OPEN Ealing and Abstraction along with Animal Rights as Idea 143

This week  the subject matter at OPEN Ealing's Modern Art lecture was the early Abstracts...

E H Gombrich in his influential book The Story of Art appears to consider the influence of Cubism as more Radical and important than the Abstract work which followed it.

Kandinsky's Transverse Line (1923)

For me  there is a great deal of  note and challenge  in the canon  of work that is created under this umbrella.

The two artists that were considered were Kandinsky and Mondrian.

Kandinsky (1866-1944)  was a Russian working in Germany who had worked in a variety of styles including being a part of the Fauves.
He was interested in the spiritual (was a Theosophist) and wanted a form of pictorial art that chimed with music (he was also a musician).



Mondrian

Mondrian (1872 -1944) was a Dutch artist who worked in Paris he was heavily Influenced by Cubism and had at some times a rather Hitler -esque   moustache (not uncommon and not political)

Here's a rather nice video showing the artist's work from his representational early work to the Boogie-woogie near the end of his career



Both Kandinsky and Mondrian (who coincidentally both died in 1944)  were versed in Theosophy which seems to be quite a well meaning school of philosophy.

 

Big  Idea 143 is Animal Rights.

As the work of Charles Darwin (On the origin of species) had indicated that Humans and Animals were related it was felt that there should be an accommodation for some rights for animals. In the 19th century there was in some countries legislation that sought to provide some guidance on how animals were treated.
In the 20th Century there were some Animal rights campaigners who felt that Animals should be more heavily protected and who fought (sometimes breaking the law) in their efforts to see the conditions of animals improved.
For many though this 'extremism' is a problematic for a cause where we perhaps need to consider the humans above animals for example some creatures like locusts can cause much destruction if left uncontrolled.
Currently in the news is the argument over Badger culling to protect bovines on the farm.