Vasily Kandinsky: Four panels for Edwin R Campbell
This series of paintings was painted to have no recognizable shapes. I think that this represents a changing society because the fact that these paintings were meant to have no recognizable shapes may show that Kandinsky believed that society had been twisted so much that it was no longer recognizable as what it once was. Another important aspect of this painting is it uses many vibrant colors in large quantities and with little blending. I think that this may show that Kandinsky thought that society was becoming more colorful and wide spread, but the colors are sill separate, signifying society still has lines dividing it.
Vincent Van Gogh: Portrait of Joseph Roulin
This painting by Vincent van Gogh is a portrait of a person dressed as a train conductor. This is somewhat uncommon because it was usually the rich who had their portraits done. I think that this shows that the artist believes society is changing and I think that this change can be interpreted in two ways. First, I could show that society is changing to give the poor more power or more acknowledgement. The second way I think that it could be interpreted is that society is changing so that the poor are wealthier and that roles may soon switch so that the poor are the wealthy ones.
Umbeto Boccioni: Unique Forms of Continuity in Space
This sculpture appears to me to be a man striding forward, who is them somehow mutated and shifted until only the vaguest outline hints at the fact that it was once a man. I believe that this work, similar to Kandinsky’s, shows that society is being shifted and mutated until it is barely recognizable from what it once was. I also belive that it shows that there are not one or two or three forces at work changing society, but a multitude of forces, almost like every person in the society, represented by this man, is somehow changing society its self.
