Mastering Monochrome

The saying goes that “it” (the world/life/politics/beliefs/love and so on and so forth) is not black and white. But what if it was?

Surely life would be a lot easier. Rules and expectations would be clear-cut and to the point. If the choice of colour was not an option, all decisions would be a lot easier, right? If we look at old films, photographs, TV, and documentaries which were shot in black and white, we hark back to what appears to be a graceful and elegant world. Simple, classy, well-organised and put together: even the music that accompanies the films/TV shows/documentaries evokes a simpler and more innocent time.



Robert Doisneau
Picasso and the loaves, 1952
Gelatin silver print. © 2013 Gamma-Rapho / Getty Images
The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

I know that in reality, life was not quite so straightforward... we had a Great Depression and a couple of World Wars to prove it. (It is true that as soon as black and white meet, shades of grey inevitably appear.) But, sometimes, it would be nice to imagine that back then, in the era of black and white, they had life sorted.

However, that is what we have art and film and photography for; we use it as a means to escape our own reality, or even as a means to help us understand it. If black and white highlights the contrasts then colour blends them together, so sometimes it is necessary to just take a step back and go back to black and white for a moment to see what is truly important.

Picasso understood this, and we can see this very clearly in his series of black and white palette explorations. He strongly believed that colour weakens the structure and independence of line and form, so he went back to the basics and a simple, but strong, palette. It can be seen through different periods of his work, from the Rose and Blue periods, through to Cubism, and even in Surrealism; thereby proving that this was not just a passing flight of fancy.



Picasso Black and White
Exhibition Catalogue
The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

Picasso was to influence some very big names in the art world, including Jackson Pollock and Arshile Gorky, and their black and white pieces may be said to especially reflect the intensity of Picasso’s own works in these tones. His influence and experiments in the area of black and white on form and structure have filtered through into other areas of art as well. Photographers such as Annie Leibovitz have learnt that reverting to black and white can greatly enhance their composition and subject, which has certainly led to other photographers taking their cue from her (which I am sure that many female fans of Jake Gyllenhaall and Ryan Gosling are very grateful for!).

To find out more about Picasso’s mastery over monochrome, head over to the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston which will be holding a Picasso Black and White exhibition until the 27^th May. If the Lone Star State is a bit of a hike, as an alternative, why not pick up a copy of Picasso by Victoria Charles?

Let's Be Alone Together

You know what one of my favourite movies of all time is? Closer. It’s dark, it’s dirty, it’s intimate, it’s lonely, it’s sad, it’s beautiful, it’s true. “Anna’s” photography exhibit is one I would have visited again and again – you know, if it had been real – especially the image of “Alice”. What other artist makes me feel all of the same emotions? The Impressionist/Realist, Gustave Caillebotte.

Caillebotte’s On the Pont de l’Europe (below), to me anyway, represents a man that has lost something near to him, whether he threw it away or it crumbled into a pile of rubble, the point is that he stands alone on this bridge viewing the Saint-Lazare train station in the cold while others pass him by. When else does one notice the rivets and girders of a bridge than when they’ve got nothing left to see but the smallest things in front of them? I guess that’s what “missing the forest for the trees” hints towards, but sometimes you need to start with the smallest details and work your way out – out of your head, out of the forest, just out.

 


Gustave Caillebotte, On the Pont de l’Europe, 1876–1877.
Oil on canvas, 105.7 x 130.8 cm.
Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth.

 

And this woman? She’s had a long day at a dead-end job she despises; she comes home and just wants to enjoy being nude in her own space, all the while wondering if her partner is having an affair with their secretary.

 


Gustave caillebotte, Nude on a Couch, c. 1880.
Oil on canvas, 129.54 x 195.58 cm.
The Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Minneapolis.

 

Haven’t we all been here? Maybe not staring at the Saint-Lazare or wondering about our significant others having affairs, but alone in the sense of lonely not just by one’s self. Haven’t we all watched raindrops trickle down a window sill or stared idly at a wall or telephone waiting for one of them to do something? Perhaps we’ve channelled Bridget Jones, drank a half a bottle of wine, and sang loudly to ourselves? I’m not saying I’ve done one or all of these things, but you can’t deny you’ve been there.

Visit the Schirn Kunsthalle Frankfurt to see Caillebotte’s realistic, beautiful, and sometimes sad images from 18 October through 20 January 2013 and realise everyone has days like these. If you’d rather focus on the happier and brighter side of life though, check out this airy and colourful ebook on Impressionism.

 

-Le Lorrain Andrews

 

Caillebotte: Sugar Daddy of Impressionism

During his time, Gustave Caillebotte was known as a great supporter of the Impressionist movement. He had quite a bit of money due to a hefty allowance and inheritance from his father, which allowed him to purchase the works of his fellow Impressionists, subsidise several exhibitions, and even pay the rent for Monet’s studio. It wasn’t until after his death that Caillebotte was finally recognised as one of the great masters of Impressionism rather than simply a piggy bank for his friends. I suppose it’s typical for artists not to receive recognition and acclaim during their time, but it’s too bad that Caillebotte’s groundbreaking style, a mix between Realism and Impressionism, was clouded by his role as the Sugar Daddy of Impressionism.

Although classified as an Impressionist, Caillebotte’s style clearly differs from his counterparts such as Degas, Monet, Renoir, and Pissarro with whom he displayed his works at the second Impressionist exhibition in 1876. Many—myself included--consider him more of a Realist than an Impressionist. Due to Caillebotte’s passion for photography, his paintings often resemble photographs, capturing a single, fleeting moment in time quite realistically.


Gustave Caillebotte, Paris Street, Rainy Day, 1877.
Oil on canvas, 212 cm x 276 cm.
Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago.

Like his contemporaries, Caillebotte captured images of a rapidly changing Paris, the result of Napoleon III and Baron Georges-Eugene Haussmann's urban renewal project. Beautiful, tree-lined boulevards, green spaces and gardens, and modern public facilities arose, paving the way for the beautiful, dreamy Paris we all know today. However, unlike his fellow Impressionists, Caillebotte attempted to depict the new Paris in a more realistic way; his paintings often create a feeling of alienation and sorrow (Paris Street, Rainy Day, above). For him, the new metropolitan city, with its meticulously planned layout and design, was something like a SimCity—perfect from the outside, lonely from the inside.


Gustave Caillebotte, The Floor Scrapers, 1875.
Oil on canvas, 102 cm x 146.5 cm.
Musée D'Orsay, Paris.

Caillebotte is also known for introducing a new subject matter: the urban working class. As a result of the new railway and the Industrial Revolution in France (1815-1860), there was a huge migration of workers from the countryside to Paris. This new social class, la class ouvrière or the working class, became a fascination of Caillebotte’s. However, up to this point, the only portrayals of working-class life had been of peasants and farmers from the countryside. Hence, it came as no surprise that the Salon rejected The Floor Scrapers (above) in 1875, deeming it vulgar and offensive. They simply did not want to accept the reality—the sorrow, the poverty, and the brutal working conditions—of their new and improved Paris that Caillebotte so desperately wanted to portray through his work.



Want to see Caillebotte’s works and some outstanding photography from the late 19th and early 20th centuries? Head over to Schirn Kunsthalle Frankfurt between 18 October 2012 and 20 January 2013 for their exhibit Gustave Caillebotte. An Impressionist and Photography. You can also check out our ebook on Impressionism by Nathalia Brodskaya to learn more.

 

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