Following on with the series of objects in the world of art, this time we have chosen chairs, relating it to the last article of Sofas, focusing on the world of the furniture.
Chairs, an object that has become a sensation in the contemporary world, are present in museums around the world, as in the case of Rietveld's red and blue chair, or the piece that helped Spanish designer Alberto Corazón enter the renovated San Fernando Academy of Fine Arts. However, our attention is not only directed to the product itself, but to how artists have transformed this symbol into art.
Starting with one of the most famous chairs, the papal chair, we must mention Diego Velázquez (1599, Seville - 1660, Madrid) and his painting "Portrait of Innocent X", which a few centuries later was reimagined by the expressionist artist Francis Bacon in his series "Innocent X". It is one of the best portraits of all time, as it offers a faithful representation of the Baroque style, rather than an idealized representation of the Pope.
It is one of the best portraits of all time, as it offers a faithful representation of the Baroque style, rather than an idealized representation of the Pope.
Another remarkable chair represented in the history of art is the painting by Vincent Van Gogh (Zundert, 1853 - Auvers 1890), "The Bedroom". Created during his stay in Arles while recovering from an illness, the painting presents a distorted room, lacking depth and shadows, resembling a Japanese print, as intended by the artist. Another significant work is "Chair", depicting a rustic wooden chair with a pipe and tobacco. Both paintings belong to his Arles period, characterized by a palette dominated by yellow tones.
Another great opera of this period is the portrait of Cezanne (Aix-en-Provence, 1839 - 1906), " Men seated ", in which he represents his gardener. It is characterized by a powerful and geometric brushstroke with diluted paint that decomposes the image into different planes. Cezanne is one of the greatest artists, post-impressionist painter who laid the foundations for cubism, for his conception and understanding of painting and construction of objects.
Characterized by a powerful and geometric brushstroke with diluted paint that decomposes the image into different planes
As a form of autobiographical works, Joseph Beuys (1921, Krefeld - Düsseldorf 1986) used fat in different works. In this case, "Fat Chair", the artist intended to make a ready-made, using the material. The use of fat comes from his recovery from an accident in the Crimea, where a group of Tartars wrapped him in fat to keep the blow on him. In this case, the artist makes one of his most famous conceptual works, combining the new techniques offered by conceptual art with the use of his personal sign.
Following up on an artist who changed the art world in his own way, we present one of the masterpieces of conceptual art, "One and Three Chairs" by Joseph Kosuth (Ohio, 1945). The artist uses three different codes to refer to the same object, not only making reference to the statements of art, but also making the audience experience simple questions about our sense of understanding reality.
The artist uses three different codes to refer to the same object, not only making reference to the statements of art, but also making the audience experience simple questions about our sense of understanding reality.
One of the great painters of the 21st century, Gerard Richter (Dresden, 1932), also paid his own particular tribute to the chair. As a painter of images that delve into the intimacy of everyday life, Gerard even portrayed the contemporary world. The German artist made a series of objects from the modern home, such as doors, toilet paper or chairs. He took photographs of these objects which he then went on to represent, making a total of 3 works with the chair as a theme. These are "Kitchen chair", "Chair in profile" and "Small chair". All of these original photographs are included in Richter's atlas.
Closer to our days, the English artist Sarah Lucas (London, 1962), who plays with the body and identity throughout her sculptures. In the work "Bunny Gets Snookered #3" she is part of a series of 8 different "bunnies". We see how the artist places his anthropomorphic bunny figure on a red office chair with a sexual posture. With this piece the artist intends to talk about gender roles, misogyny and the objectification of the female body in popular culture.
With this piece the artist intends to talk about gender roles, misogyny and the objectification of the female body in popular culture.
Finally, the young Dutch painter Willem Hoeffnagel (Arnhem, 1995), who first showed at VLAB in 2022 and at VILLAZAN in 2023 represents design and painting with an intimate look in the work "Rolled up Polly", in which with a fresh technique the artist introduces us to a scene in which a cat is comfortably sleeping on the famous three-legged chair of the British designer FAYE TOOGOOD. This opera was presented at VLAB Madrid in the exhibition "(UN)Settling" from 5 to 28 May 2022.
with a fresh technique the artist introduces us to a scene in which a cat is comfortably sleeping on the famous three-legged chair of the British designer FAYE TOOGOOD