Talk:Marcel Duchamp
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Urinal
wasn't the idea behind to urinal to challenge conceptions of what constituted art? -- the idea being that it was, essentially, just a urinal. But because it was signed and 'displayed, it became a piece of art. -- user:Tarquin
- Recent research has shown that almost all of his so-called 'found' art was actually created by him. His urinal, while appearing to be a standard item, actually is not functional at all and was made from his own design. It seems that Duchamp was making a joke within a joke, by pretending that he was offering everyday items as art. I'll try to find the reference and add it into the article. -Willmcw 23:32, 28 Dec 2004 (UTC)
- That's interesting if true.
- Nevertheless, as User:Tarquin says, the artist's assertion and the placing of a readymade in a gallery context is part of what makes the object 'art'. I have a suspicion that Duchamp may have said something of the sort, and similar comments have been made by other artists down the age - recently Tracey Emin's My Bed in the 1999 Turner Prize was defended on these grounds.
- With the urinal, Duchamp also displayed it turned around and mounted horizontally. This and the title Fountain encourage the viewer to see the 'found' object in a new light (when visiting the urinals in many pubs, I'm often reminded of Duchamp's Fountain and the joke that 'pubs don't sell beer, they just rent it'.)
- As I understand it, it is this shift of meaning from representation and the intention of the artist to the interpretation of the viewer, which is part of the lasting significance of Duchamp's work. -- Solipsist 09:32, 29 Dec 2004 (UTC)
- Well said. -Willmcw 09:53, 29 Dec 2004 (UTC)
Gay?
Duchamp is not gay. glbtq: encyclopedia of gay, lesbian, bisexual, & queer culture (http://www.glbtq.com/arts/duchamp_m.html):
- "Despite the provocative and explicit nature of his work, Duchamp valued the "beauty of indifference" in his private life. His enormous personal charm and easy-going nature attracted many female lovers but few passionate attachments. A brief marriage in 1927 shocked his friends and ended quickly in divorce. A second marriage to Alexina (Teeny) Sattler in 1954 lasted the rest of his life."
Hyacinth 04:31, 7 Feb 2005 (UTC)
oops
earlier I added a todo (* needs mention of the scandal of "The Nude Descending a Staircase" at the Armory Show. --sparkit 05:29, 29 Mar 2005 (UTC)), but I'd skimmed over the section -- it's already there. Off to bed for me! --sparkit 05:40, 29 Mar 2005 (UTC)
Fountain
Another pun on R.Mutt, R stood for Richard, french slang for moneybags. The urinal was also bought from Mott Works. The comic characters Mutt and Jeff were also supposidly influences on the false identity. Duchamp originally submitted the work to an Independant Artists Gallery (which he was a director of) to agitate the people responsable for hanging the art, (Duchamp hated the organization of the Gallery). Even though he (R.Mutt) paid the full price entitling him to 2 exhibits they wouldnt display Fountain, and so (after briefly losing the work) Duchamp wrote an articile in defence of "R.Mutt"
Duchamp also stated that the act of chosing the object was the artists work, and its title also made the object an artwork.
