Post #6 - Option #1

            After taking a quick glance at Gauguin’s painting, The Yellow Christ, a few different emotions and thoughts come to mind.  First off, this painting is not exactly what you would consider the “Mona Lisa” of all paintings for a few particular reasons.  While this painting looks somewhat staggered and colored like a coloring book, it was considered under graded and incomplete.  It didn’t contain all the unique visual composition techniques that most paintings prior to this painting had.  Although it does include subject matter that has been portrayed for hundreds of year’s worth of artwork, it still stands out as “different” to the normal being.

            While starting to take a sway into the social norm of painting standards, Gauguin’s unique piece made him a true pursuer of avant-gardism.  By relating Pollock’s theory of “reference, deference, and difference”, we are able to relate all these characteristics to this slightly unappreciated piece of work.  Focusing on the idea of difference is something I’ve already touched upon, but for further examples, I’ll explain more.  Since this painting stands out to me as almost immature and not fully developed, almost as if it was drawn and painted by a younger child.  However, this was Gauguin’s approach for reaching out for something different.  It wasn’t everyday that a painting in this composition was exposed to society, especially being well accepted.  But negative criticism is one of the key components that has established artists as avant-garde due to the fact that although it maybe new and interesting, it isn’t what society is accustomed to versus previous piece of work.  From being a unique new artist, this lumped artists like Gauguin as avant-garde or even “radical” in some critics’ eyes, boycotting such artwork from the Salon.

            Aside from being different than most artists during this time, he emphasizes extreme deference through this piece.  Basically, his work is straight to the point, it doesn’t leave audience thinking and wondering what the hidden message that is trying to be portrayed is.  Painting images of Jesus during his crucifixion was a very popular trend, not only for this time, but also for centuries before hand, making this painting not completely out of the ordinary as far as subject matter is concerned.   Although, according to the text, this piece has more meaning than what is illustrated, referencing the fact that it was a self-portrait that was facing the struggles of a close-minded society.

            Focusing on certain aspects, such as the idea of “primitive” paintings make this piece unfold even more.  Since Paul Gauguin adopted some of these values, he feels that painting contrasts with the earlier life styles versus the newer modern day ones were under appreciated.  This eventually molded both ideas of primitive and modernism to collide into a newly found expression of art, giving birth to the idea of innovation and simplicity through artwork.  In my opinion, taking a stand to create such a piece of work that will surely be criticized by the general public because it seems to stray away from the norm, is the true courageousness of an avant-garde artist.