Primitivism is an aesthetic that calls to the ‘primitive’ experience. Think tropical plant motifs, animal print, and tribal lifestyles. It “borrows” ideas from non-Western or indigenous people and relates it to modern Western life. Artists that use primitivism in their work often idealize a simple, tribal lifestyle.
Nude with raised arms (1907), Pablo Picasso
The reverse of technology is what draws them in. Europe during this time, the 19th century, was going through an industrial revolution. This rise of city life and labor made many Europeans long for the days of a slower lifestyle that was more connected to nature. Europeans also started to travel more and were able to bring back artifacts and novelties from whatever exotic location they were off to. This time was also when the primitive artists wanted to go against the strict European art academies and salons, the ones who controlled every aspect of art that was shown in galleries and that was taught in schools. Previously, all of the work that was featured in these galleries were done by artists who were well off and attended fine art schools and only certain types of art could get featured. The rigidity of this institution grew tiring to artists and in order to find inspiration for art again, they went to countries whose ideals and perspectives on life were different. Many anarchist movements were happening during the 20th century because of industrialization and colonialism, so primitivism coincided with those anarchist ideals. Instead of idealizing the city life of Europe (and showing some sort of patriotism), they rebelled against the progression of cities.
Seems innocent enough, right? A modern anarchist just wants to reconnect with the lifestyle less contemporary. Ah the joys to leave the hustle and bustle of Europe and escape to the beaches of Tahiti…
But any look into history will show you why this concept is distasteful and racist.
Time and time again in history (shit, even in modern day) the ideas of marginalized groups are taken and used for profit by the dominant group (usually white people). There was the incident in 2018 where Kim Kardashian had her hair done in cornrows and called them “Bo Derek braids” and news outlets just … went with it? There was the incident in 2013 where Selena Gomez wore a bindi in several of her performances. Even in everyday life, you could see someone wearing a headdress, a kimono, blackface, etc. at a Halloween party just for ‘fun’. The point is, this concept is nothing new and has been exemplified in history in many ways.
Primitivism is just that, cultural appropriation. The way that the aboriginal people would look in the paintings was often distorted and exaggerated. One of the most notable primitive artists, Paul Gauguin, would often sexualize and belittle Tahitian people in his work with vague cultural and religious symbols. He toyed with the idea of, how will these people react when I introduce them to my profound religion? Many of his paintings mix the religious ideals of various aboriginal beliefs with Christianity and he’ll show Tahitian people in Christian prayer poses. “He portrayed the natives as living only to sing and to make love,” said Nancy Mowll Mathews, author of Paul Gauguin, An Erotic Life.
Let’s use one of Gauguin’s paintings to show misrepresentation of culture. In the painting La Orana Maria (Hail Mary) (1891), Gauguin depicts the Christian Mary as a Tahitian girl with a child on her shoulder, the child of Christ. The fruit laid out in front of her in a ‘fata,’ a platform used by the Polynesians to make offerings to the gods. In the middle of the painting, the two women posing are inspired by Javanese Temple, Borodurur, that he kept photos of. In the very back, to the left, is an angel with black hair hiding away. He blends 3 different cultures into one painting but doesn’t depict any of the aspects correctly. He blends the stories together and recreates Tahitian life as if it were going through different religious and cultural changes. The Christian Mary is good . . . a Tahitian woman is good . . . now imagine them together. And that seems to be the biggest issue with primitivism, the fact that cultural significance of certain religious symbols are forgotten about in the name of art. They pick and choose the best aspects of cultures and religions and mesh them all into one painting, and ignoring all the parts that don’t fit the aesthetic. After all, this is an art style based off of the ‘primitive’ experience and is subject to everyone and their own aesthetic. Why include poses from temples in Java, Indonesia in a painting blending Christianity with Tahitian life? (It’s purely for aesthetics)
Remember how I mentioned the industrialization and colonialism in Europe during the 20th century? Well, their colonialism got so extreme that 90% of Africa was under European control. The fascination with this ‘exotic’ country and it’s people started to rise- and primitivism was a product of this fascination. They viewed African people as inhumane, hypersexualized, uneducated spectacles that needed to be observed. And thus came the creation of human zoos, featuring people of color (and mostly African people) to be gawked at, poked and prodded. Millions of visitors came to these zoos and supported this dehumanization of people. These zoos were closed as embarrassingly late as 1958. In 1994, there were plans in France to create a human zoo showcasing an Ivory Coast village where the people involved were contractually obligated to be topless. Disgusting.
History is important to keep in mind when determining if something is culturally inappropriate or not. Just because it happened a certain number of years ago and isn’t happening today doesn’t mean that it never happened nor should it be forgotten about. And just because the exact same thing isn’t happening now doesn’t mean that something with the same theme isn’t still happening. Human zoos no longer exist, but did racism end with it? Prejudice and misrepresentation often times get neglected or overlooked but it is important to talk about topics like this to keep people accountable and to learn from.
Styles like primitivism are now synonymous with artists like Picasso and Gauguin who had no right to claim it as their own in the first place. Their style is the exaggeration, exploitation, and dehumanization of indigenous people that they were able to get recognition for. Now, African artists are speaking up against the harmful misrepresentations and are having problems with reclaiming their culture from this grossly misrepresented art style. Francis Nnaggenda, a contemporary Ugandan artist, says, “People tell me my work looks like Picasso, but they have it wrong. It is Picasso who looks like me, like Africa.”
Cited Source:
“Art History 101: Why Primitivism Was Cultural Appropriation.” How To Talk About Art History, 26 Oct. 2016, www.howtotalkaboutarthistory.com/uncategorized/art-history-101-primitivism-cultural-appropriation/.
The Unicorn in Captivity (The Unicorn Tapestries), 1495-1505. Wool warp with wool, silk, silver, and gilt wefts.
‘The Unicorn Tapestries’ are a series of tapestries considered masterpieces created during the late Middle Ages period. Within the series of seven, the tapestries weave a story in which a group of noblemen hunt a unicorn through beautifully arranged forests. Each segment depicts certain parts of the narrative; the hunt, the capture, the attack, the taming by a virgin and resurrection of the unicorn, to finally the unicorn’s captivity.
This image in particular shows the final stage in the narrative: ‘The Unicorn in Captivity.’ Housed by The Cloisters, The Metropolitan Museum of Art has described the work in detail:
“In this instance, the unicorn probably represents the beloved tamed. He is tethered to a tree and constrained by a fence, but the chain is not secure and the fence is low enough to leap over: The unicorn could escape if he wished. Clearly, however, his confinement is a happy one, to which the ripe, seed-laden pomegranates in the tree—a medieval symbol of fertility and marriage—testify. The red stains on his flank do not appear to be blood, as there are no visible wounds like those in the hunting series; rather, they represent juice dripping from bursting pomegranates above. Many of the other plants represented here, such as wild orchid, bistort, and thistle, echo this theme of marriage and procreation: they were acclaimed in the Middle Ages as fertility aids for both men and women. Even the little frog, nestled among the violets at the lower right, was cited by medieval writers for its noisy mating.”
There are many mysteries surrounding the tapestries, still debated today. Such as: who is the maker? Who was the patron? What were the tapestries really designed to represent?
Vincent van Gogh was heavily inspired by ukiyo-e artists, Japanese artists that worked with woodblock prints. This particular painting was based off of the work of Japanese artist Keisai Eisen (1790-1848).
The Courtesan, 1887, by Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890)
Composition in Blue Module, 1947-51, by Saloua Raouda Choucair (1916-2017)
Saloua Raouda Choucair (1916-2017) was a Lebanese artist who lived, worked, and created in Beirut, even during the Lebanese Civil War (1975-90). Her early artistic education came from prominent artists such as Moustafa Farroukh and Omar Onsi. She was also heavily impacted by Islamic religion and from Islamic geometric design and architecture which she included into her work. Choucair loved the modern times, and not just for the art. She was motivated to capture her times in relation to engineering, science, mathematics, as well as the architecture surrounding her.
By the late 1940s Choucair had travelled to Paris and began studying at the École des Beaux-Arts, spending time in the studio of abstract artist Fernand Léger. Over her career she focused more on the forms and the emphasis on curved lines, and the relationship between those forms. Her sculptures are particularly good examples of this, as you can see how they interlock in the three-dimensional way.
If you take a look at the Tate’s video ‘Saloua Raouda Choucair - From Beirut to Tate Modern’ you can see the intricacies of her work. Choucair’s daughter, Hala Schoukair, describes that “her soul was completely into forms and shapes,” which you can certainly understand when viewing her body of work. Although she worked with various materials, the relationship between interlocking forms carried over all. This included paintings, sculptures, tapestries, and jewelry. Some of her work reflects the impact of the civil war, as some are now decorated by the shrapnel of bombs that went off during that time.
These four lil paintings are somehow some of my favorites I’ve ever done. These were made back in 2017 and were made on a rather good day- I still remember what happened that day even though I can barely remember what happened last week. I tried to go for a more impressionistic look, this was during my Monet face, and I think some captured it more than others. All four of these unique and are appreciated for different reasons. The first one has more vague brushstrokes with the colors giving suggestion of form. The second one has a wide range of colors that show the vivacity of that moment. The third has bright uses of green, my favorite color, with a bustling river flowing through, giving action and life to the painting. The last one has bold color contrast, with the foreground bearing warm trees and the background hosting the dark and cold mountains. Nature paintings are truly one of my favorite topics to paint and I’ve found myself in a niche of painting wilderness scenes. I would’ve thrived in the Plein Air era of art.
Art has been proven to be therapeutic and can be a good emotional outlet for people. Especially in troubling times like these, art is very useful to get your mind off things and to feel productive at the same time. But art can be daunting, and knowing where to even start can be overwhelming. Well you don’t have to be a trained artist to create some pieces that you’ll love.
1) Still life: these are fairly straightforward- set up a scene in front of you that you get inspiration from. Fruit, flower arrangements, and yummy looking meals seem to be popular when choosing your inspiration for your still life painting. Don’t know what to paint? Pick 4 of your favorite things from your room or from around the house, arrange them together to be aesthetically pleasing, and there you go! You can use whatever medium you feel comfortable with. Pay close attention to how they interact with each other and how the light hits these objects.
2) Abstract: this art style is rising in popularity, and for good reason. This style of art can be done with very little art experience and can still convey your message pretty well. Start with a variety of shapes and colors and build off of that. What mood are you in right now? What color represents that? Are you feeling rather …. Squiggly line? Or more … straight line? Try to convey your emotions and thoughts through shapes and colors.
3) Self portrait: no other references or tools are required besides you and your medium of choice! You can go old school and sit in front of a mirror or you can use a photo reference. You can go as realistic as you want or go abstract. Plenty of artists in the past have done self portraits in various styles, so the options are limitless.
4) Collage: this one is fun and a personal favorite, as I love to mix different mediums and materials into my art. You can basically add in whatever you want: scraps of paper, fabric, feathers, glitter, photos, prints of other art, etc. And you can decorate it with any sort of art medium as well- paint, charcoal, pastel, ink, etc. Get messy!
5) Acrylic pour: This one can be a little pricey, since a lot of paint needs to be used and most of it gets discarded anyways. But if you have the paint then one way to create art is to literally just pour the paint in random sections of the canvas with other colors. The colors start to blend together slightly and interact in interesting ways. You can get some interesting organic patterns with this method!
These are just a few styles of art that you can partake in if you’re a beginner in art. Of course these are just a starting point- there are other things you can do and with a quick search on Pinterest you can find a quick, step by step arts and crafts tutorial. Art should be accessible to everyone, since that is one of the things that we can all relate to. Don’t feel intimidated by it, the sooner you start the sooner your creativity and talent soars!
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