Art
Asia and Africa in Western European Art
Globalization is generally associated as a modern phenomenon, however, it is a global movement that began with the Greeks and did not accelerate until the renaissance era. The West, going back to Alexander the Great, has a long history of interactions with Asia and Africa. Ideas and goods were consistently traded. This trend of globalization accelerated with the age of exploration in the 16th century when Europeans came into further contact with Africa, Asia, and the Americas. Driven by the quest for gold and natural resources Western European traders navigated the world. This had a profound effect back home, as Europeans developed an interest in the exotic. The interest blossomed during the 18th and 19th century, during the height of Western power and colonialism. Curiosity into the foreign permeated all levels of society. Artists incorporated Asian and African artistic styles into their own. This paper will examine the extent of Asian and African influence on Western art by looking at specific examples discussed by Ori Soltes.
European fascination with foreign art began in the world of Louis the XIV, XV, and XVI. Examining the work, Chinese Fishing Scene (1742), by Francois Boucher, a prominent artist from the middle of the 18th century, one notices the obvious Asian influences. It depicts a world so vastly different, culturally and linguistically foreign from the halls of Paris and the rest of Europe (Soltes, “Asia and Africa in the Western Mind”). A serene and idealized view, in which relaxed figures are set in a calm setting along the water, in contrast to the woodland and streams of Boucher’s Paris. The Western obsession with foreign cultures continued, into the 1800s, evident in John Nash’s The Chinese Gallery, the royal pavilion in Brighton built for the prince regent George IV (Soltes). It’s an extraordinary mesh of Persian-indian elements, reminiscent of the Taj Mahal, from the white domes and minarets. The artistic style of the Pavilion also includes Western influences evident in the gothic windows surrounding the building (Soltes). The Pavilion’s detailed exterior is subtle compared to the lavish interior with a diverse range of rooms. Soltes discusses the Chinese gallery which includes all the fancied elements of China; the Chinese lanterns hanging from the walls, the Chinese pattern on the walls, vases, and the Chinese statue. All of it was meant to convey a strong sense of China as the exterior paid tribute to the Persian-Turkish elements meshed with the gothic world.
The mid-19th century marked an important colonial event, which was the sailing of Commodore Matthew Perry to Japan. Japan was a traditional, close society. It had limited, controlled exposure to the outside world. Perry’s expedition changed Japan and had unforeseen consequences. Japanese ports were open, changing East-West relations. Perry brought with him a camera, in which he brought back hundreds of photographs. These photographs were converted into etchings, so by the 1870s and 1880s, there were an array of etchings of the Far East all over American and Europe. That induces another aspect of new imperialism, which is two sided. One is raw materials being brought from the east for the purpose of business and other side is the works of art brought from the east for patrons and artists.
Edouard Manet’s Portrait of Emile Zola depicts one of the Asian etchings that a Westerner could purchase. Soltes describes how a portrait gives insight into the individual, showing what the person is about rather than their physical depiction. In Zola, we saw Manet’s crowded desk and open book but also to the right, the observer can see Manet’s Olympia next to a drawing of a samurai. To the left there is a Japanese screen, giving the viewer the impression that Manet was a cultured man, blending elements of the East and West. Soltes further describes how Impressionists were fond of Chinese and Japanese ideas. Evidence of the era’s fascination with Japanese and Chinese culture is James McNeill Whistler, Rose and Silver: The Princess of the Land of Porcelain. He takes a European woman and immerses her in a Japanese background while maintaining a gothic pose, an S-curved stance (Soltes). She is standing on a Chinese carpet and wearing a Japanese kimono. However, Asian influence was just one out of several styles that affected European art. African art had a profound effect.
African art influenced 20th century styles of European art which is evident in cubism. Looking at the Bakota reliquary guardian figure from Gabon, Mbulu-Ngulu, we see an intermediary between the living and the dead. It is formalized into geometric shapes, the base taking the shape of a diamond, the solid contrasting the empty space (Soltes). The head depicts the connection to the soul and the realm of the dead. Another geometric piece of art is the Fang mask from Gabon, with geometric reduction and geometric emphasis on light and shadow. The Kifwebe mask from Zaire looks like a direct ancestor to the cubist art style with cube eyes and a square mouth. There are striations and parallel lines given the illusion of geometric forms within other geometric shapes. According to Soltes, at least one Fang mask, made its way to the collection of an artist, which was seen by Pablo Picasso. Evidence of the mask’s influence on Picasso is seen in one of his early works Les Demoiselles d’Avignon, painted in 1906-07 (Soltes). The figures to the far right have faces similar to the Fang mask, including striated details associated with African art. Picasso drew the women in geometric contortions, in African fashion. Further evidence of African influence stems from the fact that Picasso’s painting was inspired by Cezanne’s The Large Bathers, however Picasso’s work takes a much different approach stylistically because it was clearly inspired by African styles. Picasso’s work is one of the early steps towards cubism. Cubism would carry the Western tradition and fascination with nudity, specifically of women.
Western contemporary art is an amalgamation of different artistic styles and traditions, incorporating influences from around the world. It is the combined legacy of not just Western peoples but of all people from around the world. Western art is one of the many byproducts of globalization. A positive example of what comes from positive human influences on each other.
Discussion question:
In the 19th century, Paris was the capital of Western European art. Monet, Van Gogh, Picasso, and Braque were some of the prominent artists that lived in Paris during this time. Living in close proximity to each other, artists influenced one another. For example, Picasso and George Braque, the founders of cubism were strong friends, and affected each other’s paintings. Braque’s Still-Life with Violin, an example of analytic cubism, has the same color scheme and familiar form of Picasso’s Portrait of Art Dealer (Soltes, “They All Came to Paris”). Impressionists had similar influences on each other, which is evident through the evolution of art. Realism evolved to impressionism as photography mandated a different perspective on art, and post-impressionists created Expressionism as a method to bring color and emotion together.
Such rapid evolution of art was made possible due to the close proximity these artists had to each other. It was a community that promoted innovation and experimentation, similar to today’s Silicon Valley. People being so close together, exchanging ideas is going to create impressive results. Early 20th century Paris was also home to poets, writers, and other creative workers. It was a place for artists and creative people can go to be inspired and let their creative energies go wild. It must have been an exciting place especially for those on the outskirts of society, as artists are generally a liberal group of people. Evidence of their inclusion is seen by objects of their work; prostitutes, the poor, the depressed. Members of society that are looked down upon by the higher ups found a home in Paris.
Works Cited
Soltes, Ori. “They All Came to Paris.” YouTube. YouTube, 11 Oct. 2011. Web. 2 Apr. 2014. .
Soltes, Ori. “Asia and Africa in the Western Mind.” YouTube. YouTube, 11 Oct. 2011. Web. 2 Apr. 2014. .
Get Professional Assignment Help Cheaply
Are you busy and do not have time to handle your assignment? Are you scared that your paper will not make the grade? Do you have responsibilities that may hinder you from turning in your assignment on time? Are you tired and can barely handle your assignment? Are your grades inconsistent?
Whichever your reason is, it is valid! You can get professional academic help from our service at affordable rates. We have a team of professional academic writers who can handle all your assignments.
Why Choose Our Academic Writing Service?
- Plagiarism free papers
- Timely delivery
- Any deadline
- Skilled, Experienced Native English Writers
- Subject-relevant academic writer
- Adherence to paper instructions
- Ability to tackle bulk assignments
- Reasonable prices
- 24/7 Customer Support
- Get superb grades consistently
Online Academic Help With Different Subjects
Literature
Students barely have time to read. We got you! Have your literature essay or book review written without having the hassle of reading the book. You can get your literature paper custom-written for you by our literature specialists.
Finance
Do you struggle with finance? No need to torture yourself if finance is not your cup of tea. You can order your finance paper from our academic writing service and get 100% original work from competent finance experts.
Computer science
Computer science is a tough subject. Fortunately, our computer science experts are up to the match. No need to stress and have sleepless nights. Our academic writers will tackle all your computer science assignments and deliver them on time. Let us handle all your python, java, ruby, JavaScript, php , C+ assignments!
Psychology
While psychology may be an interesting subject, you may lack sufficient time to handle your assignments. Don’t despair; by using our academic writing service, you can be assured of perfect grades. Moreover, your grades will be consistent.
Engineering
Engineering is quite a demanding subject. Students face a lot of pressure and barely have enough time to do what they love to do. Our academic writing service got you covered! Our engineering specialists follow the paper instructions and ensure timely delivery of the paper.
Nursing
In the nursing course, you may have difficulties with literature reviews, annotated bibliographies, critical essays, and other assignments. Our nursing assignment writers will offer you professional nursing paper help at low prices.
Sociology
Truth be told, sociology papers can be quite exhausting. Our academic writing service relieves you of fatigue, pressure, and stress. You can relax and have peace of mind as our academic writers handle your sociology assignment.
Business
We take pride in having some of the best business writers in the industry. Our business writers have a lot of experience in the field. They are reliable, and you can be assured of a high-grade paper. They are able to handle business papers of any subject, length, deadline, and difficulty!
Statistics
We boast of having some of the most experienced statistics experts in the industry. Our statistics experts have diverse skills, expertise, and knowledge to handle any kind of assignment. They have access to all kinds of software to get your assignment done.
Law
Writing a law essay may prove to be an insurmountable obstacle, especially when you need to know the peculiarities of the legislative framework. Take advantage of our top-notch law specialists and get superb grades and 100% satisfaction.
What discipline/subjects do you deal in?
We have highlighted some of the most popular subjects we handle above. Those are just a tip of the iceberg. We deal in all academic disciplines since our writers are as diverse. They have been drawn from across all disciplines, and orders are assigned to those writers believed to be the best in the field. In a nutshell, there is no task we cannot handle; all you need to do is place your order with us. As long as your instructions are clear, just trust we shall deliver irrespective of the discipline.
Are your writers competent enough to handle my paper?
Our essay writers are graduates with bachelor's, masters, Ph.D., and doctorate degrees in various subjects. The minimum requirement to be an essay writer with our essay writing service is to have a college degree. All our academic writers have a minimum of two years of academic writing. We have a stringent recruitment process to ensure that we get only the most competent essay writers in the industry. We also ensure that the writers are handsomely compensated for their value. The majority of our writers are native English speakers. As such, the fluency of language and grammar is impeccable.
What if I don’t like the paper?
There is a very low likelihood that you won’t like the paper.
Reasons being:
- When assigning your order, we match the paper’s discipline with the writer’s field/specialization. Since all our writers are graduates, we match the paper’s subject with the field the writer studied. For instance, if it’s a nursing paper, only a nursing graduate and writer will handle it. Furthermore, all our writers have academic writing experience and top-notch research skills.
- We have a quality assurance that reviews the paper before it gets to you. As such, we ensure that you get a paper that meets the required standard and will most definitely make the grade.
In the event that you don’t like your paper:
- The writer will revise the paper up to your pleasing. You have unlimited revisions. You simply need to highlight what specifically you don’t like about the paper, and the writer will make the amendments. The paper will be revised until you are satisfied. Revisions are free of charge
- We will have a different writer write the paper from scratch.
- Last resort, if the above does not work, we will refund your money.
Will the professor find out I didn’t write the paper myself?
Not at all. All papers are written from scratch. There is no way your tutor or instructor will realize that you did not write the paper yourself. In fact, we recommend using our assignment help services for consistent results.
What if the paper is plagiarized?
We check all papers for plagiarism before we submit them. We use powerful plagiarism checking software such as SafeAssign, LopesWrite, and Turnitin. We also upload the plagiarism report so that you can review it. We understand that plagiarism is academic suicide. We would not take the risk of submitting plagiarized work and jeopardize your academic journey. Furthermore, we do not sell or use prewritten papers, and each paper is written from scratch.
When will I get my paper?
You determine when you get the paper by setting the deadline when placing the order. All papers are delivered within the deadline. We are well aware that we operate in a time-sensitive industry. As such, we have laid out strategies to ensure that the client receives the paper on time and they never miss the deadline. We understand that papers that are submitted late have some points deducted. We do not want you to miss any points due to late submission. We work on beating deadlines by huge margins in order to ensure that you have ample time to review the paper before you submit it.
Will anyone find out that I used your services?
We have a privacy and confidentiality policy that guides our work. We NEVER share any customer information with third parties. Noone will ever know that you used our assignment help services. It’s only between you and us. We are bound by our policies to protect the customer’s identity and information. All your information, such as your names, phone number, email, order information, and so on, are protected. We have robust security systems that ensure that your data is protected. Hacking our systems is close to impossible, and it has never happened.
How our Assignment Help Service Works
1. Place an order
You fill all the paper instructions in the order form. Make sure you include all the helpful materials so that our academic writers can deliver the perfect paper. It will also help to eliminate unnecessary revisions.
2. Pay for the order
Proceed to pay for the paper so that it can be assigned to one of our expert academic writers. The paper subject is matched with the writer’s area of specialization.
3. Track the progress
You communicate with the writer and know about the progress of the paper. The client can ask the writer for drafts of the paper. The client can upload extra material and include additional instructions from the lecturer. Receive a paper.
4. Download the paper
The paper is sent to your email and uploaded to your personal account. You also get a plagiarism report attached to your paper.
PLACE THIS ORDER OR A SIMILAR ORDER WITH US TODAY AND GET A PERFECT SCORE!!!
