Hello,
Thank you for your question. Francis Picabia (1879-1959) was a very
talented artist and poet.
Many online resources exist which delve into his biography and
influences, and I will try my best to direct you to some of the best
of them.
Paraphrased from IDA:
Starting with the International Dada Archive at the University of
Iowa, we learn that Dada was a artistic movement founded in 1916 in
Zurich, in the midsts of world conflict. From the American Heritage
Dictionary we find, "Dada - A European artistic and literary movement
(1916-1923) that flouted conventional aesthetic and cultural values by
producing works marked by nonsense, travesty, and incongruity."
Founded by a group of exiles from around the world (draft dodgers,
pacifists, etc.) their intention was not the proliferation of a
groupthink aimed at one form of media such as painting or acting, but
a conscious decision to engage in art in general. The Cabaret Voltaire
was their showcase of "the ideals of culture and of art as a program
for a variety show" as quoted by founder Hugo Ball (amongst others).
After two months, their movement was named Dada. The etemology of this
name stems from rumors that the word was picked at random from a
French-German dictionary. At their cabaret, art, drama, and poetry was
presented often presented in a chaotic manner. Poems were sometimes
recited in French, German, and English at the same time. Ball once
dressed up in a cardboard costume while reciting poetry, adding to the
confusion. The International Dada Archive lists "chance, collage,
abstraction, audience confrontation, eclectic typography, sound and
visual poetry, simultaneity, the presentation and emulation of tribal
art" as the most basic concepts of Dadaism. Once World War I ended,
Dadaism blew up as a European wave exposed more and more to its new
way of thinking. More can be found at the link below, I just wanted to
give you a primer. The article listed follows the beginnings of Dada
and mentions Pacabia's influence in New York's continuation of the
Dada movement.
Paraphrased from the Guggenheim Museum's biography:
Born François Marie Martinez Picabia on January 22, 1879, Francis
studied painting at the age of 16 at the Ecole des Arts Décoratifs and
later studied with such artists as Fernand Cormon, Ferdinand Humbert,
and Albert Charles Wallet. His first style can be described as
Impressionistic, and showed his first works in 1902-1903 at the Salon
d’Automne and the Salon des Indépendants. Next he moved onto other
styles such as Fauvism and Neo-Impressionism and cubism.
More blurbs about these styles can be found as links from the
biography. He stayed in these abstract styles until discovering data
in the mid 1910's. Dada became his preferred style until he denounced
Dada in 1921 for no longer being "new". His paintings you may be
familiar with, but Francis wrote extensively as well. Two of Francis
Picabia's poetry books can be found at the links below via the IDA in
scanned format. He died on November 30, 1953 in Paris, France, in the
same city as he was born.
Additional Links:
International Dada Archive - Intro and background:
http://www.lib.uiowa.edu/dada/archive.html
Francis Pacabia, "Poèmes et dessins se la fille née sans mère":
http://sdrc.lib.uiowa.edu/dada/poemes/index.htm
Francis Pacabia, "Unique eunuque":
http://sdrc.lib.uiowa.edu/dada/Unique_eunuque/index.htm
Guggenheim Museum biography on Francis Picabia:
http://www.guggenheimcollection.org/site/artist_bio_125.html
Picture of Francis Picabia (topless):
http://www.the-artists.org/Images/picabia.gif
More info on Dada:
http://www.allianceforlifelonglearning.org/er/cla40391.html
List of Amazon.com books for Francis Picabia:
http://makeashorterlink.com/?M10D22221
Search Strategy:
"Francis Picabia" biography on google:
://www.google.com/search?q=%22Francis+Picabia%22+biography
Francis Picabia on google:
://www.google.com/search?q=Francis+Picabia
I have no information on your trinity gauche motif, which means triple
"left" motif. Could you elaborate on that topic please? I'd be more
than happy to continue searching for more info.
Thank you for the opportunity to answer your question, if you require
more information, please clarify the question, or if you find this
answer satisfactory, please feel free to rate it. Thank you!
skermit-ga |
