importance in Spanish culture. Picasso stated that the bull signifies brutality and darkness. The mother with a dead child is a reference to the Catholic image of the Virgin Mary and her child, an image tainted by the atrocities of war.
Now a world symbol of peace, the painting has travelled the world. The Spanish dictator Francisco Franco called for the painting to enter Spain again, but Picasso insisted that he would not allow it into the country until Spain became democratic. Picasso died two years before Franco did, and the painting only re-entered Spain after their deaths in 1981. Ironically enough, the misinterpretation of the painting by some individuals resulted in it being used in a German military advertisement years later, with the featured slogan being “Hostile images of the enemy are the fathers of war.”
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