Jean Dubuffet at the MoMA...
3:10 p.m.
Dubuffet is a French artist (1901-1985) with a special interest in the condition of an artwork. And by condition we understand the materials used to create it. New York's Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is presenting Jean Dubuffet: Soul of the Underground, an exhibition of works done between 1940 and 1960.
Soil ornamented with Vegetation, Dead Leaves, Pebbles & Diverse Debris, de Jean Dubuffet (1956)
Technique: oil and collage on canvas
Dubuffet rejected the Academy and traditional aesthetic for an interest in raw materials. He mixed sand and soil with his pigments and applied the mixture, layer after layer, with brush and spatula. After shaping his images, he would later remove the unnecessary material. In the portrait below, that of Belgian artist Henri Michaux, Dubuffet focused on the more remarkable aspects of his subject, such as his ears, the buttons of his suit and his large hands, producing a rather cartoonish figure.
Portrait of Henri Michaux, by Jean Dubuffet (1947)
Technique: oil on putty, pebbles and sand on canvas
Through the stacking of materials he gave birth to the series Small Statues of the Poor Life. The statute The Ragman belongs to it: a man that lives of what others don't need, buying or selling objects and finding value in what has been destroyed, forgotten or ignored. For this artwork, Dubuffet assembled disused pieces, as a tribute to what that man did. Thus he finds a new use in his sculpture to what others have thrown away.
At first, Dubuffet's monochrome work makes the entire exhibition look opaque and monotonous. However, when seen up-close, certain artworks show a funniness that in fact reveal the tragic condition of modern conscience, whose values have shifted with the technological revolution of the 20th Century. The MoMA wants to please visitors seeking for a show (Björk's exhibition) but also those interested in Art History.
Smile (Sourire), by Jean Dubuffet (1962)
Technique: litography
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