Vorticism in the Visual Arts

Vorticism in all painting, photography and sculpture are really impressive! The compositions are really busy and violently energetic, yet harmonious. It is really amazing how artist could get so much work done out of simple lines!

In painting, I think black and white compositions are more striking to eye than any other colour scheme paintings (specially the chalky colours); however, paintings that form a complete sort of landscape just out a compilation of straight lines are really amazing! 

Vortographs, or Vorticism photographs are really interesting. Sometimes, they look painting-like, but some other times, they just seem to be some computer edited photographs (I think that if I had look at them out of context I I'd just had thought that they were another Hipster edited photo -which are kind of annoying nowadays-).

I think the sculptures related to Vorticism are great spatial translation of the Vorticist paintings and photographs. However, in Sculpture, the subject-matters are more obvious or recognizable (they even get erotic sometimes!)

Vortograph

Vortograph

The Growth of European Abstraction

I really really like European Abstraction! Each composition features not only some great recognizable techniques, but a really interesting management of shapes and colour. We can easily find a relation between Der Blaue Reiter we saw on Expressionism in some European Abstraction works, specially because of the composition of the colours and the overall atmosphere created by the paintings. I think that European Abstraction paintings are actually really entertaining to watch!

As in Der Blaue Reiter, I have some chosen favourites in European Abstraction:

In my opinion, the Russian Wassily Kandinsky is by far the most creative of all. His paintings are not only harmonious, bur energetic and really attractive to the eye -I actually set one of his compositions as a wallpaper for my computer-.

A great Kandinsky's!

We can easily observe Der Blau Reiter influence on this Kandinsky

My favourite Kandinsky's

Hilma af Klint's compostions are really beautiful and subtle. I really like the shapes and colours she uses (they are surely really feminine, but powerful); I would definitely like some of her designs on my bedroom's walls!

Hilma af Klint's paintings

Sonia Delaunay's fashion and car designs are something I wasn't really expecting! I guess it is because fashion and car designs are not usually considered a proper form of art. However, I really liked them, I found them ridiculous but somehow charming!

Kupka's abstract paintings are also subtle and charming! They look vulnerable, tranquil: they bring me peace!

Picabia's 'Lausanne Abstract' immediately reminded me of  the drawings shown on 'Le Petit Prince' and in 'Madeline', and Baumeister's 'Kosmische Geste' seems to me a less cheerful Miró painting:

'Lausanne Abstract'

'Le Petit Prince'

'Komische Geste'

Miró's painting

De Stijl

De Stijl is certainly a peculiar art movement. Even though, all Stijl compositions are made out of straight plain lines, basic geometric figures and only primary colours, I found them delightful and complex, and even somehow sentimental. Van Doesburg's,  van der Leck's and Mondrian's paintings are all similar and recognizably part of the Stijl style, and they all show us how the most simple elements can sometimes create the most sublime and touching works of art.

De Stijl sculptures by Vantongerloo are basically Van Doesburg's,  van der Leck's and Mondrian's paintings in 3D. One could easily think that De Stijl sculpture is easy to do, but I can tell there's a lot of maths and engineering in Vantongerloo's pieces. (I don't understand why most people -at least here in Mexico- think that maths and engineering have nothing to do with art... ha!). Nevertheless  in spite of the level of engineering of some De Stijl designs, sometimes they are rather beautiful than useful -the chair designs, for example, are amazing, yet useless for practical purposes)

Futurist Music

Well, Futurist music is certainly different. However, this time, I didn't really like art to be different. I found Futurist music annoying and unsatisfying; of course, by the time it was written and performed, machines were kind of new and everyone should have been excited about them, but listening to city and machines noises now is really irritating. Nevertheless, I acknowledge that Futurist 'melodies' are strongly creative, and sort of harmonious (if you like really strong and artificial noises).

The one I enjoyed the most