How Isolation and solitude is presented through different works of art from
various perspectives
The Girl by the Window, Edvard Munch -
Norway - 1893
Edvard Munch
- His family all suffered from ill health:
Speaking of his family’s ill health, Munch
once said: "I inherited two of mankind's
most frightful enemies - the heritage of
consumption and insanity."
- Despite the fact that the painter's
father was a doctor, his family experienced
sorrow due to illness.
- Munch's mother and sister died of
disease when he was young, and his other
sister was subsequently committed to a
hospital for mental illness.
- Edvard Munch moved to Paris in
1889, where his style began to develop
under the influence of Vincent van Gogh and
Paul Gaugin’s conveyance of emotion
through colour.
- The painter's meteoric rise resulted
in a downward spiral that ended with him
spending time in a sanitarium. Munch
reported hearing voices and referred to himself as "verging on madness" as a result of his
frequent drinking and poor mental state.
- Munch's optimism was restored after treatment, leading in his use of a lighter palette in his
paintings. He created "The Sun," "Spring Ploughing," and "Bathing Man" using a lot of
negative space for the first time, and he now gleefully titles his works as well.
- In the 1930s and 40s, the Nazis labeled Munch’s work as “degenerate”, with Hitler declaring
"For all we care, those prehistoric Stone Age culture barbarians and art-stutterers can return
to the caves of their ancestors and there can apply their primitive international scratching."
- 10 Things Everyone Should Know about Edvard Munch | Sleek Magazine
The Painting:
- The disturbing and enigmatic landscape is created by the steep slope of the floor and the
thick shadows that obliterate everything in the room
- Somber brown tones blend with violets and blues in a loosely applied palette, evoking a
sense of melancholy and expectation.
- The window serves as a symbolic barrier between the inside and the outside world. The
sense of mystery is heightened and exacerbated by the fact that we cannot see the girl's
countenance or know what she is secretly seeing.
- She, in turn, appears to be unconscious that the artist and suggested spectator are observing
her as she gazes from behind the curtain at something unknown outside.
The Girl by the Window | The Art Institute of Chicago
Historical & Social Context: (Norway 1893)
- a clay slide in Verdal destroyed 105 farms and killed 116 people.
- In the nineteenth century, Norway's nationalism grew. In 1882, things came to a head. The
Norwegian parliament, known as the Storting, approved a bill requiring members of the
government to participate in debates in the Storting. The bill was enacted three times by the
Storting, but each time it was vetoed by Swedish King Oscar II.
- The Norwegians eventually opted to impeach the entire government. They were impeached,
convicted, and forced to resign in 1884. Following it, the king was forced to submit. Norway
became a parliamentary democracy after that.
A BRIEF HISTORY OF NORWAY
Events in Munch’s life around 1893:
- Edvard Munch moved to Paris in 1889, where his style began to develop under the influence
of Vincent van Gogh and Paul Gaugin’s conveyance of emotion through colour.
Automat, Edward Hopper - America 1927
Edward Hopper
- He began his career as a commercial
illustrator. In 1900, he transferred to the New
York School of Art, where he trained under
prominent American artists William Merritt
Chase and Robert Henri.
- During his formative years, he fell
madly in love with Paris. Hopper moved to
Paris in October 1906, where he resided with
a French family at 48 Rue de Lille. Despite the
fact that he did not attend any school, he
worked outdoors regularly and fell in love
with the city and its culture: "I do not believe there is another city in the world as lovely as
Paris, nor any people with such an appreciation of the beautiful as the French."
- Hopper's visual vocabulary remained surprisingly stable from the mid-1920s until his death
in 1967, unlike many of his predecessors who experimented with new aesthetic styles. As
with many other artists, his work cannot be readily split into distinct eras of his life.
- The single figure was Hopper's most popular subject. The artist regularly returned to works
of lone figures, most often women, within a windowed indoor setting as a projection of his
psychological introspection. These figures, which are frequently misconstrued as symbols for
Hopper's own emotions of loneliness, are more likely to indicate his preference for calm and
serious self-examination.
- American vernacular architecture piqued his interest. Hopper's fascination in American
architecture began as a youth and lasted throughout his life. He generally chose buildings
based on their abstract forms rather than their evident aesthetic attractiveness when
deciding which ones to paint. He consistently judged the worth of towns he visited based on
their architectural attributes.
- Hopper was a big fan of Edgar Degas's paintings. His wife, Jo, sent him an enormous book
about the French artist in 1924. From the 1920s onwards, his work demonstrates a clear
awareness of Degas's compositional strategies, which include harsh cropping, exaggerated
diagonals, and unusual visual viewpoints.
21 Facts About Edward Hopper | American Art | Sotheby's
The Painting:
- A woman sits alone in Automat 1927, enjoying a cup of coffee. It's late and freezing outside,
judging from her cap and coat.
- The space appears to be big, highly illuminated, and vacant.
- With a stone-topped table, hard-wearing black oak chairs, and white walls, the décor is
practical.
- The woman appears self-conscious and slightly terrified, as though she has never been alone
in a public setting before. Something doesn't appear to be right.
- She unknowingly invites the observer to make up stories about betrayal or grief for her.
- Automat is a sad painting - yet not a painting of sadness
- It has the gravitas of a superb piece of mournful music. Despite the starkness of the
furniture, the location does not appear to be in poor condition.
- Others in the room may be alone, men and women sipping coffee alone, similarly engaged in
meditation, similarly cut off from society: a shared isolation with the salutary consequence
of decreasing the oppressive impression that one is alone in being alone.
- Hopper encourages us to empathise with the woman who is trapped in her home. She
appears noble and generous, if a little too trusting and naive - as if she has run into a rough
patch of the globe.
- The artist pits us against the insiders on her side, the side of the outsider.
The pleasures of sadness: Edward Hopper – Tate Etc
Historical and Social Context: (America, 1927)
- In russia, Stalin gains power and takes control
- The Great Mississippi Flood affects 700,000 people in the greatest national disaster in US
history.
- An ageing preacher who heckled Goebbels during a Nazi rally was severely beaten by Nazi
storm troopers. In Berlin, the authorities proclaimed the Party unlawful, and Nazi speech was
subsequently outlawed throughout the German state of Prussia. However, the prohibition
was only temporary. In the spring of 1927, it was lifted.
What Happened in 1927 - Significant News and Events, Technology, History, 95 years ago
Gouache from: Life? Or Theatre? -early 1940s (Hiding in France
at the time) Charlotte Saloman
Charlotte Salomon
- Charlotte Salomon was born in an upper middle-class
family in Berlin in 1917.
- Charlotte and her grandfather were interned by the
French authorities in a bleak camp in the Pyrenees called Gurs.
- Released from camp on account of her grandfather’s
infirmity, the two of them returned to Nice and there – at the
beginning of 1941 – Charlotte Salomon commenced the great
work that would outlive her short life.
- A large part of Life? or Theater? is about her obsession
with 'Amadeus Daberlohn', a voice teacher she met through her
stepmother 'Paulinka Bimbam' (Salomon gives all her characters
humorous, often punning, pseudonyms).
- These sections are honest and compelling accounts of
her passionate relationship with Alfred Wolfsohn
- the one person who took her artistic work seriously. It is not possible to know if Salomon's
version of her relationship with Wolfsohn corresponds with reality, but he was undoubtedly
her first love.
- Salomon's work is a reversal of that tradition which was intended to be the ultimate
manifestation of Germanic culture - instead it is a deeply moving and personal masterpiece,
created by a 'young woman who belonged to a supposedly alien race and who was
therefore held not to even have a right to exist, let alone a place in society.'
- One bright-blue-and-yellow painting presents the young Charlotte kneeling on her bed,
dreaming of love, with eleven bouncing red hearts cascading from her bowed head.
- About Charlotte Salomon: German painter (1917 - 1943) | Biography, Bibliography, Facts,
Career, Wiki, Life
The Gouache:
- bright-blue-and-yellow painting presents the young Charlotte kneeling on her bed, dreaming
of love, with eleven bouncing red hearts cascading from her bowed head.
Historical and Social context: (Germany/ France - Early 1940s)
- Leben? or Theater?: Ein Singspiel is the title of Salomon's work. Singspiel is a German music
genre that is similar to "operetta" in some ways, although the actors' parts are generally
spoken over the music rather than sung with it.
- Music serves as a backdrop for the play, which is usually comedic in nature, with sadness
being a less common theme. A strong element of romantic interest is almost always present.
Singspiel was seen as less refined than opera, and was frequently written in the vernacular
(German or French).
- The plays were mainly performed by itinerant troupes rather than established companies
based in major cities.
- The Singspiel had ceased to be an active category of musical performance anywhere by the
early twentieth century, when Salomon included it into her work.
- As a result, Life? or Theater? is more than just a collection of paintings. It incorporates a
script in the form of words, which are either painted directly, written into the paintings, or
displayed as overlays to the visuals. It also features a soundtrack,' which is music selected by
Salomon to complement her story. These include anything from Nazi marching songs to
Schubert lieder and Mozart and Mahler excerpts.
Comparisons:
Similarities between ‘the Girl By The Window’ and ‘Automat’
- Main subject of both paintings is an isolated young girl
- Both use windows as a symbol of isolation and separation from the ‘outside’ creating an
intimate yet eerie and solitary atmosphere’
- Both present themes of solidarity
Differences between ‘the Girl By The Window’ and ‘Automat’
- Contrasting colour palettes tgbtw has a cooler toned palette whereas Automat uses a slightly
more warm palette whilst still incorporating some of the cooler tones used in tgbtw
- Brush strokes: visible and deliberate harsh brush strokes in tgbtw however smooth and
blended brush strokes have been used in automat
Similarities between ‘the Girl By The Window’ and ‘Life? Or Theatre?’
- Both use a cool blue colour scheme creating a melancholy atmosphere to each piece
- Both depict young women
- Deliberately obvious brush strokes in both
Differences between ‘the Girl By The Window’ and ‘Life? Or Theatre?’
- l?ot? does incorporate warmer tones in the sunflowers and books, perhaps representing the
subject’s dreams of love and affection
- Although both pieces have a cool toned colour palette, tgbtw uses a more muted colour
palette in contrast to l?ot?
Similarities between ‘Automat’ and ‘Life? Or Theatre?’
- Some of the warm colours used in automat are reflected in the gouache from l?ot?
- Both main subjects that eyes are drawn to are young girls
Differences between ‘Automat’ and ‘Life? Or Theatre?’
- ‘Automat’ takes a more realistic approach to painting whereas ‘l?ot?’ uses a more conceptual
approach reflecting the ‘diary - like’ atmosphere of ‘Life? Or Theatre?’
- ‘Automat’ is more subtle in conveying emotions of the piece
Reserve Pieces:
Old Man In Sorrow ( On the Threshold Of Eternity)
Van Gough
Painting - Oil on Canvas
1890
L'Homme au doigt
Sculpture by Alberto Giacometti
