«Figuration narrative» - «narrative figuration" - "Narrative Image"
 

In 1964, the grand prize in Venice Biennale for the first time in history was not a European, and American-born Robert Rauschenberg. This event marked the international triumph of American pop art. But even before that point in different European countries emerged flow close pop art in its pathos. "Return to reality" was the main slogan of the era. Pop art has become synonymous with a new lifestyle of young generation. Pop in a broad sense has become a fusion of public and political activities of the new left.
In 1960 the French critic Pierre Rastani united and led the international team of artists ( "New Realists"), which included the Italian Mimmo Rotella, Daniel Spoerri Romanian Jews (Isaac Feinstein), the Bulgarian Christo, the Swiss Jean Tinguely, Arman French, Raymond Enns, Jacques de la Viyegle, Francois Dyufrenn, Niki de Saint-Phalle. An apartment Yves Klein (idol new realists) signed the manifesto.
Works by Yves Klein, was friends with Restany, in its metaphysical essence went far beyond the facilities of the New Realists, however, the use of sponges to create the famous "blue monochrome, and the first designed them Environnement and prompted Restany to find a way out to the" sredovye "art .
Realism, in the understanding of members of the group had nothing to do with figurative painting. According Restany, "new realists believe the world is like painting a huge fundamental work, parts of which they can borrow."
"New Realists" worked with the city garbage - torn advertising posters, film posters, food waste, every kind of junk and scrap metal. Rubbish subjected to artistic elaboration, "revived" in the words of Jean Tinguely, in accordance with the laws of classical art. Tengeli, who worked in Paris, became the creator of moving objects from scrap metal and parts of machinery, as if "irony" of the kinetic sites in the first avant-garde (http://visaginart.narod.ru/POST/kin.htm) . Assemblages Daniel Spoerri were shaped like a traditional still life. "Accumulation" Arman (garbage enclosed in a display of transparent plastic) laid claim to the status of sculpture. Pribivaya on canvas fragments violins, Arman argued that thus brings to the logical conclusion that not completed the Cubists, "divided" subject only to the picture.
At the very choice of material containing critical pathos to consumer society, which becomes obvious when comparing the works of "new realists" with the American pop art. American Pop artists worked with samples of "commercial paradise." "New Realists" created image "commodity hell", underside of civilization. For example, Mimmo Rotella are making their "dekollazhi" plucked from the walls of scraps of advertising posters. To pick the posters on the walls - for me the only way to protest against a society which has lost all desire for change ", - he declared.
Yet interest in social issues at the "new realists" wore a rather declarative character. Movement «narrative figuration» ( «Figuration narrative») or "Narrative image", while emerged in France and Italy, made more consistent, making his work an instrument of social control.

Attitudes towards American cultural expansion in Europe has been mixed. Conservative critic mourned the death of European culture under the onslaught of pop art, which she called "non-art," art supermarket, "kitsch," Coca-colonization of Europe. "Some leaders of Left parties have also considered the American pop art as a glorification of American imperialism . I looked for a new European figurative painting, believing that it can become a "tool to critique the overall system of the modern world." European artists wanted to make pop art to be popular, popular, democratic art. And even more - a means of political struggle.
In June 1964, a Parisian critic Gérald Gassiot-Talab, and two artists, Bernard Ransiyak and Herve Telemachus, organized a group exhibition "Modern Mythology" in the Paris Museum of Modern Art. Young artists eksperementatory Arroyo, Bertolo, Bertini Falstrem, Klyazen, Monor, Ransiyak, Rekalkati, Sol, Telemachus, Voss and others (total 34 artworks) was first put under one roof: from that moment the movement becomes more and more popular ..
Young Artists' Movement united by one goal - to make art a powerful new tool for social transformation.
Visual images are dictated by the tumultuous 60's everyday life: movies and snapshots, wall advertising, illustration, comics, combined with the classic painting and sculpture, received a most unexpected overtime. Such "re-use of popular characters and clichés removes authoritarianism their primary message, allowing you to find other ways of artistic narrative and reveal the political subtext of reality.

In 1965, an exhibition with the declarative title "narrative-figurative direction of contemporary art, where Gilles Ayo, Eduardo Arroyo and Antonio Rekallkati submitted jointly written by eight paintings titled" Live and let die, or the tragic end of Marcel Duchamp. " Making a symbolic "killing" idol neoavangardistov, young French painters opposed themselves to trends that have emerged under the influence of aesthetics Ready-Made (http://visaginart.nm.ru/POST/redi.htm). Interestingly, even the rejection of individual creativity was seen as a political gesture - "artists, like the workers, should be solidarity."

Great influence on the new French figurativistov had an American artist Peter Saul, the representative of the Chicago school of pop art in the early 1960's who lived in Paris. In the works of Saul combined eccentric comic book imagery and powerful pictorial gesture of abstract expressionism. Especially attractive for the European left has politicized artists Saul and his attack on bourgeois "good taste". "I have it carefully so as not to lose a single gram of vulgarity," said the artist. In his works, beginning 1960 Sol mercilessly mocks the values of American society, personified heroes of popular culture. In mid-1960 he actively opposed the Vietnam War, calling their work "indictment". His paintings are like political cartoons. Sol had a great influence on the style of real comics and applied graphics, making it one of the fathers of punk aesthetics.

      That is why the Europeans me somehow closer. Generally, it seems to me that the pop-art a fresh sound without the social. You know, like food without salt!

In subsequent years, the artists «Figuration narrative» engage in open polemic with the existing movements, accusing members of the Paris School of Social neutrality, and American pop art - in the formalism and the celebrated "art for art's sake."
By the end of 1960, when the rise of the youth rebellion that culminated in the student revolution of 1968, the political orientation of European painting has become paramount. Painting is no longer the object of contemplation, it becomes a means of communication. In discussions discussed everything except the form. The main task of the artists in this moment - to achieve potency of the poster. The new figurative painting came to be called "painting protest.
Exhibitions have become indistinguishable from political demonstrations. In 1969, the Salon of youth was an exhibition of painting "Red Room - for Vietnam" Gilles Ayo (son of the architect Emile Ayo http://forum.artinvestment.ru/showthread.php?t=39305) and Eduardo Arroyo, which the authors then repeated at the gate of one of the Parisian factories.

What amerikosy killing Vietnamese? These small, hardworking people? In the name of what killed the Iraqis and the Serbs? In the name of enriching! What offended these children, women, old people? That's really really evil empire!
  The artist can not be silent if the world is such monstrous iniquity!

     There is always a strong impotent blame:
Tom in the darkness of history we hear of examples,
But we do not write stories;
And about how to speak in fables.


Lamb on a hot day went to the brook to drink;
I must train disaster happen
What about those places ransacked a hungry wolf.
Lamb sees it, the prey seeks;
But, to give even a legitimate form and sense,
Shouts: "How dare you, squirt, unclean snout
Here pure roil my drink
Sand and silt?
For such insolence
I head from thee Grab ".-
"The wolf will have light,
I dare I bring that down the stream
From Serene its paces, I drink a hundred;
And he need not be angry if you please:
Drinking muddy he could not I ".-
So I'm lying!
Junk! Mademoiselle heard such impudence in the light!
But remember that you're still in the summer zaproshlom
I am here as a rude:
I do, buddy, do not forget! "--
"Have mercy on me even after birth and no year", --
Lamb said. "So it was your brother" .-
"No, my brothers," .- "As such it cum il matchmaker
And, in short, someone from your same old.
You yourself, your dogs and your shepherds
You are all evil, I want
And, if you can, then I always hurting,
But I'm with you to explore their sins ".-
"Oh, I'm to blame?" - "Shut up! I'm tired of listening
Leisure me to disassemble your fault, puppy!
You're to blame because I want to eat ".-
Said in the dark forest Lamb dragged.
(c)

Perhaps I'll also consider myself a conservative. Oh, the blue monochrome ....
My house is a lot monochromator on the walls in the form of wallpaper before painting. There are olive, brown, beige, gray-green.

I would call this picture - "Red paranoia" or "imminent reality of collective fear." The extent of propaganda in those temporary difficult to overstate. Enough to see American movies of the time! Incidentally, in the Soviet Union, anti-American propaganda has never taken such a crazy shape and dimensions. Those who regularly happens abroad have noticed, perhaps, that even now nothing has changed, and perhaps even ... Generally Russophobic attitudes cultivated in Europe and in the 19th century, too. Western political elite never particularly refleksirovala, if it was necessary to create the image of the terrible enemy edakogo barbarian. Best candidate for this role than Russia, is difficult to find, as traditionally believed the political establishment of the West.

Thank you very much. I am particularly interesting to compare this with what happened with us in these years. In an environment of Leningrad's young artists interested in the poster was designated as a new form of creativity. Then it is no more so had not considered, it was believed that the order for the poster - it is only to earn about as it is now the order for "tourist landscape." Poster almost falling on the exhibition. Information that is in Europe, not even infiltrated. Some importance was in this respect Poland, the Polish poster, there drew the attention. Leningrad new poster artist then barely penetrated and eventually managed to create a poster with the SC section, about 70 year. They then dreamed of seeing these avtorov.Mne more interesting to note that in the debates discussed "everything but the form. Here, too, so it was a principal ... Now, it seems, on the contrary.

Well, thank you! You just inspired the me. Not imagine that the West had such progressive artists who willingly write such a picture. In all this was done on the advice of his uncle with a party card and under the giggles Nematomorpha and priblatnennyh, so do not look natural.

     In this case, appropriate saying: everything new - it is well forgotten old. The fact that the genre of poster Russian artists worked very efficiently throughout the 20 th century. Here are some quotes on this subject:

"In those years, unusual art forms arose spontaneously as a ubiquitous and lively response of the masses into a revolutionary situation. And at the same time they were initiated and directed by the Soviet authorities, since it serves to strengthen it and introduce the ideology of Bolshevism in the national consciousness. Each artist and local cultural center was operating, as they could. This explains the characteristic of the art of those years the sharp quality and stylistic differences and different attitudes to the artistic traditions, which defines a mixed picture of artistic life in the 1920's. And at the same time all its manifestations has undeniable spontaneously emerging community of style and originality arising from the uniqueness of the historical time. It was creative, full of energy utopian dreams, - faith in the imminent attack brighter future for all people on Earth. "

"The colorfully painted with agitation trains and agitparohody agitbarzhami, surrounded by a specific sound atmosphere, carrying with him the agitators and speakers fitted kinoustanovkami and theatrical propaganda team, covering the whole route many posters, newspapers and other printed products, reaching the remotest corners and played in those years considerable educational role in the devastated and divided country, almost devoid of other means of communication and information about what's happening. During movement and frequent stops, these colorful pockets of the "new culture" attracted universal attention, here songs and ditties, he spoke of consultations and on the spot to deal with practical matters. Immediately actors perform satirical and heroic representations on current topics, performed puppet theater with popular among the people resilient and all-conquering Petrushka. "

"In the decoration of the city, painting agitation trains and agitparohodov in bold exhibitions and other manifestations of" art poster-form "in the first years of Soviet power took part in almost all artists, regardless of their artistic direction. Many of them became prominent masters of art of XX century - Kazimir Malevich, VE Tatlin, MZ Chagall, Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin, B. D. Korolev, II Nivinsky, A . Osmerkin, AA Exter, B. Efimov, NM Kochergin, NE. Gerasimov, DS Moore, M. Cheremnykh, A. Labas, AG Tyshler, NA varnishes, IS and NY Efimova and others. Alongside them worked many obscure and forgotten artists do, which also made a considerable contribution to the art agitmassovoe early Soviet years. The names of some of them back from oblivion thanks to archival research compilers of this collection. "


Mterial extensive. Here's the link: http://www.plakaty.ru/

[color="# 666686"]Posted 20 minutes[/color]

In my opinion, nothing wrong with that, the artist strives to earn there. Artist - a professional and he should earn by their labor. The state was still quite generous customer and that is not unimportant demanding. The quality of Soviet posters was very high even in the most exacting taste, because orders are often carried out by first-class artists.

[color="# 666686"]Posted 27 minutes[/color]

This really happened. Restrictions on free communication with colleagues, and indeed with people from other countries, have been a fatal mistake of Soviet power.

[color="# 666686"]Posted by 39 minutes[/color]
     Bureaucracy forever! Nothing helped. Now, perhaps, even more difficult to break.

Bernard Ransiyak (Bernard Rancillac)

Genus. 1931, Paris. French painter and graphic artist. Trained as a teacher of drawing, a few years engaged in teaching activities. Since 1957, with the acquisition of financial independence, gave himself up to independent creativity. In 1959-1961 he studied engraving skills under the guidance of Stanley William Hayter, creating a lot of graphic works.
In 1961 he became the winner of the Paris Biennale.
In the painting at first limited himself black, then created a series of "white" paintings on Fantomas (1962). In 1964, became one of the organizers of the exhibition "Modern Mythology", held in Gore. Museum of Modern Art and marked the birth of a new direction - "narrative figuration. In this association includes young artists who refuse for the sake of abstract reflection of contemporary reality in the forms generated by "mass art".
In the large-format paintings 1964-1965 reigns merry mess of numerous characters, outlined in the style of comics and cartoons of Walt Disney (Intimate Diary feet, 1965, Portugal, Shintra, Museum of Contemporary Art). Later Ransiyyak turned to current topics of social reality. A series of 18 paintings titled Year 1966 became a kind of chronicle of the political events of the year. In the treatment of such topics as the war in Vietnam, "Cultural Revolution" in China, a revolt of black Americans in California, the artist often resorted to project onto the canvas with color photographs, published in journals. Exaggerating the contrasts of black and white, until the loss of important details, artificial rigidity and flatness of the printed images, it represented not so much the event itself, how many ways it is processed in the media. The effect of double vision was amplified ironic inclusions promotional pictures and labels in a scene of violence, war and poverty (holy mother cow, 1966, private collection; Finally silhouette with a slender waist, 1966, Grenoble, Museum, Supplement to the dossier on the case, Ben Barka, 1966 , private collection; Blood comic, 1977, Dole, Museum), what is manifested Ransiyaka critical attitude towards a consumer society with its inherent standard image manipulation.

Lit.: Rancillac B. Voir et comprendre la peinture. Paris, 1991; Rancillac B. Le regard idéologique. Paris, 2000; Fauchereau S. Bernard Rancillac. Paris, 1991; Ferrier J.-L. Rancillac. Paris, 1997.
V. Kryuchkov

Thank you! Very interesting collection. Remark on "black" is also interesting, we have a very long attached particular importance to black. Mastery engraving valued. Is not the case, one dealer told me "schedule is difficult, something has changed ... You may be interested to know that will soon be a directory or something like review the history of these "new poster artist of Leningrad", then they and the industry attempted to chart something new to move ... Here, by the way, it is appropriate to say with regret that when "all gone", new relationships and got a computer, almost all of these artists were out of work. Stopped receiving orders, it was difficult to buy new equipment and to master it and the entire field of industrial graphics in the hands of those who sat at the computer, all the same with any art education ... SC in this respect have not done anything, but it seems that he could ...