Mannequins, Idolmakers and Modern Art

Photo courtesy - Dibyangshu Sarkar / AFP — Getty Images

Idols - they play a vital role in a culture where the most dominant religions are encourage worship with idols. Sculptures hold special place in my heart. Right from child hood, I am fascinated by idols. Sculpture holds a special place in visual arts over Painting and Photography because it operates in three-dimensions. The religious fervor adds the fourth dimension creating those metaphysical hallucinations hinting the concept of Godliness.

Photo Courtesy  @vijaysrj

Everyday I walk beside the sculpture near my office. Sadly, I could not understand or relate to the meaning conveyed by the structure. Sometimes I get criticized for being very naive when I don't "get" the hidden meaning of Modern art. Again what is the point of an art that appeals only to elitists. Cubism, Dadaism, Futurism, Impressionism, etc., have nothing to do with my people. For these concepts are neither old nor modern, but are only stammering of men to whom God has denied the grace of a truly artistic talent, and in its place has awarded them the gift of jabbering or deception.  Money has killed our appreciation of art and forces us into applaud something we don't love just to "fit in". While I am not excluding any genre of Art from its greatness, most of the modern art what we see nowadays is worthless. Modernism provides a means for its artists to hide his imperfections under the invisible cloak of appreciation. People seem confused by its randomness and just pretend to see some great hidden artistic appeal which doesn't exist at all. And they justify it by paying huge money. Modernism breeds Elitism. 

In contrast, classic masters derive their fame and glory by laborious quest for perfection. Relentless  concentration  and vigorous effort over longer periods of time breathes life into the stones. Modern art represent cheap wealth; its artists come from the uber sections of the society. Classic art depicts real life beauty and ugliness. It's creators come from the middle layers of the society who earn by hard labor. Modernist Artists seem to be fickle minded upper class folks who are too lazy to even aim for perfection. They often produce half baked work and market it with lavish settings. More often than not they employ traditional skilled artists to do the hard work for a small pay.

Mannequins - Classic sculptures made of modern materials?

Dianne - by James

If we closely observe, we can see that 21st century is not all about imperfect renditions masquerading as advanced art. Unlike Abstract art which is a product of the untalented, sold by the unprincipled, to the utterly bewildered, there is still room for realistic depictions of beauty and classic definitions of attractiveness.


Surprisingly, they find commercial applications in the temples of capitalism - upscale malls. Yes, I am talking about Mannequins. It is indeed an interesting application of classic techniques with modern tools and raw materials.

Darlanne/ Vintage Cocktail Dress

Some of the lingerie retailers boast very realistic mannequins. Victoria's Secret's plastic models represent how indispensable realism is for art, especially when it comes to mass appeal.  While most of the mannequins seem to be made out of templates, some of them are noteworthy for their appeal.

Shown above is a plastic sculpture of a beautiful lady whose dress and accessories are probably "on sale". So realistic is the depiction, it makes the women who passes by jealous. Some of these mannequins are borderline Agalmatophilicious.

 
While many believe that Realism is dead, it is not; it survives by hiding behind the glass walls of the stores. It fuels a huge industry filled with hard working artists, gorgeous models and greedy capitalists. Yet it is winning; because surviving the assault from Modernist Elitists is a victory in itself.


So the next time you turn your heads towards an exotic mannequin in a lingerie store, don't feel shy. It is what the grand masters strived for. With modern inventions, the renditions of classic art is now made less painful and more approachable to the common man; or anyone who walks by the mall.

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