Picasso to Warhol

A brief but poignant walk with the mastersAndy Warhol’s “Campbell’s Soup Cans,” in all 32 of their varieties, melt in your mouth. Whether your favorite flavor is Mushroom, Chicken Noodle or Tomato, all are meticulously silkscreened and mass-produced, and all are idyllic images of modern art. They represent the genesis of an era of artists no longer able to express themselves by the means of the artists of the past.
The exhibit at the High Museum of Art, in Atlanta, “Picasso to Warhol” showcases the art of 14 modern masters. All of the artists are unique in their vision and execution, but their intersection of altering the art scene in the 20th century is unmistakably identical.
Though the exhibit is not a comprehensive look into each artist’s oeuvre, it is a sampling of what these artists accomplished, and it is a chance to stand in reverence before works perpetually reproduced in textbooks and projected onto screens.
Pieces like Jasper John’s “Map” of the United States is representative of an easily conjured image, but its blurring brush strokes and lively colors completely alter the meaning of its cartography.
Marcel Duchamp’s “In Advance of the Broken Arm” is a shovel, an ordinary iron snow shovel. Yet, it demands the attention of everyday objects to be viewed as art. And, with a witty title, and a wire hanging it from the ceiling, it becomes art.
Jackson Pollock’s progression from a more standard approach to painting to his arrival at his niche of splatter canvases is a satisfying series of paintings to see.
In Pollock’s “Number 1A, 1948,” through its drizzled lines, one can easily become lost staring at all of the intricacies formed on the canvas.
Encountering some of these pieces within their museum setting is like a sigh of relief. Warhol’s aforementioned “Cans” has an almost mythical quality to it, but meeting it face-to-face grounds it as a tangible work from a tangible artist.
A lot of familiar works are on display. Most works by Picasso are recognizable, and all of Warhol’s works are, as well as Henri Matisse’s “Dance (I).”
But, there are a lot of lesser-known pieces and lesser-known artists to discover, or reacquaint with, such as Constantin Brancusi’s bronze statue “Bird in Space,” Giorgio de Chiricio’s surrealist “The Song of Love” and all of Piet Mondrian’s grid paintings.
A way for anyone to appreciate the defining movement of modernism, the exhibit is accessible, and while lacking in completion, leaves a palatable taste of artists to further explore and develop interest in.
As of last semester, Georgia College entered in a partnership with the High Museum, and students receive free admission. On Jan. 29 the High Museum will host “College Night,” featuring a photo booth, drip painting, snacks and DJ Santiago Páramo.
The pieces in this exhibit are on loan from the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and the exhibit runs through April 29.

Posted by Nick Widener on Jan 26 2012. Filed under Leisure. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.