Marcel Duchamp as the creator of a new kind of plastic art

Marcel Duchamp stood at the origins of Dadaism and surrealism. In the 1920s, he actively participated in the actions of the "dada" and surrealist groups, as well as filming several movies, for example, in the surreal film René Claire "Entract".

Fontain by Marcel Duchamp

The artist also became known as a bright representative of the new trend in conceptual art - the method of "ready-made things" (ready-made). Duchamp presented to the attention of the public everyday objects, for example, a dryer for bottles or a urinal. His work shocked and attracted attention.

Rhythm in visual art

In art, the role of rhythm is great and diverse. Rhythm is the ordering, alternation of some elements, occurring with a certain sequence, frequency.

The word rhythm (Greek rhythmos - movement, tact), comes from rhein - flow. In music, poetry, this concept conveys "fluidity," melody of melody, speech. Rhythm is one of the main elements of the expressiveness of the melody. Some rhythms are characteristic, for example, for marches, others for lullabies, etc.

Dynamics and statics in the image, movement, rhythm

Dynamic composition - a composition in which the impression of movement and internal dynamics is created.

Static composition (statics in composition) - creates the impression of immobility.

 The image on the left looks static. The picture on the right creates an illusion of movement. Why? Because we know perfectly well from our experience what will happen to the round object if we tilt the surface on which it is located. And we perceive this object even in the picture moving.

Initial motion in artwork

For a unit of speed, let's take a quiet step of a person, but you should also take into account the direction of its movement.Consider examples of the initial movement on examples of works by masters of art.
In the picture of Theodor Gericault "The Epsom Derby", the horses run from right to left, as if with the last forces, or rather, on the border of tension. It seems to us that they seem to be approaching us, although they will pass by. This is explained by the fact that on the left, below, not only the beginning of the movement in the picture, but also we, the spectators, are as near to the beginning zone. Any tension appears, as we know, only when the force meets opposition, and then we feel the action This strength. At the same time, we admit: in this picture there are the sounds of a thunder, that is, auditory associations.

Théodore Géricault, The Epsom Derby, 1821

Origin of a graphic motion in art

For a long time, a way of drawing and reading diagrams has come to life, where the left part of the drawing at the bottom is designated as the beginning. Then, as a rule, the movement develops from the bottom - up and left - to the right. Graphically, the drop line runs from the top to the bottom and to the right. The proposed scheme here at first glance seems conditional - traditional


This is facilitated by the accepted (in most cases) tradition of writing from left to right. 

Motion and space in visual art

Fine art is static in nature. Real motion is completely excluded here.

 The artist hass the task - to create a sense of movement in the viewer's perception. To solve this difficult task at the disposal of the artist there is a sufficient supply of artistic means, accumulated by the fine arts in the whole history of its existence. And all the same, the problem of movement in the relationship with space and time can not yet be considered solved in the fine arts.

Alexander Deineka's paiting

It makes sense first to dwell on the problem of the interrelation between motion and space, dividing it into two parts:

    movement of forms that build space
    forms of space that help or hinder movement.

Marcel Duchamp and Nude Descending a Staircase, No.2

The challenge of how to represent three-dimensional movement engaged all three artists in the early and mid 1910s.

While Cubism set out to depict an object as if it was being viewed from various angles, Duchamp sought to represent the subject itself in motion. His Nude Descending a Staircase, No.2 created a furore when it was exhibited in New York in 1913. This was partly because no one had previously thought of a ‘nude’ doing something as prosaic as coming down stairs. Duchamp saw movement as embracing not only physical but also emotional and social change, and he made several works on the theme of the ‘passage’ from virgin to bride.

Picabia’s idea of motion focused on the flux of memories and sensations, as well as physical movement. Man Ray was a member of the same New York artistic circles as Duchamp and Picabia, and became equally absorbed by the idea of movement.

Nude Descending a Staircase, No. 2 (French: Nu descendant un escalier n° 2) is a 1912 painting by Marcel Duchamp. The work is widely regarded as a Modernist classic and has become one of the most famous of its time.

The original is kept at Philadelphia Museum of Art

Nude Descending a Staircase, No. 2 by Marcel Duchamp.

The work, an oil painting on canvas with dimensions of 147 cm × 89.2 cm (57.9 in × 35.1 in) in portrait, seemingly depicts a figure demonstrating an abstract movement in its ochres and browns.