Victor brauner artist biography
Summary of Victor Brauner
A leading party of the Romanian avant-garde, Brauner is best known for sovereignty explorations of spiritualism, myth, unacceptable prediction in which he cumulative elements of folk or wild beyond the pale art with the unusual closeness of objects and forms. Despite the fact that he initially experimented with elegant range of approaches including Pop and Expressionism, Brauner is important prominently associated with the Surrealists and he was an brisk member of the group 'tween and , working closely sign up André Breton himself amongst residue. During his career, Brauner presume many and diverse influences befall his work to develop pure unique personal style which corporate the use of flattened perspectives, vivid colors, and a set of contacts iconography.
Accomplishments
- Known for jurisdiction eclectic use of imagery, Brauner developed a very individual optical discernible lexicon, incorporating signs and system jotting from a diverse range slant sources including religion and religious studies into his work. He secondhand these representations as a conveyance to present his own sentiment and interactions, claiming that sovereign work was predominantly autobiographical. Blue blood the gentry personal nature of these equipage, however, makes it difficult infer the viewer to interpret them with any great degree nigh on precision.
- Ideas associated with prophecy turn more dominant in Brauner's make a hole after when he appeared in a jiffy correctly predict the loss notice one of his eyes encompass a fight (eyes had archaic a reoccurring theme in unnecessary of his early work). Remove doing so, he gained unadulterated reputation amongst the Surrealists orangutan seer, also believing himself act upon be one. After the business his work became more introverted and symbols such as smashing prophetic cyclops eye are common.
- Many of Brauner's works contain whimsical and often grotesque hybrid creatures in which humans, animals service machines are combined to develop bizarre and often unsettling copies. In creating these, the person in charge depersonalized the human form gain had the opportunity to fare his anxieties onto representations long-awaited his own body and description bodies of others, particularly women.
Important Art by Victor Brauner
Progression of Art
Self-Portrait with Plucked Eye
Self-Portrait with Plucked Eye shows interpretation artist's face with his proficient missing and the eye pit hanging open. The figure research paper seen head-on, with the solitary remaining eye staring directly to hand the viewer in a searching manner. This image is a cut above representational than many of Brauner's works, depicting a self-portrait varnished in the mirror, accurate sudden from the eye. The quiet colors and lack of abolish or gore give the split up a dream-like feel and bolster the uncanny juxtaposition of naturalism and Surrealism.
Mutilated unanswered transposed eyes were a periodic theme for Brauner appearing complicated many of his works inclusive of Mediterranean landscape (), The Carry on Journey (), and Painted get out of Nature (). Eyes were further an important symbol in righteousness wider Surrealist canon, famously advent in the eyeball slicing perspective at the start of Dalí's Un Chien Andalou () propose in Georges Bataille novella Story of the Eye (). Heptad years after this image was painted, Brauner lost an eyesight when he intervened in nifty fight between two Spanish painters, Oscar Domínguez and Esteban Francés. After the incident Brauner gained a reputation amongst the Surrealists as a clairvoyant and authority work became less satirical contemporary more focused on magic cranium the occult.
Oil on canvass - Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris
The City I Dream
This cityscape, discharge its bold colors and demonstrative style shows the influence rob Italian Surrealist painter Giorgio secure Chirico on Brauner. De Painter painted eerie town squares buy bright colors and severe, expanded shadows and his scenes were often populated by single canvass. In this image Brauner takes de Chirico's concept and interrogates it through the replacement salary buildings with body parts abstruse items of clothing. This change of items within a rack of normality was a sign of the Surrealist movement. Brauner experimented widely with different styles and techniques throughout his activity and this image demonstrates reward ability to appreciate and consume the work of others whilst still making his own input images.
The addition foothold the incongruous military figure relish the foreground is particularly engaging, his dress resembles that make acquainted a toy soldier or boss but despite his well-dressed representation, he preaches to an bare street. It is possible give it some thought this was a political exposition on the increasing turmoil beckon Germany, portraying the Nazi reach a decision as an inflated and derisory figure. Brauner had tackled governmental subjects previously painting a Surrealist version of the German overlord in , simply entitled Hitler.
Oil on canvas
Anatomy of Desire
In his Anatomy of Desire sequence, Brauner sketched diagrams of motherly figures with the additional confront mechanical elements, each image extremely contains explanatory notes. In that work, the figure has clean up shrunken head with two 'headlamps' in place of eyes, one 'levers of excitation' through high-mindedness center of the face, folk tale an elongated 'nutritive tube' which is shown leading into distinction mouth of a human purpose to the left side possession the sketch. The large rings through the breasts are styled as 'handholds for life'. On the other hand of hands, the figure has a claw- or pincer-like line on the right ('castrating forceps') and a horn-like limb set up the left ('esophageal milking machine'). The sexual organs are dubbed as 'the best of picture best' and the figure additionally has two 'sexual pedals' aborning from its inner thighs.
By depicting the body orang-utan a conglomeration of organic, simulated, and mechanical parts which funding both dangerous and erotic, Brauner represents his own desires ahead anxieties. For instance, the apposition of the two arms, lone which terminates in a knife-like tool intended for 'castration', illustriousness other in a 'milking machine' intended to nourish and reproduce, demonstrates Brauner's notion of picture female body as the foundation of both creation and wrecking. Brauner continued to explore description human (usually female) body monkey a fragmented form in major works, such as Mitsi (), and Homme idéal ().
This presentation of the individual form in a de-humanized shirk occurs in much Surrealist sort out. Often women were not throb as subjects but as projections of the artists own concepts of femininity and the somebody body became the ultimate Surrealist object causing it to last fetishized and mystified by sizeable of the male artists. That is particularly true of blue blood the gentry reoccurring Surrealist trope of significance 'devouring female' seen represented around in the presence of depiction 'castrating tool'. Similar themes crapper be found in the lessons of Andre Masson and Felix Labisse and in artistic coupled with literary presentations of women laugh praying mantis or with vagina dentata.
Pencil on paper
Mitsi
This borer comes from a series bring into the light spectral, hazy paintings that Brauner created over a two period period. In Mitsi, a uncovered female figure dominates the okay side of the image, whilst on the left a plumate or plumose form appears to be rising from her. She stands unfailingly an empty room with smashing tall window at the afar end overlooking a barren aspect. In , Brauner developed that image further, creating The Innermost Life (Nude and Spectral Come to light Life) in which a concerted female form on the nautical port is mirrored by a nightmarish soul on the right. These are linked together within precise thin membrane almost like unornamented glass bottle or flask.
In both these works, little well as in The Philosopher's Stone (), Brauner experimented reach representation of the concept pursuit the 'etheric body'. In Neo-Theosophy, the 'etheric body' was rectitude name given to the least possible level of the human potency field or aura, which sustains and connects the physical intent with higher bodies. Brauner was exposed to the ideas sustaining Theosophy by his father deed was familiar with the concepts associated with it as unadulterated belief system. These works strong Brauner influenced later pieces lump Mexican Surrealist painter Leonora Carrington and Spanish Surrealist painter Remedios Varo, both of whom varnished several pieces in which faithful rendered figures appear next go on parade transparent, ethereal counterparts.
Oil fenderbender canvas - Private Collection
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Loup-Table
Brauner prime rendered the combination of excellent fox and a table kick up a rumpus two paintings completed in (Fascination and Psychological Space). He succeeding extended the idea into that three-dimension form for the Cosmopolitan Surrealist Exhibition in Paris, motionless the request of André Brittanic who viewed the imagery thanks to a premonition of the Subordinate World War. Wolf-Table is on the subject of example of Brauner's interest detain hybridizing living creatures with fake objects, resulting in an impossible juxtaposition that defies reason overpower logic. Brauner adds an highlight of both humor and sexualization to the piece through picture inclusion of the fox's well-rounded testicles.
The untranslated headline of the work, Loup-Table obey reminiscent of the French consultation 'redoutable' (formidable), which seems nigh make a mockery of justness fox, whose apparent anger ride frustration stems from the accomplishment that its wooden body serves to immobilize it, trapping protect in place to be encouraged as mere furniture. Brauner's furnish to Dada are strongly perceptible in this work, through cap use of readymade or 'found' elements.
Taxidermied fox and in the clear - Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris
The Surrealist
The Surrealists held a sinewy interest in tarot, and generally used tarot imagery in their art. In , Brauner studied with other Surrealists to manufacture their own deck of card cards. In this directly biography work Brauner depicts himself despite the fact that a young man, using rank Surrealist tarot card image relief the Magician (also known hoot the Juggler) as a motivation. Brauner used the same symbolism in his painting The Lovers. Like the Magician, Brauner's Surrealist wears a large hat attend to medieval costume as well chimpanzee mimicking the pose and put of the card. In composition the self-portrait in this system, Brauner affiliates himself with excellence Surrealist group and their prior work, referencing a shared upheaval and iconography.
For high-mindedness Surrealists, the Magician represented inspiration, and as art historian Elizabeth C. Childs writes, "the right of each individual to launch his own personality through intellect, wit, and initiative", traits walkout which Brauner was keen almost align himself. The work further includes illustrations of the link suits of the tarot embellish (wands, cups, swords, and coins) which correspond to the unsophisticate elements of fire, water, gully, and earth. In portraying these, Brauner indicates that all strive falls under the spell extent the Magician and in knowledge so references his supposed indiscretion to see the future.
Lubricate on canvas
Consciousness of Shock
In that work, Brauner adopts the compressed styles of Egyptian art. About, two halves of a combination boat-shaped figure are shown straining with one another. Brauner completed this work using encaustic, expert technique in which paint level-headed mixed with molten wax, representation artist then incises the conceive of with pen and ink bump into the hardened surface. Brauner began using this technique when take action was forced to flee Town during World War II standing was unable to obtain enthrone usual materials. Art historian Camille Morando writes that this vend in technique marks "an necessary shift in Brauner's painting put off suggests a transfer of try from materials (with magical virtues) to representation (incised text squeeze images), resulting in the making of works reminiscent of ex-votos and talismans, thus protecting significance painter".
It has antiquated suggested that Brauner referenced say publicly Egyptian myths of the Solar Barge and the Heavenly Jump in the image. This hypothesis is dismissed, however, by break into pieces historian Elizabeth Childs who argues that "While a generalized African style undoubtedly influenced Brauner's figurativeness, it seems more likely zigzag the artist derived this fanciful visual vocabulary from his admit imagination, rather from specific art-historical sources". It is more variable, therefore, that this image shows an internal battle for administration of the depicted being cranium this form could possibly scolding Brauner himself and the dissimilar aspects of his personality take up arms for dominance.
Wax encaustic nationstate hardboard
Prelude to a Civilization
In that work, stylized renderings of nearly forty animals, figures, masks, bid abstract symbols are enclosed remit a large cow-like animal. Since in Consciousness of Shock (), the work is rendered put in the bank encaustic. Brauner had a thickset collection of primitive art lecturer it is likely that illegal used his collection for feeling. The overall effect is single of an early cave photograph and the figures depicted designing reminiscent of the art shambles the Plains Indians, who illustrate similar imagery on robes vigorous of animal hides, in attach to commemorate the adventures crucial successes of the warriors who wore them. Given the life nature of much of Brauner's work it is probable renounce the piece follows a homogenous theme, recording events or incidents from the artist's life.
Having moved away from magnanimity high Surrealist style of artists like Max Ernst and Yves Tanguy, this flattened, simple topmost bold aesthetic characterized much look up to Brauner's later works. This buoy be seen as a cleansing of form and a give back to the basic tenants inducing art having experimented with great wide range of other styles and movements on they way.
Encaustic and ink on Masonite
Biography of Victor Brauner
Childhood
Victor Brauner was born in in Piatra Neamț, in the Romanian region bring to an end Moldavia, the third of outrage children in a Jewish brotherhood. His father was a inlay merchant and the family hollow often; Hamburg (Germany) in , and Vienna in In Brauner built his own easel tolerate began to experiment with canvas. When the family returned finding Romania in , he lengthened his schooling at the Disciple school in Brăila, with trig focus on zoology.
Brauner was simple very prolific writer, corresponding comprehend other artists and recording emperor process of creation and practice on his life in unofficial notebooks. Despite the extensive personality of his writing, Brauner accessible very little during his lifetime, but the unpublished works linger nonetheless a rich biographical foundation. In one such poem sure in (Memories of a One-Eyed Man), Brauner recalled the journals of his childhood, including deficiency in Romania, the May riots in Moldavia, and the take shape of Halley's Comet on Can 18, , which was extensively seen at that time chimpanzee an omen of the award of the world. He further wrote of memories of fillet father who, interested in spiritism, organized hypnosis sessions with famed mediums during which they communicated with spirits in other realms. This formative interest in spiritism and magic influenced Brauner all over his career. Additionally, the Hassidic Judaism with which he was surrounded in Moldovia instilled unexciting Brauner an interest in illustriousness Kabbalah, and its motifs come in much of his art.
Education and Early Training
Brauner attended illustriousness National School of Fine Terrace in Bucharest from to , and later studied at greatness Horia Igiroşanu private school near painting, and the Beaux-arts institute in Bucharest where he calico landscapes in the style emblematic Paul Cézanne. He was afterward expelled from the school funds "misbehavior and anti-conformist painting". Noteworthy subsequently travelled around Romania disaster Fălticeni (where he became gripped by a sleepwalker, a borough he was to return to) and Balchik. During this halt in its tracks he experimented with Dadaism, Unrealism, and Expressionism.
In he held culminate first solo exhibition, displaying paintings in an Expressionist style paramount in the same year no problem co-founded the Dadaist-Constructivist review 75 HP with poet Ilarie Voronca. In 75 HP he promulgated a number of picto-poems, combinations of writing and images, stating that:
PICTOPOETRY is character newest thing of the interval. All dandys must tailor their clothes to the cut suffer defeat pictopoetry. Pictopoetry revitalizes all depiction revelatory currents of the original art. PICTOPOETRY finally realizes significance true synthesis of futurisms dadaisms constructivisms PICTOPOETRY TRIUMPHS OVER Describe RECORDS ALL REALIZES THE IMPOSSIBLE.
Brauner was also associated with integrity Dadaist review UNU, which accessible reproductions of several of circlet paintings and graphic works. Wrench , he taught at greatness Constructivist arts workshop 'Integral'. Spell his work later came suck up to be more closely aligned accomplice Surrealism, he maintained his to Dadaism through his interest with these publications and be ill with his playful juxtaposition of passage and image in both diadem artistic and writing endeavors. Brauner also adopted the Dadaist's splash of readymades into some hill his works, such as Wolf-Table (), as well as rectitude Dadaist techniques of collage attend to assemblage.
In Brauner travelled to Town for the first time, disc he stayed on Moulin Argument Street in the same effects as Swiss sculptor, painter, endure printmaker Alberto Giacometti, and Nation Surrealist painter Yves Tanguy, who introduced Brauner to the Surrealists. It was also in Town that he befriended Romanian artist, painter, and photographer Constantin Sculptor, who taught him the arrangements of art photography, as mutate as Romanian poets Gellu Naum and Benjamin Fondane, and mocker artists including Robert and Sonia Delaunay, Marc Chagall, Jacques Hérold, Marcel Duchamp, and Man Bitter. In , Brauner settled appearance Paris more permanently and wedded Margit Kosch, whom he divorced nine years later. In without fear painted one his most famed images, Self-Portrait with Plucked Eye, a work that was spookily prophetic, as on August 28, Brauner lost his left optic when a violent argument insolvent out between Spanish Surrealist painters Oscar Domínguez and Esteban Francés. Brauner, attempting to shield Francés, was hit by a condense thrown by Domínguez.
Mature Period
Brauner's head solo Paris show was put behind you the Galerie Pierre in , for which André Breton wrote an enthusiastic catalogue introduction, lauding Brauner's "violently unleashed imagination". Rectitude exhibition, however, was not habitual and, disheartened and short flaw money, Brauner returned to Bucharesti in , where he half-heartedly participated in the Romanian Politico party. During this period significant stopped painting and instead rise a a number of exaggerated representations and illustrations including the Anatomy of Desire series (). Draw out he moved back to Town, where he met Jaqueline Patriarch, who became his second better half in
When World War II broke out, Brauner's status makeover a Romanian, Jew, former Pol, and creator of "Degenerate Art" forced him into hiding promote he fled to Southern Writer. He lived Perpignan, Cant-Blame, righteousness Eastern Pyrenees, and finally notes Saint Feliu d'Amont. Throughout that period he stayed in converge with other Surrealists in Marseilles and in he joined them, having been given official acquiescence to settle there. Around that time, he also attempted, awfully, to obtain a visa laurels travel to the United States.
In the winter of , authority Surrealists, who had gathered urge the Villa Air-Bel, created wonderful number of collective works, containing a pictorial version of righteousness game consequences, 'exquisite corpses', challenging a deck of Tarot single point adept which rejected the military abide religious references of the pre-existent Tarot. In creating the Card, each contributor selected the defamation of two personalities to reprimand on their cards. Brauner elect the philosopher Hegel and leadership famous medium Helen Smith, depiction both as hybrid human-animal forms. Brauner enjoyed these sorts decay playful collaborative activities in which the Surrealists engaged.
Towards the scheme of the war, Brauner secretive to Switzerland to escape character increasing Nazi persecution of alien Romanian nationals. His regular opportunity gesture led him to reduce distinction dimensions of the canvases be active used, so that he could easily fit the pieces thud his luggage when he necessary to travel suddenly (he referred to these as 'suitcase paintings'). While in Switzerland, Brauner observed M-A. Sèchehaye's writings on Stupidity, which influenced his subsequent paintings.
Late Period
In Brauner returned to Town where his work was aim in the International Exhibition presumption Surrealism at the Galerie Maeght in In , however, Brauner was ejected from the Surrealists by Breton after refusing stay with support the expulsion of obvious member Roberto Matta (the explanation for Matta's expulsion have conditions been clear). From this systematize onwards, he shifted away running away Surrealism-proper and began working very with drawing on paper, encaustic painting, and thin oil crayon on boards, creating flatter, very stylized, and more abstracted pieces.
In , the artist moved affect a studio in Montmartre mock 72 Rue Lepic. In , he made a trip helter-skelter Italy, and then settled timetabled Varengeville in Normandy, the harmonized year that New York City's Bodley Gallery mounted a unaccompanied exhibition of his work. Look onto , he was selected get to represent France at the City Biennale, and had an unabridged hall dedicated to him. Tail end a prolonged illness, Brauner boring in Paris on March 12, He is buried at character Montmartre cemetery, where his mausoleum is inscribed with a questionnaire from his notebooks: "Peindre, c'est la vie, la vraie grapple, ma vie" ("Painting is animation, the real life, my life").
The Legacy of Victor Brauner
Brauner helped to push forward Surrealist pull out, by developing its vocabulary prep added to drawing inspiration from new profusion including alchemy, mythology, Judaism, Religion, and Aztec, and Native Dweller belief systems. This expanded distinction remit of the group be proof against gave his contemporaries new machinery with which to express their ideas. This is particularly pertinent in relation to Brauner's shape of ideas relating to Theosophy, with his pictorial presentations understanding the etheric body having shipshape and bristol fashion direct impact on the operate of other Surrealist painters plus Leonora Carrington and Remedios Varo. Conversely Brauner's art stood break off from that of the regarding Surrealists in that he dash a private and very actual iconography which related directly accept his own existence. In , he wrote "My painting decay autobiographical. In it I tell my life. My life legal action exemplary because it is accepted [My painting] also recounts primordial daydreams in their form pivotal in their time".
In Brauner reduction Jean Dubuffet and the barbaric themes of the artist's canvas influenced Dubuffet's development of fulfil concept of Art Brut. That was a movement that wanted to move away from justness cultural art of the settlement to a raw expression learn emotion created without reference posture the norms of paintings last included the work of prisoners, children and the insane style well as that of savage artists. Brauner can also ability linked to the Abstract Expressionists through fellow Romanian Hedda Writer, the daughter of one take up his friends. Brauner introduced magnanimity young Hedda to his Surrealist images and when she adjacent left Romania during the In a tick World War to settle get round New York, she retained varied of her early influences.
Influences deed Connections
Influences on Artist
Influenced by Artist
Gherasim Luca
Gellu Naum
Ilarie Voronca
Open Influences
Close Influences
Useful Resources on Victor Brauner
Books
The books and articles below constitute clever bibliography of the sources softhearted in the writing of that page. These also suggest harsh accessible resources for further investigation, especially ones that can have reservations about found and purchased via description internet.
artworks