Beyond the Porcelain: How Duchamp's Urinal Changed Art Forever
Duchamp's urinal, originally titled 'Fountain', represents a departure from traditional works that we commonly associate with art. Yet, it is precisely this quality that makes the urinal named 'Fountain' one of the most significant works that have transformed the course of art history. It is for this reason that Marcel Duchamp is celebrated as the artist who brought about a revolution in the history of art, all with a humble urinal. Duchamp's Fountain stands as a testament to the idea that art is not necessarily confined to aesthetic beauty or technical skill but can also exist as a provocative and thought-provoking commentary on the very nature of art itself.
In 1501, when Florence was once again a republic, Michelangelo was commissioned to make a statue of David for the Florence Cathedral.
Unlike Michelangelo, Duchamp was an individual artist who made provocative works. We know Duchamp by a "urinal" that he sent to an art exhibition with an autograph on it (not even his own signature). It's weird, but it's real.
We can call this urinal the starting point of pop art, which we know with Andy Warhol.
Although it is often asked why Duchamp made such a work, there is a fact that this urinal was quite successful in influencing other artists, and we can even safely say that it was a work that changed the history of art.
Another element that gradually finished art was the photography. The French poet Charles Baudelaire considered photography a potential threat to art in the 1860s.
Duchamp was very impressed by this photo of Étienne-Jules Marey.
On top of this, he also made experiments on photography, including the "Five-Way Portrait".
We can clearly see how photography affects art in Duchamp's irreverent L.H.O.O.Q.
The once limited supply of art was now unlimited thanks to photography. Anyone who wanted could easily have a print of the Mona Lisa or any famous painting.
The 'Fountain' created by Duchamp was one of those "ready-made" works of art that take everyday objects and simply give them the name of art. And then it carried on.
Another element that shook the art world as much as photography was these industrial productions.
For Duchamp, on the other hand, it was intellectual courage rather than skill that would define modern art and the artist.
While Duchamp was exhibiting his intellectual art in New York, war was raging in his homeland, France, and the rest of Europe.
The First World War was a complete betrayal for many people. Their world, in which they were convinced of their art, culture and values, had suddenly turned into a conflict of violence and destruction that they could not even imagine.
Duchamp soon became involved in the Dadaist movement, which was born in response to World War I.
Of course, we are not saying that works like 'Fountain' appeared because of what happened in the world. As a result, the Surrealists also developed as a reaction to the First World War. The Surrealists continued to paint using the methods of traditional art.
Duchamp's 'Fountain' has been a controversial topic since its creation: what was the fountain? Is it a great work of art or just a mass-produced urinal?
What do you think the 'Fountain'? Let's meet in the comments!
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