Midterm

            Marcel Duchamp was a painter and sculptor associated with Cubism. Duchamp is also linked to the Dada anti-government movement.  Duchamp was known in his later life to reject the works of his peers that only pleased the eye. His intention for art was to please people’s minds.

            Duchamp’s desire to involve the human mind in art made him on of the most influential artists of his time and is the reason he is still regarded as one of the best. One study of his that definitely leaves room for people to wonder is his Nude Study. Pieces such as Passage From Virgin to Bride and Nude Descending a Staircase have their own color scheme and style but the titles make viewers wonder what they aren’t seeing. This is where the mind comes in. Duchamp continued this pondering sensation throughout his career.

            When Marcel Duchamp created readymade sculptures, many asked the question of whether or not this is considered art. Seeing as how the pieces were created but someone else and served a purposed, how could he be considered the artist? In my opinion, and the opinion of others whose names hold much more value, Duchamp is of course an artist. He has taken items that our minds have given a purpose and completely changed them and how we seen them. Fountain (1917) is one of my favorites. The name is as ironic as the piece itself- an old, assumed-used urinal cleaned and turned into a porcelain sculpture being named Fountain is genius.

            Marcel Duchamp’s contributions have left the art world a better place for future expression and innovation. His pieces are timeless and continue to beg the same questions as future generations learn about them; giving them a sense of immortality that not all artists’ works can carry.