Motion in Art: March 2017

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.

Giacomo Balla: light, movement and speed

Painting and photography allow the artist to capture a moment in time. That moment is frozen ... or is it? Numerous artists have attempted to depict motion and to show movement over time. Look at the pictures below to see all of the different ways that artists have tried to make a visual suggestion of motion.

In Marcel Duchamp's Nude Descending A Staircase from 1912, the person is painted as if there were multiple depictions of the same person going down the stairs; the viewer can see each step being taken. In Giacomo Balla's Dynamism Of A Dog On Leash, also from 1912, one can almost feel the frantic energy of the little dog, it's feet shuffling quickly, it's tail wagging excitedly, and the hurried footsteps of the person trying to keep up.

Giacomo Balla, 1912, Dinamismo di un Cane al Guinzaglio (Dynamism of a Dog on a Leash), Albright-Knox Art Gallery

Giacomo Balla (18 July 1871 – 1 March 1958) was an Italian painter, art teacher and poet best known as a key proponent of Futurism. In his painting he depicted light, movement and speed.

Movement perception

Movement perception, process through which humans and other animals orient themselves to their own or others’ physical movements. Most animals, including humans, move in search of food that itself often moves; they move to avoid predators and to mate. Animals must perceive their own movements to balance themselves and to move effectively; without such perceptual functions the chances for survival would be sharply reduced.

Britannica

The illustrations that, undoubtedly you have been looking at demonstrate that motion perception is very complex.

Eadweard Muybridge and his photographic studies of motion

Eadweard Muybridge (9 April 1830 – 8 May 1904, born Edward James Muggeridge) was an English photographer important for his pioneering work in photographic studies of motion, and early work in motion-picture projection. He adopted the name Eadweard Muybridge, believing it to be the original Anglo-Saxon form of his name

Eadweard Muybridge

Stanford and horse gaits

In 1872, the former governor of California, Leland Stanford, a businessman and race-horse owner, hired Muybridge for some photographic studies. He had taken a position on a popularly debated question of the day — whether all four feet of a horse were off the ground at the same time while trotting.

Motion in Art

Everything in the universe can be considered to be moving. This simple concept has evoked many artists to fix the process of movement in their artworks. Fascinated with storms at sea, strong winds, fast animals, artists at all times tried to depict it with whichever media they had at hand. The site MOTION IN ART is devoted to studying and depicting motion in two dimensional artworks.

The site is curated by the ukrainian artist Anton, who explores motion in his works. Anton's gallery is available on SaatchiArt webpage

Motion in art - Definition

Motion, a principle of art, is a tool artists use to organize the artistic elements in a work, it is employed in both static and time-based mediums

Motion, a principle of art, is a tool artists use to organize the artistic elements in a work; it is employed in both static and time-based mediums.

Source: Boundless. “Time and Motion.” Boundless Art History Boundless, 01 Mar. 2017. Retrieved 26 Mar. 2017 from https://www.boundless.com/art-history/textbooks/boundless-art-history-textbook/thinking-and-talking-about-art-1/visual-elements-39/time-and-motion-252-10728/

Techniques such as scale and proportion are used to create the feeling of motion or the passing of time in static a visual piece.
The placement of a repeated element in different area within an artwork is another way to imply motion and the passing of time.
Visual experiments in time and motion were first produced in the mid-19th century, and the photographer Eadweard Muybridge is well-known for his sequential shots.
The time-based mediums of film, video, kinetic sculpture, and performance art employ time and motion by their very definitions.

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Stanford and horse gaits

Motion in art - Definition