insite
: : kevan nitzberg
humor
in art or "a line is a dot that went for a walk" - paul klee
There are
numerous examples of artistic themes that express the environment, the profound,
the introspective, the joyful, the tragic and that which is expressed at the cutting
edge of art. Art is also capable of providing us with the capacity to laugh at
our surroundings and ourselves. Sometimes that laughter is rather tongue in cheek,
and sometimes it is large and boisterous. There are also those works that perhaps
were not intentionally meant to be humorous but are perceived as such due to their
make up and design, becoming a source of amusement. Paul Klee’s quotation in the
title of this article is suggestive of the lighter side of meaning and observation,
that art can bring to life.
Tongue in
cheek humor that has a strong component of wry social commentary is evidenced
in the work of William Hogarth, created during the first half of the 18th
century. Hogarth’s paintings and engravings display a satirical and often critical
look at the carrying-on of what he deemed to be a morally bankrupt society. [1]
William
Hogarth © 2001
The J. Paul Getty Trust. All rights reserved.
His
humorist style was to some degree a result of his disapproval of the excessive
opulence characteristic of the Rococo style raging across the English Channel
in France, at least by those who could afford to live the lives of the ‘chic’.
Some of the lively and witty portrayals of the subjects in his works can also
be seen in artists such as Antoine Watteau, whose painting well illustrated the
frivolity of the French Rococo style, and that of Jan Steen who depicted care-free,
working class people engaged in the pursuits of everyday life.
Left:
Marriage à la Mode- Scene II: Early in the Morning, 1743, oil on canvas,
National Gallery in London
by William Hogarth [2]
Middle:
The Feast of St. Nicholas, 1665-68, canvas, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam by Jan Steen
[3]
Right: Love
in the Italian Theater,
1714, Staatliche Museen, Berlin by Antoine Watteau [4]
More
recently, a fairly wide range of artists have expressed an even more ironic and
often playful view of the world, as the themes for artistic expression have become
less defined by traditionalist views of what art should be. M.C. Escher’s works
are characterized by the mathematical repetition of form and shape, often expressing
a sense of whimsy and delight as they tease us with their visual trickery and
sense of game playing, as in his work, "Eight Heads" [5] or "Drawing
Hands" [6].
"Eight Heads", M.C. Escher
Go
to part 2
Notes
[1]
http://www.getty.edu/art/collections/bio/a405-1.html
http://www.nga.gov/cgi-bin/pbio?220620
[2]
http://sunsite.dk/cgfa/hogarth/p-hogarth1.htm
[3]
http://sunsite.dk/cgfa/steen/p-steen7.htm
[4]
http://sunsite.dk/cgfa/watteau/watteau8.jpg
[5]
http://sunsite.dk/cgfa/escher/index.html
http://www.nga.gov/cgi-
bin/psearch?Request=F&Transaction=891343108&Page=2
Kevan
Nitzberg is an art educationalist and Minnesota Educator of the Year, 2000. To
suggest a subject matter you would like searched, click here
to send a message.
affiliates
