Cubism in art; painting, sculpture, film, etc. played a huge part in the Russian movement of film. Especially in the works of Dziga Vertov and his film, Man with a Movie Camera. Cubism was an art form that depicts an out with the old and in with the new movement. Its style is very Picasso-esque. As one can see, in Man with a Movie Camera, some of the scenes are very different and overlaid on top of each other. Vertov’s style also is like Cubism in that his whole film had to do with street life and the ways of it. The entirety of the film illustrated the workings of the lower classes in Russia, providing a sort of documentary of the lower classes lifestyles in Russia in the 1930s. (Natalia Nussinova)
Surrealism also played a major part in Vertov’s style of filmmaking. Later on in the film, as mentioned earlier, the images are split and one sets on top of the other on the screen so that it looks undeniably odd to the audience. This was also the time for inventiveness and trying out new film styles. Vertov’s type of film rang very true for the Avant Guarde movement in Russia and he was one of the people who helmed the movement, coming up with his own creative ways to films certain subjects and capture them for the camera.
Nussinova, Natalia. The oxford history of World Cinema . NY: The Oxford University Press, 1997. Print.
Surrealism
Surrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early 1920s, and is best known for the visual artworks and writings of the group members.
Surrealist works feature the element of surprise, unexpected juxtapositions and non sequitur; however, many Surrealist artists and writers regard their work as an expression of the philosophical movement first and foremost, with the works being an artifact. Leader Andre Breton was explicit in his assertion that Surrealism was above all a revolutionary movement.
Surrealism developed out of the Dada activities of World War I and the most important center of the movement was Paris. From the 1920s on, the movement spread around the globe, eventually affecting the visual arts, literature, film, and music, of many countries and languages, as well as political thought and practice, philosophy and social theory.
I like your relation of Vertov to Cubism and Picasso. Picasso began as an amazing young artist, able to draw an exact replica of any object out there. His famous artist father would draw one half of something, and young Pablo would finish the other half perfectly. It's interesting that Picasso purposefully switched to cubism as a statement, and so too, Vertov. With his film skills, Vertov clearly has the capability to display the real rural streets as they are, but he choses to make a statement with his art.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the overlaying of the different angles (front and back) in Vertov's film is similar to Picasso's overlaying style of showing many different angles at once. However, I think that Vertov choses these moments significantly for a certain expression, rather than using this style throughout his whole film persistently in excess. Which I think, is a smart idea.
Erin, I like that you are trying to find connections between the work we watch in class and other art movements and styles. I think you could go deeper in thinking about the "cubist" or "surrealist" influence on early Soviet/Russian art and Vertov's "Man With A Movie Camera". It is especially interesting to investiage how and to what extent elements of Cubism, Surrealism, and other predominantly European-based art movements influenced and informed Russian artists. I would also encourage you to look more closely at what are considered Russian traditions like Constructivism and other avant-garde movements.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Nicole, for your comments as well. I appreciate what you wrote about Picasso and Vertov choosing specific styles and approaches in their art in order to make statements, rather than simply relying on technical prowess or traditional mimesis.