«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.