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Paints of 'balthus' The history of the 20 th century was full of significant events, especially in arts. There were a great number of different movements such as the Realist, Surrealist, Modernist and Post-Modernist. But Balthus' works are difficult to place at the same row. His works cannot be associated with any of these movements. Balthus (Balthasar Klossowski de Role) preferred to work figuratively; but his works were full of a highly personal psychology, as modern arts were identified.
It was the nature of his subject matter; and it made his works difficult to be categorized. Balthus's the is considered to be primarily classical and academic. It was not experimentation or innovation in art; but a good attempt to reinvestigate traditional painting attitudes and techniques. Balthus gave new meaning to Western painting traditions. Techniques of figurative art were present in Balthus paintings; and thats why he was classified as an anti-modern and idiosyncratic artist. He was almost the only artist who painted figures at that time.
Balthus technique and compositions were taken from pre-renaissance painters; but at the same time a little from contemporary surrealists can be noticed. Balthus did not want to paint an imaginary world and a lot of his works are closer to realism. After the War of 1945, his subject-matter changed. But the rigorous composition and slow execution were unchangeable. Balthus liked oriental paintings.
He took great experience from observing them. Thats why his works can be characterized not as realistic representation but as 'identification'. A lot of in his paintings are suspended not obvious such as gestures and the traffic of life; time is frozen. His canvases are dense. It is evident that in many respects Balthus paintings make people finish thinking the composition. He became famous for his portraits of adolescent girls.
Balthus caught a moment in half-way between innocence and perversity. Thats why his works often were subjects for discussion. Somebody considered the artist as a pornographer who tried to sexuality feminist performance art. Others regarded his works to particular vision of female sexuality. We can say that Balthus was a master of mise-en-scenes and could play with sexual and power dynamics. He could not say for or against his paintings because he was sure that words are unable to replace painting.
He emphasized that craft and color are the only material things; the rest depends on the personal perception of the reality. Albert Camus said about reality that people do not know how to see it. They try to conceal their inner world and private life. Working at his famous canvas: a young girl on a settee with a mirror in her hand; Balthus pointed that he tried to reproduce his interior vision. Someone deciphered interior vision as Balthus portrayed his dream.
But the artist protested it. He emphasized that interior vision in his paintings had been acquired from looking at exterior things. He always found representation better than invention. But working with portraits, landscapes, and still lives, Balthus did not want to achieve realism. Balthus' composition represented the inter-relationship of figures, objects, and setting. He was able to create a sense of space.
Balthus art is a kind of community of perception when feelings and emotions of ones childhood and adolescence are closely connected with nature. It is a world of signs. Thats why perspective in Balthus works is more realistic in representation. It aims at an identification of things. Balthus' paintings are always in atmospheric stillness. Though the artist reproduced the everyday activities, his works are highly psychological and always have mystery and intrigue.
The style of Balthus works was far from abstraction that was popular at that time. His style was characterized as convinced figurative. The manner of his draughtsmanship was incisive. Any small detail can be seen in his works; they are made with great precision.
Balthus worked in muted tones which were taken from strict observation and internalization of things and people. He showed the figures and objects in weighty geometric forms. They seemed to be frozen in time. Thats why the manner of his paintings is similar to classical. Colors, used by Balthus, differed greatly from those that were used by his contemporaries. Balthus pointed mediocre quality of their colors.
He granted colors for his paintings himself. It was his recipe. Balthus considered that the craft of painting had almost gone. For Balthus works of contemporaries contained nothing; thats why he thought they had nothing to be taught. In his later works the artist used thick layers of oil paint.
He called it an impasto. Due to bright, warm colors used in his works, Balthus canvases were like fresco's made from plaster. The sense of bright light seemed to dissolve distinctions between things. It was a great difference because in his earlier works Balthus used the sharp focus. Several types of techniques can be seen in his works but the most important are those from Renaissance art and Japanese paintings. Many of Balthus paintings were paintings of adolescents.
Most of them there were young girls, often nude or partially clothed. The settings are intimate, and indoor. It seems that the viewers are peeping. Balthus works have an erotic context. His most famous work is The Guitar Lesson in New York. It called a lot of discussions.
It showed a suggestive act between a teacher and pupil. Though Balthus rejected the erotic content in his work but they have always had sexual ambiguity and even shocked. Having examined Balthus canvases, one can feel controversy as well as adoration. In the century of the strong tendency toward abstraction, Balthus' works were figurative.
He did not recognize abstract, expressionistic art, descended from surrealism. He thought it facile and limited. Speaking about Balthus' works, one cannot help mentioning his profound understanding of effects and of materials. Bibliography: Balthus. (2006) Answers. com, encyclodictionalmanacapedia. Retrieved December 2, 2006 from web
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