In this blog I feel like musing over the latest standing by Stephen Hawking about “Why God Did Not Create the Universe” (The Grand Design, excerpt published in The Wall Street Journal, Sept.4 5. 2010), contrasting it with the human creations in Humanities. The first speaks of the standing of Science, and the latter is represented by four modern paintings—self-portraits, to verify the human nature and efforts to face the predicament. This desire to show case these works also sprang up watching the highest prices paid for such works at Christe’s and Sotheby’s recent art sales. Doesn’t that mean that human aesthetic-psyche has started introspection on facing the no-returning endings reached by human doings?

Hawking’s standing on universe being nothing more than ‘physical theories and laws’ sounds like Abstract Constructivists’ approach to creation of art, which modern critics categorize as “default painting.” But, what about that almost
all the great artists, from Vinci, Michelangelo and Rembrandt to Van Gogh, Picasso and Warhol, have painted human predicament through their own self-portraits,
expressing introspection on the human nature betiding woes of inevitable old age?

Of these four such works, the first I take is Van Gogh’s “Self Portrait with Banded Ear.’ The volumes are expressed through guilt fully saddened and penetrating gaze becoming aware of artistic and masterful handling of the medium and the canvas to create a masterpiece of art—expressing the human nature to face the catastrophe befallen.

This work was Picasso’s one of the darlings. ‘Musketeer with a Pipe’ is a work in which Picasso has put culmination of artistic oeuvre using styles as his painterly expressions. And, the mask and virile bravura of musketeer became the hide for his diminishing physicality to fulfill sensual desires.

The third masterpiece is Edward Munch’s ‘Between Clock and Bed.’ Munch with his expressionistic brushing and spontaneity speaks of entering from light of youth into the shade of old age ‘naturally’ accepting the predicament. In this shade the harsh strokes of the bed cover and bigger-than-himself size of the clock delineate the
woes of old age.

The fourth and the last one is the ‘Self Portrait’ done in 1986 by Warhole. This portrait powerfully expresses the current human psyche ‘lost’ in the want of a faith in human Endeavour.

This entry was posted on Monday, September 6th, 2010 at 3:11 pm and is filed under Musings & Reflections. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.