Join Mrs.Novik-Khamis and Mrs Holmes to Discuss the Art and Beauty Beneath the Brush Strokes

Mrs. Holmes and her love for the 1913 Bicycle Wheel

Please choose one art piece that you believe was revolutionary in the time it was produced: What is the name of the art piece and who created it?

One of my favorite artworks is ‘Bicycle Wheel’ by the French artist Marcel Duchamp (1887-1968). I have always admired his work and I have used it as inspiration for my own artwork.

Duchamp's ‘Bicycle wheel’ was first made in 1913 (fig 1). It consisted of a wooden stall with an upturned front bicycle wheel fixed to the seat. It was one of the first ever readymades, and has been reproduced a number of times under licence when the original was lost. I have been lucky enough to have seen one in The Pompidou Centre in Paris and in the Tate Modern in London. Although the original piece would have been over a hundred years old, the objects he used are still very recognisable and used today.

Duchamp is known as being a part of the Dada art movement from 1915 to the mid 1920s and was later associated with the surrealists. He was considered a somewhat revolutionary artist for his simple idea of using everyday common objects in his art. Duchamp called these unaltered objects ‘Readymades.’

Why was this art piece revolutionary?

Duchamp was a talented painter but he turned his back on the traditional ideas of art. He was disillusioned by the constant rejection from the established art salons and decided to move away from traditional painting and started exploring the use of common objects in his art. He took the everyday common objects that he found (called ‘objet trouve’) out of their domestic setting and placed them in an art gallery. He argued that he was an artist and could therefore say this was art.

Did the artist suffer from any controversy created by their art?

Duchamp's ideas were considered controversial and shocking in his time and viewers were bewildered by his ideas. What Duchamp did was perhaps a joke aimed at the art establishment that rejected him. Or perhaps he was saying look at this object for its beauty and not its function.

What interested me is that when he combined two different everyday objects he took away their purpose. The wheel was fixed to the stall so was therefore no longer able to function or go anywhere and the stall could no longer be sat on. All that was left was the aesthetic character of the objects. It had no function and could only be admired as an art piece for its beauty or as an art piece to be disliked.

When Duchamp turned the wheel upside down, he turned the idea of art upside down. And his readymades were not going anywhere, like the wheel fixed to the stall. Duchamp's readymades were here to stay as a part of art history.

Mrs. Novik-Khamis on the Beauty of Personal yet Universal art.

Please choose one art piece that you believe was revolutionary in the time it was produced: What is the name of the art piece and who created it?

My favourite artwork is Girl with blue scarf by Malcolm Liepke. Malcolm T. Liepke attributes his success with his figure paintings to making art that is both personal and universal. I find Liepke’s work to be powerful, and it has inspired me. Being an artist myself, I have learned many things while gazing upon his work.

What makes this art piece unique?

Malcolm Liepke is a modern artist and he is painting emotional artworks. He writes: “That truth or emotion makes us feel less alone, more human. Everyone goes through life with their own problems, but we live in a pretty universal world. I’ve found that the more personal the piece, the more people connect with it.” Liepke paints only the subjects that interest him, and he works in the most time-effective manner possible, maintaining some 20 to 30 figure paintings in progress at once. While maximizing his output to the galleries, his approach satisfies his desire to work loosely and spontaneously, making every brushstroke count.

Liepke’s masterful use and knowledge of his chosen medium, is the culmination of a long and ongoing apprenticeship, studying aspects of painters he holds in high esteem. Compositional and tonal nods to the likes of Singer Sargent, Whistler and Degas, the patterns and textures of Vuillard and an ever- evolving palette of vibrant colors, result in a combination, which defines Liepke’s unique identity as a contemporary painter.

How did it have an effect on the art culture of that time period?

Malcolm Liepke became very interested in exploring the theatrical, the strange and the surreal – to look at the human condition from an angle most people might not (or want to) see. Liepke captivates audiences around the world with his masterful impasto technique and incomparable renderings. Using delicate shadow play and quietly provocative figures, he creates ardent portraits painted in thick expressive layers. Exploring the unbounded realms of the emotions and the dramatic contrasts between serene and sultry remain equal counterparts that thrive within his powerful brushwork and heady application of color.

By Aditya Arun 13E