it's corporism time babey, this will honestly be more an analysis of callisto with emphasis on his pieces because corporism is so intertwined with its creator that to leave him out of it is to miss part of why it's fallen out of style. spoilers I think they did a really good job with all of it
Before getting into the pieces themselves, discerning what Corporism is will be beneficial. There are a few pieces of dialogue that directly—or indirectly—state both the practices and values of a skilled Corporist.
Most objectively, Corporism focuses on the interactions between bone and muscle, which will, for the most part, be seen in every piece of Callisto's we're shown. What's briefly mentioned in Ryōshū's description, though, is the integration of Cubist techniques.
What she's referring to directly in this instance is the Automanikins, but I believe this extends further than these. Cubism has only vaguely been described:
But the way this depth is implemented into the Automanikins can be seen in other pieces of his, created long before these would've been designed: his usage of lines. I can't tell if they're bones or machinery—though I'm inclined toward the latter, considering the 'auto' aspect—but in either case, their structuring creates this depth the Cubist individual speaks of.
Where else is this line work seen? Why, only in most of Callisto's pieces he considers gallery-worthy! Their abstract formation is precisely the technique that Cubism is (presumably) centered around! Equally noteworthy, I believe, is that one of the two pieces we're shown in Ryōshū's memories makes use of these techniques.
Beyond the broader definition of Corporism, however, lies two major themes of Corporist works that Callisto will emphasize over and over again: reverence for the "purity" of (certain aspects of) the human body, and accurately portraying the suffering of its ingredients. The former is clear in how he speaks about the dead:
While the latter is interspersed throughout cutscenes involving him:
Though the other schools have similar themes to portray—Fauvism's capturing of fauve, Pointillism's creation of beauty through artificial depth—Corporism weakens itself with a premise that is not only limiting but likely executed in various other schools. Bones and muscles, how they interact with one another, and what this says about the ingredient.
For this reason, Callisto's approach, self-admittedly and through the observation of others, is often a bland and generic one. Hohenheim observes this directly in 9-43:
This, I believe, is why he often incorporates the work of other Schools. His work does not have meaningful intent—because his reverence lies with the corpus itself rather than what it could more symbolically represent—but he yearns desperately for it to be received as something meaningful. He's certainly developed his own techniques, but they are visibly repetitive and uninspired.
And, rather than attempt something new that keeps his School distinct, he chooses the exact opposite—he dilutes Corporism into, plainly, "the interaction between muscle and bone." Where it once said something, even if repeatedly, now it shows nothing more than the capacity to shape one's ingredients, which is a practice other Schools certainly have.
(What's most interesting to me is that he seems to admit this directly to his audience in 9-23. He seems to believe that making his art more generically evocative—using well-tread technique rather than experimenting—is superior enough to tell people?)
His desperation for meaning is seen not only in his pleas for interpretation—which I believe I don't need to dig into here, as his discussion with Hohenheim is one of the most widely memorable scenes of the Canto—but in his artworks directly. Within the House of Spiders, he already begins to mimic other Schools' techniques.
His mimicry of Cubism has already been discussed, but he borrows from Fauvism as well when attempting to create something visually intense. He has no attachment toward the concept of 'fauve', though, and thus cannot truly utilize what he is borrowing.
The last of his works that we see him address directly are similarly Cubist in their pursuit of unique forms. I doubt he has interest in Pointillism—they seem markedly less invested in the gore of it all—and Cubism is a School he's had no qualms with mimicking.
This is not where this analysis ends, however, as there are two more pieces from this Canto that have, so far, gone unmentioned. Tibia and Fascia, of course! Both of them are good examples of how his shallow approach to artwork bleeds into the movement itself.
His effect on his students can largely be drawn from the pre-battle 9-37 cutscene, where his values are echoed through Albina. Because she lacks the role of founder, she must follow the obsessive and meticulous man who teaches her—but his precision, without any clear methodology regarding what makes his 'best' pieces (other than time spent obsessing over details, the longest being ten years), leads her to turn to what he did: self-destruction.
In a way, Fascia has more meaning than Tibia: Callisto has nothing more to say than the usual with his weapon while Albina has the aspiration to surpass him that's embedded into how she shapes hers. Of course, her achievements—even if they did breach the outside world—wouldn't be highly regarded, because the School she's been taught to follow is fundamentally shallow by now.
What's most tragic to me is that Corporism absolutely could've said something, but it's clear Callisto has no interest in that. His desire for the obscure "meaning" in his works means he'll forever chase mass understanding, and his willingness to procedurally borrow aesthetics means there are only so many ways he'll do that.
The human body is such a complicated organism that to truly pick it apart—for us, at least—is still an ongoing process. It's taken decades to understand the functions of every little organ and the ways they interact with one another—but Callisto, much akin to the Fauvist Students, chose spectacle. The bones and muscles that allow us to outwardly function, and how they endure trauma, without what lets the body recover from seemingly fatal wounds or stand the test of time in a way that few other organisms can. And he may have ruined the opportunity for that movement to exist.
I wish they showed us pointillism works auugg... straight up ringing it
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