INDIANA STATE UNIVERSITY

INTO BRANCUSI: THE INFLUENCES OF A MAN

ARTH 371

BY LEVI ATKINS

NOVEMBER 17, 2009

INTO BRANCUSI: THE INFLUENCES OF A MAN

People gather around an unknown piece of art, and you want to know what is being looked at. People push and step through the group of onlookers, and you are pushing your hardest. You try to see what all of the commotion is about. Finally the artifact is in clear view. You look on in amazement. You see; A large curving cylinder form sprouting up out of two ovals; reaches up to a rounded top. You happen to hear upset people, and they mention how it looks very phallic. Oh my that looks like a penis! Why is that allowed in this museum? You wonder yourself about the intention of this artifact. Could it really be phallic, or is everyone misunderstanding the contextual aspects of this artifact? To figure out the answer to this; you must try to figure out Constantin Brancusi. I first saw some of Brancusis artifacts as slides in my three dimensional class. I was always curious of the artists intent. His artifacts also left me thinking about what influenced him to make his artwork the way he did. I question Brancusis artwork in the terms of his influences, beliefs, and intent. Brancusi was originally from Hobitza Rumania, and was born on February 19, 1876. The country setting seemed magical to him in his youth and he lived in the Transylvanian Alps. His peasant family was large and poor, so he eventually ran off to go to the School of Arts and Crafts.1 Brancusi grew up in a place where forest monsters were still believed in. Ghosts, lichens,

and vampires actually contributed to the everyday fear of these people. Brancusi had to live with this fear, and felt that he must control the power of these magic things. 2 Brancusis beliefs centered on these mythological stories. He believed his sculptures became a piece of these myths, but where still bound to the likes of earth. So in a sense they are not immortal or even heavenly. He looked at his art as part of the cycle of life; objects that where here today, but gone tomorrow. All of these elements that made up his artwork would someday be lost in the dramatic occurrences of the cosmos. Space is filled with voids, but also with large objects of matter. He could have taken this idea to create his works of art. The open and closed aspects of all of his artworks were still indeed an aspect of the true universe. 3 His ideas of making artwork evolved to the idea of light. His brass works of art take out the idea of holes. He said this is because holes create shadows.4 The birds Brancusi created are a good reference to the loss of holes. The solid forms stands tall in space; as if it where in flight. The vertical line comes up to a point and gently rolls down to a curved side to the bottom many of the birds. One of the birds in particular; Maestra comes from Rumanian Folktales. The story is about a kingdom that has an apple tree that grows golden apples. The apples go missing, and the kings sons try to capture the thief. The thief turns out to be a golden bird; which actually is related to the phoenix. The bird is know for its great beauty and singing ability. The son is only able to grab one of the feathers. The son goes after the bird, and later finds it captured in a cage. The boy saves the bird and the bird helps him win the heart of a princess. The son is later killed, but like the phoenix the Maestra can bring the dead back to life. This myth depicts a cycle of life; The phoenix can be killed, but it can later be reborn in a magnificent explosion of fire. It is even a golden bird covered in large feathers that shine like mirrors. 5 Brancusis later birds are very feather like in design. It must be that the myths of his homeland influenced him to tell the story of the Rumanian Phoenix.

Brancusi was not only influenced by the myths of his homeland, but also by the religions of the East. The Tibetan Monk Milarepa was a large influence on Brancusis beliefs. The Buddhist writings of Milarepa told that the monk believed he could levitate. It has also been said that Brancusi himself told his friends that he could levitate. It would seem that Brancusi might want to take off and fly; just as depicted of his use of the birds. This skyward flight was influenced religiously and it is very interesting exactly how much Milarepa influenced Brancusi.
6

Brancusi was once met by a Beatrice Wood, and during the visit; Brancusi spoke about his

beliefs. Brancusi would often mention his guru. He told his visitors that the Guru appears to those that love him. The visitors said nothing and this is was Brancusi had to say: Once when I ill, alone and desperate, I did not know what to do. My strength leaving me I called on my guru. What do you think happened? My guru heard me; he heard he and me answered. My guru answered. Then out of nowhere, a can hit the ground with a loud terrible noise. Brancusi continued; That was my answer, I knew. The guru moved the can to tell me he heard, and I, knowing that he heard, forgot my stomach ache, and was cured. 7 Brancusi also believed that the end of the world was coming. This must come from his up brining, because he mentions about his near death experience when he was a child. He actually tells Beatrice that he did die. He said that he felt death touch him, and then his feet touched the ground. His body was jumping and jumping, and finally he made it out of the ocean, and he knew he was given a second chance. He proceeded by explaining vibrations of life and death; they are different vibrations. These vibrations are rays we know must be real, but we cannot see them. 8 These beliefs are rooted in the belief of Brancusis guru known as Milarepa. Milarepa was a monk that influenced Brancusi down a path of enlightenment. This path of enlightenment would be to a place of splendid radiance. It was obtained when you did not have any more shadows. Life was thought to

be a terrible pathway. To obtain Buddha hood; the follower of the path would have to avoid the shadows and darkness. Deliverance of the enlightenment was through that of Buddha. To be enlightened would illuminate you across the void. 9 It seems to me that the illumination of his brass figures could be a way of depicting a want or need of being enlightened. Brancusi also made his artworks seem to be untouchable, magical, supernatural objects, perfectly made by some superior power through his hands. 10 It would seem that a path to enlightenment would be his goal. Brancusis intent might be questioned in some of his artworks. The most widely known would be the incident of trial over Princess X. The Princess X is a sculpture that has been seen as being phallic. The Princess X bronze was put into the 1920 Salon des Independents. Brancusi believed the problem originated from the misconception that of his style of reduction. He had based the figure on his earlier work Woman Looking at Herself in a Mirror. Bringing the figure into the new simplistic form gave is smoother lines and a look similar to a phallic structure. 11 Could it be that Brancusi was trying to make a phallic reference in his sculptures? Chave believed that some of Brancusis work was constructed out of sexual symbols, and was part of his sexual identity. This modernistic crisis of masculinity is a tool for Brancusis attempt to simplify, feminize, and reconstruct the figure. 12 This time period of wars had brought up the idea of gender roles in Europe and the United States. Transsexuals, bisexuality, and homosexuality were used a lot as a message during these times of examining gender identity. 13 It could also be noted that Brancusi had done human figures in the past, but they had largely been Men forms that where much in the style of the traditional past. This was actually something that upset Brancusi and he said he was ashamed of had doing so many beef steaks in the past. Brancusi had later turned to imitating nature. Nature was all around him and was something he

had not seen in the days of his life at the School of Art and Crafts. Nature was beautiful and Brancusi wanted to capture the attitude of all the objects he represented. Brancusi said art is life itself, and that Art is the transfiguration of life. 14 This connects to the idea of Brancusi making his artwork for the sake of Buddha Hood, because it relates to the art being a mirror of what is already part of the cycle of life. The graceful curvilinear form Brancusi of the Princess X was something utilized by other artists of the time period 15 , but the sculpture was still taken out of the Salon des Independents. It was seen that Brancusi could have been making a statement about sexual identification and was challenging censorship as part of the avant- garde and was inspired by the Dada movement. 16 The thing is that Brancusi did want to capture a beautiful aspect of nature. He was upset that they could not see that it was not a phallus. It is said that Matisse said it was a phallus the first time he saw the sculpture. 17 Brancusi wanted to create a feral women rising above the primeval origins of human beings. She was to be splendid with he flow of nature and unconscious; even thought she was a life giver. The fact that she was an element of nature gave her the distinction of being destructive and loving to her origins to the Earth. 18 The sculpture is very erotic to the eye of anyone trying to she it as only an article of sexual intent. This intent may have some ground to set on. Some could see that the artifact is indeed rooted in some context of sex. The Freudian view would push our understandings into the idea that this is in fact the shape of a penis, because of humans natural tendency to relate things we see with genitals and sex. What is more curious than the idea of Brancusis subconscious mind creating the phallus out of reach for sexual context out of nature; is the idea that Brancusi might have also been thinking to his Buddhist and Hinduism beliefs. Brancusi must have known about beliefs of the religions he believed in. Hinduism has the God Shiva, and like Princess X can be seen as hermaphrodite. Shiva is often depicted with the male and female organs. The two main articles

of worship are the linga and the yoni; two connected aspects of the universe. These forms represent the idea of the sexual organs, and are why the beliefs of Hinduism give rise to worship of the phallus. Combined the two articles of the universe; give birth to the universe. Shiva gave birth to the universe because Shiva had the responsibility of creating the universe. 19 Brancusi must have combined his ideas of the universe and that of the beautiful forms of nature into the artifact known as Princess X. This form gives the conversation of forms mimicking the space, and even though he has abstracted the over all form into a curvilinear object; he still had effective use of space, balance, proportions, and lack of shadows. He expressed himself in a manner through spiritualism and the lack of shadows must have signaled his move to being enlightened. He was only trying to realize what he already knew. He found a beautiful object of nature in the form of a Princess X. He wanted balance in his work and that is what he achieved through his use of simplifying his use of nature. He once said: Simplicity is not an end in art, but one arrives at simplicity in spite of oneself, in approaching the real sense of things. Simplicity is complexity itself, and one has to be nourished by its essence in order to understand its value. 20 The loss of information makes the woman form appear to be phallic. It might be absurd, but Brancusi said himself that Male Nudes are less slightly than toads. 21 His specific development of forms was thought out in the terms of how they captured the essence of nature, but not to convey the in an actual resemblance of the reference. The images of Brancusi race into our minds as thing we see, and this is because of the years Brancusi spent on each of his works of art. We must turn out attentions to the broad meanings of his work to see the intentions based off of his influences and beliefs. Maybe we should be less surprised at what we see; when we understand what we do see in the artifacts Brancusi has left for us to inspect. 21 The Phallic shape is said to be the end result of his reduction method. 22 Brancusi favored the women from over the

form of man, and this form was one very pleasing to Brancusi. His forms are constituted to his coarse of concentration; not to the uses of symbolism. 23 Brancusi stead fast to his use of form, and refused to put any more work in Paris galleries for a number of years after the event of it being rejected because of the accusations of it being Phallic. 24 The gathered People around Princess X continue to comment on how the artifact is obscene. You look through the group of onlookers, and you open your mouth to tell them something. You tell them that the commotion is not needed because the art is about the universe, illumination, and beautiful forms of balance. Finally, some in a new view sees the artifact. You see; A large curving cylinder form sprouting up out of two ovals; reaches up to a rounded top. You know about the intention of this artifact. It could be phallic, but everyone might be misunderstanding the contextual aspects of the artifact. Brancusis intent is to bring out the forms of nature, and he often does this through the use of influences such as ; myth, fairytales, and Eastern religion. I questioned Brancusis artwork in the terms of his beliefs, influences, and intent. His influences are rooted in his upbringing of a place where myth was still believed, and his beliefs stem from the Eastern religions of Buddhism and Hinduism, and his intent is to convey his influences and beliefs.

Notes

1. Geist, Sidney, Brancusi (New York: Grossman Publishers, 1968) 1 2. Boime, Albert. Brancusi in New York: Ab ovo ad infinitum. The Burlington Magazine, 112 ( May, 1970) Jsotr (2009) Http://www.jstor.org/stable/876325 (accessed November 12, 2009) 3. Welcker, Carola Giedion, Constantin Brancusi (New York; George Braxiller, Inc., 1959) 197 4. Geist, Sidney, Brancusi (New York: Grossman Publishers, 1968) 157 5. Spear, Athena T, Brancusis Birds.(New York; New York University Press, 1969) 5 6. Boime, Albert. Brancusi in New York: Ab ovo ad infinitum. The Burlington Magazine, 112 ( May, 1970) Jsotr (2009) Http://www.jstor.org/stable/876325 (accessed November 12, 2009) 336 7. Wood, Beatrice. Visit to Brancusi Archives of the American Art journal, 32 ( 1992) Jstor (2009) Http://www.jstor.org/stable/ 1557624 (accessed November 12, 2009) 8. Wood, Beatrice. Visit to Brancusi Archives of the American Art journal, 32 ( 1992) Jstor (2009) Http://www.jstor.org/stable/ 1557624 (accessed November 12, 2009) 9. Varia, Radu. Brancusi. New York; Universe Publishers, 1986. 13 10. Spear, Athena Tacha. A contribution to Brancusi Chronology. The Art

Bulletin, 48 (1966) Jstor ( 2009) Http://www.jstor.org/stable/3048331 (accessed November 12, 2009)

11.

Gimenez, Carmen and Matthew Gale. Constantin Brancusi: The Essence of

Things. London: Tate Publishing. 2004 12. Marcoci, Roxana, Constantin Brancusi: Shifiting the bases of Art by Anna C.

Chave Art Journal 54 (1995) Jstor (2009) http://www.jstor.org/stable/ 777514 (accessed November 12, 2009) 13. Marcoci, Roxana, Constantin Brancusi: Shifiting the bases of Art by Anna C.

Chave Art Journal 54 (1995) Jstor (2009) http://www.jstor.org/stable/ 777514 (accessed November 12, 2009) 14. Balas, Edith. Object- Sculpture, Base and Assemblage in the Art of Constantin

Brancusi. Art Journal 38 (1978) Http://jstor.org/stable/776253 (accessed November 12, 2009) 15. Elliott, Patrick. Exhibitions and Monographs. Paris and Philadephia The

Burlington Magazine 137 (1995) . Jsotr (2009). http://www.jstor.org/stable/886722 (accessed November 12, 2009) 16. Gimenez, Carmen and Matthew Gale. Constantin Brancusi: The Essence of

Things. London: Tate Publishing. 2004 17. Marcoci, Roxana, Constantin Brancusi: Shifiting the bases of Art by Anna C.

Chave Art Journal 54 (1995) Jstor (2009) http://www.jstor.org/stable/ 777514 (accessed November 12, 2009) 18. Varia, Radu. Brancusi. New York; Universe Publishers, 1986. 40

19.

Boime, Albert. Brancusi in New York: Ab ovo ad infinitum. The Burlington

Magazine, 112 ( May, 1970) Jsotr (2009) Http://www.jstor.org/stable/876325 (accessed November 12, 2009) 336 20. 1959. 21. 22. Geist, Sidney. Brancusi/The Kiss. New York; Harper & Row Publishers 1978. 13 Miller, Sandra. Constantin Brancusi: A Survey of His Work. New York; Welcker, Carola Giedion. Constantin Brancusi. New York; George Braziller, Inc.,

Clarendon Press, 1995. 23. Geist, Sidnet. Brancusi: 1876-1957 A Retrospective Exhibition. New York:

Solomon R. Inc ., 1969 24. Lewis, David. Constantin Brancusi. New York; St Martins Press, 1974.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Balas, Edith. Object- Sculpture, Base and Assemblage in the Art of Constantin Brancusi. Art Journal 38 (1978) Http://jstor.org/stable/776253 (accessed November 12, 2009) Boime, Albert. Brancusi in New York: Ab ovo ad infinitum. The Burlington Magazine, 112 ( May, 1970) Jsotr (2009) Http://www.jstor.org/stable/876325 (accessed November 12, 2009)

Elliott, Patrick. Exhibitions and Monographs. Paris and Philadephia The Burlington Magazine 137 (1995) . Jsotr (2009). http://www.jstor.org/stable/886722 (accessed November 12, 2009)

Geist, Sidney. Brancusi. New York; Grossman Publishers, 1968. Geist, Sidnet. Brancusi: 1876-1957 A Retrospective Exhibition. New York: Solomon R. Inc ., 1969 Geist, Sidney. Brancusi/The Kiss. New York; Harper & Row Publishers 1978. Gimenez, Carmen and Matthew Gale. Constantin Brancusi: The Essence of Things. London: Tate Publishing. 2004 Lewis, David. Constantin Brancusi. New York; St Martins Press, 1974. Marcoci, Roxana, Constantin Brancusi: Shifiting the bases of Art by Anna C. Chave Art Journal 54 (1995) Jstor (2009) http://www.jstor.org/stable/ 777514 (accessed November 12,

2009) Miller, Sandra. Constantin Brancusi: A Survey of His Work. New York; Clarendon Press, 1995. Spear, Athena Tacha. A contribution to Brancusi Chronology. The Art Bulletin, 48 (1966) Jstor ( 2009) Http://www.jstor.org/stable/3048331 (accessed November 12, 2009) Spear, Athena T. Brancusis Birds. New York; New York University Press, 1969. Varia, Radu. Brancusi. New York; Universe Publishers, 1986. Welcker, Carola Giedion. Constantin Brancusi. New York; George Braziller, Inc., 1959 Wood, Beatrice. Visit to Brancusi Archives of the American Art journal, 32 ( 1992) Jstor (2009) Http://www.jstor.org/stable/ 1557624 (accessed November 12, 2009)