Masterpieces of Art and Architecture (1872-1912)
Masterpieces of Art and Architecture
The Thinker, Auguste Rodin (Paris, 1840 – Meudon, 1917), 1880-1900, Impressionistic, free-standing sculpture, bronze, symbolic, Musée Rodin (Paris).
Rising Sun, Claude Monet (Paris, 1840 – Giverny, 1926), 1872, Impressionistic, oil on canvas, landscape, Musée Marmottan (Paris).
Eiffel Tower, Alexandre Gustave Eiffel, 1887 to 1889, architectural iron monument, iron, Champs de Mars.
Hôtel Tassel, Victor Horta, 1892 to 1893, Modernist, detached, stone, iron, concrete, wood and ceramics, Brussels.
Palais de la Musica Catalan, Domènech i Montaner, 1905-1908, Modernist auditorium, iron, glass, ceramic, brick, Barcelona.
Casa Milà, Gaudí, 1906 to 1912, Modernist, civil, stone, brick, ceramics and iron, Barcelona.
The Card Players, Cézanne, 1893, Post-Impressionist, oil on canvas, genre painting, Louvre.
The Scream, Munch, 1893, Expressionist, oil on canvas, allegorical, Nasjonalgalleriet (Oslo).
The Charge, Ramon Casas, 1903, Modernist, oil on canvas, social protest, Regional Museum of La Garrotxa (Olot).
Desconsol, Joseph Llimona, 1903, Modernist, free-standing sculpture, marble, female allegory, MNAC.
The Green Stripe, Matisse, 1905, Fauvism, oil on canvas, portrait, Statens Museum for Kunst (Copenhagen).
Landscape at L’Estaque, Braque, 1908, Cubist, oil on canvas, landscape, Kunstmuseum (Bern).
Commentaries
(1) The Thinker initially represented an anonymous character immersed in their concerns. It was inspired by the Florentine poet Dante, author of the Divine Comedy. Rodin wanted to model a metaphor for the thought of man and his tragic destiny. It reflects the influence of Michelangelo’s anatomical musculature. Rodin’s intensity of treatment is considered very innovative in contemporary sculpture, and it had an echo in sculpture until the arrival of the Modernist avant-garde.
(2) Rising Sun depicts a placid view of the Port of Le Havre. It uses the main topic of the time: the realization of reflections on the water. The presence of the atmosphere of nature is captured, making it difficult to distinguish the forms of the craft from the bottom. Monet’s work cannot be understood without the experience of painting and the Barbizon school, and the influence of William Turner. Monet brought to art a clear break with the traditional perceptive and representative system. His experimentation was used as a basis for Post-Impressionist revolutions and the later avant-garde.
(3) The Eiffel Tower is the tallest structure in Paris, located near the Seine River. It was built for the Universal Exposition of Paris and was initially heavily criticized. It has now become a symbol of Paris and France. Years earlier, Eiffel had presented the project to Barcelona, but it was not accepted, and the Arc de Triomf was built instead. It was influenced by the Crystal Palace by Paxton, taking advantage of the iron industry’s revolution. It influenced the future of architecture through sustainable engineering, as opposed to historicist architecture.
(4) Hôtel Tassel had a civil and private function, designed to be a comfortable place reflecting the owner’s taste. Tassel was a wealthy bourgeois. It represents the perfect match between content and continent, making it one of the first total European works of art. It influenced Gaudí and other Catalan Modernist architects. Horta became the first and greatest representative of Art Nouveau.
(5) The Palau de la Música Catalana was built for the Orfeó Català as a concert hall. The Orfeó made symbolism its foundation, becoming a temple of art and the Catalan Renaissance. It represents a preference for traditional Catalan construction and materials, and recovers the typical “Catalan vault” system. It introduced technical innovations such as the iron and glass structure of the building, similar to the Chicago Auditorium.
(6) Casa Milà was designed to house a carriage parking area, shops on the mezzanine, the owners’ home on the first floor, rental apartments, and an attic. It represents capricious, rocky forms in the façade, reminiscent of Montserrat. It is a paradigm of modern architecture, providing an innovative system of elevators to each dwelling. The treatment of the stone is considered a precursor to German Expressionist architecture.