Politics and social order are the most common themes not in the traditional setting, but also in modern society. Politics is what shapes what we are and what we do and, therefore, plays a crucial role in defining the culture of a society. Art is a powerful tool to illustrate the way of life in a community or even at the national or global level, and therefore, getting a deeper understanding of art can be very influential in conforming to societal beliefs. For this assignment, I will analyze two political artworks from different periods and different styles, but they are confined to a similar theme, which is politics and social order. The two artworks include Pablo Picasso’s “Massacre in Korea” and Max Ernst’s “Europe after the Rain II.” The two artworks have lots of similarities as well as differences both in terms of subject matter, style form, media as well as the principles of designs and visual elements.
Marx Ernst’s “Europe after the Rain II,” is a surrealistic landscape of dystopian Europe, depicting the enormous destruction after the Second World War. The piece of art was painted in 1941 in the United States, on the media oil on canvas, and measures 54 cm x 146 cm. It is located in Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art in Hartford, Connecticut, United States. Max was motivated to painting the art as he was personally affected by Nazi politics in Germany, and therefore, it was an inspiration from personal experience, that of suffering. The painting is dominated by pessimist feelings of emotional desolation, deep fears, and physical exhaustion. The title of the painting is symbolic in that it states “after the rain” in that the “rain” is used in place of war. By this, it means that the war was intense to the extent that so many people were killed. War is always an incitement from powerful individuals so that they can benefit from the aftermath. In this case, the Nazis used the war to persecute Jews as they wanted their German tribe to remain pure without intermarriages. Besides, the Nazis wanted political domination, and therefore, Hitler, their leader, could do anything, including destruction, to achieve political dominance. Therefore, the piece of art is inspired by war and its effects on the society, and thus, political.
Pablo Picasso’s “Massacre in Korea” is a Cubism art, an early 20th-century avant-garde art movement that was painted in 1950. The piece of art measures 110 cm x 210 cm and is painted on the medium oil on plywood. The “Massacre in Korea” is located in the museum, “Musee Picasso” in Paris. Pablo Picasso was a great critic of the American war intervention in Korea. Therefore, the painting is considered a communist, which is an excellent example of his political concerns. Picasso openly depicts the civilians killed by the anti-communist forces as heroes who are standing erect and mocking the misshaped figures of the firing squad. Based on this, it is clear that the American army did not go to stop the war but to attack unarmed civilians, and this is a great political message especially when trained troops invade and kill civilians rather than rebels and make it worse when children and women are attacked, which is exactly depicted in the painting.
Various elements of the design have been used in the two paintings, although there have been some variations in usage. One of the most used elements is line. Line as an element of design is used to illustrate direction, and which may include vertical, horizontal, curved, thick, and diagonal lines. Marx’s “Europe after the Rain II” has great use of line. There are various lines in the portrait that include vertical lines, which indicate the pillars of the structures erected in the painting. There are also curved lines, which are an illustration of a curve. Curves in the painting are seen at the bottom of where there are piles of trash.
Furthermore, curved lines are seen to dominate both in the human figures and the surrounding. On the other side, Picasso’s “Massacre in Korea” has great use of detailed lines. The painting uses all kinds of lines. For example, vertical lines have been used to illustrate the standing humans, especially their legs. Curved lines also have been highly used to show belly carvings, butt, and the direction of flow of the valley. Horizontal lines are depicted by the direction of the guns, while the heavy strides of the soldiers depict horizontal lines.
Another element that has been used is shape. The two paintings use the shape in varying amounts. Marx’s art uses fewer shapes in that most of the objects are in an irregular shape. However, Picasso’s painting uses different geometric shapes to illustrate different objects. For example, bellies are depicted by an oval shape; the muzzle of the guns used are cylindrical with a circular opening. Besides, the heads of the soldiers are distorted into different shapes, such as rectangular and even trapezoidal. Therefore, Picasso’s painting has used in great detail, shape as an element of design.
Another element that has been used is color. Marx’s art uses various colors, such as brown, black, grey, blue, and white. Different colors have different meanings and are used in shaping the mood of the painting. Colors such as red, orange, and yellow are perceived as warm colors while blue, green, and purple are cool colors. Marx’s painting incorporates both cool and warm colors in that it is composed of blue, brown, and grey colors. Picasso’s painting is dominated by white and black colors. However, there are some other colors, such as green and brown. Also, these colors indicate a dull mood in the painting.
Lighting another element of design that has been used in the two paintings. Both appear to use natural lighting. In Marx’s painting, the sky is blue and white, and this is an indication that is during the day. Also, the brown color in part of the painting is an indication that it is a cast from the sun, and therefore it can be inferred to have been painted in reference to daytime. Picasso’s painting, on the other hand, uses a lot of white colors, and this helps in making the painting bright. Since the white color is at the top, it can be inferred that the painting is also painted during the day, thus uses natural lighting.
Space is another element that has been used in the two paintings. Space is indicated by the size of the objects, in that closer objects appear huge while far objects are smaller in size. Marx’s painting uses the element of space in great detail in that buildings that very far appear small in size while those that are close are large. Picasso’s painting as well uses the same concept as those objects closer to the vantage point are large compared to those that are distant. Another element of design used is texture. In Marx’s painting, the texture appears to be rough, especially in the major objects, since they are debris of destruction. However, the sky has a smooth texture. Picasso’s painting is mostly smooth as it has smooth images.
Principles of design as well have been used in the painting. Balance is one of the highly used in both paintings. In Marx’s painting, all the objects are aligned in such a manner that their weight is evenly distributed. Large objects on the left are complemented by other large objects on the left, while one big object stands in the middle to balance the weight. Picasso’s painting applies the same concept. Soldiers in both numbers are complemented by an equal number of women on the other side. To ensure that balance has been achieved, two small children are centered trying to run away from the soldiers, and this has the effect of maintaining balance.
Another principle that has been used in the two paintings is scale and proportionality, in which objects and images are depicted in the same way they are supposed to be, both in scale and proportionality. In Marx’s painting, all images are up to scale. For example, the human figures in the middle are proportion to the height of a normal person, and also, the animals are up to scale. Picasso’s painting has adopted the same principle, with all humans having the same proportionality as those of normal beings. However, the heads of the soldiers have been distorted, but this can be inferred as due to the helmets are worn in war. The size of the children has remained to scale. Emphasis is another element that has been used in both paintings, but they have been depicted in different ways. For example, in Marx’s painting, the emphasis has been drawn by the colors used as each of the objects in the painting has a different color, thus enabling the audience to focus differently in the various images in the painting. In Picasso’s painting, the emphasis has been achieved through color and line. Dark and thick lines have been used to emphasize the hair, guns, and other objects in the painting. White color has been highly dominant, especially on the sky and human beings, and this helps the audience to have a different point of focus.
In conclusion, the two artworks, Pablo Picasso’s “Massacre in Korea” and Max Ernst’s “Europe after the Rain II,” have a lot of similarities and differences. Most of the similarities are seen in the elements and principles of design, as well as in the subject matter. Line, color, space, and lighting are some of the common elements in the two paintings. Emphasis and balance have also been used and helped in achieving the great details of the painting.