In the Bysantine spirit: A museum journey through Russia, Hungary, Czech Republic, Austria, and Switzerland

Author: Lu Zhonglian
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-01-01
Features: This book will guide you into the halls of art in Russia, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Austria, and Switzerland. These countries have been influenced to varying degrees by Byzantine spirit, and can be seen as branches with unique characteristics that have developed from a common root. The perspective of this book will help you see their connections and differences more clearly. Picasso, Raphael are speaking to us! The book is printed in copperplate paper with color illustrations, featuring 201 color plates, exquisitely beautiful!
Excerpt: Picasso's Three Women, Dance with Veils It can be said that the art world of the 20th century was dominated by two masters: one was Henri Matisse, and the other was Pablo Picasso. Both were artists who combined tradition with innovation, and their dreams of art changed our perception of the world. Matisse was slightly older, with a more gentle and orderly temperament, much like Raphael; Picasso, on the other hand, received more attention. Matisse was a natural leader, always generous with advice and encouragement to other painters, while Picasso, like Michelangelo, used his strength to dominate others, a born dictator. They each sought their own path, carving out their own sky in the art world. Three Women, created in 1908, came from the early patron of Catalan, Gertrude Stein, who sold it to Picasso's agent, Daniel Kahnweiler, and later acquired by Shchukin between 1913 and 1914. This work differs slightly from the style of Cubism; during the Cubist period, Picasso also experimented with classical styles. His Three Women follows the ancient formula of the Trinity, becoming an advanced work of Cubism. This piece can be traced back to ancient times from every angle, expressing tranquility between flattery and absurdity. In Toklas's Dance with Veils, the depicted female character is always frightening, but Picasso portrayed women in a completely different way. The flowing, alluring veils conceal the cold, carved head of the dancer, and in this work, indifference is negated by the thin fabric. The characteristics of the work resemble many tribal carvings, and it was quickly collected by avant-garde artists in Paris. Most of Picasso's works (even in his later years) retained the boldness, aggression, criticism, and independence of youth, uncompromising and quite unfriendly. Picasso's works have always been colorful, but he found it difficult to accept the formulaic and harmonious beauty of classical works, so in this piece, he used an analytical approach to break down the female body into cubes. Picasso's themes for nudes were usually prostitutes or virgins, and he typically combined Cubism with classicalism to express his Catalan heritage.