For

Senior Years Students

Curriculum

VCE Art/Studio Arts

Aim

To understand artistic sources of inspiration.

Preparation

To do this activity you will need to:

• Read the information for Theme Three – Postwar Figuration in Europe and the Americas.
• View the work either online or in the exhibition.
• Research through the library or Internet.

Individual Task

Which cultural influences do you see in these works by Giacometti and Lam?

Research Questions

Research the Surrealist movement and its characteristics.

Research an Australian artist who has been influenced by Surrealism, for example look at the work of James Gleeson or Peter Booth. What influences can you find in their work to suggest that Surrealism has been a major source of inspiration?

Group Task

Giacometti was a great friend of Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir whose philosophy of Existentialism also had an influence on Wifredo Lam. Discuss the meaning of Existentialism and how it might have influenced artists in the postwar era.

What links can be made between the works of Giacometti and your understanding of Existentialism?

Group Discussion

What tendencies can you find in either the work of Lam or Giacometti that indicate these artists are interested in Surrealist ideas?

Commentaries on Giacometti’s Nose often make reference to war. Do you think this is a reasonable link to make? Discuss.