LITR 5439 Literary &
Historical Utopias
Research Posting 2009
Julie N. Bollich
Utopian Art Movements
Art has always fascinated me. The ability of a skilled artist to interpret emotions, human characteristics and other aspects of life in various art forms is astounding. I began to think about what kind of art, specifically paintings, have been inspired and depicted by artists interested in utopian themes. In my initial research, I stumbled upon paintings by Marc Chagall, Edward Hicks, and Thomas Hart Benton. These painters created utopic, or at least remembrances of utopic, worlds by using balance, bright colors and millennial themes in their paintings. Chagall and Hicks entitled their paintings “Adam and Eve” and “Peaceable Kingdom” respectively, which both dealt with religious millennial events; whereas, Benton painted quaint and rolling country sides that were being invaded by the introduction of industry. Utopic features embodied by these paintings are the millennial events that are brought about, or will be brought about, that force major changes in society and the world and the idea of unity. Adam and Eve were united in the Garden of Eden before the fall, all living things were able to live peaceably after the Christian apocalypse, and Industrialization brought an end to small farms and family-run businesses. The following URL’s are linked to the paintings previously under discussion.
Marc Chagall:
http://www.humanitiesweb.org/human.php?s=g&p=c&a=p&ID=53
Edward Hicks:
http://www2.gol.com/users/quakers/Hicks_Peaceable_Kingdom.htm
Thomas Hart Benton:
http://xroads.virginia.edu/~am482_04/am_scene/benton/wreck.jpg
http://www.globalgallery.com/prod_images/600/hd-7556.jpg
In my research and my readings of a few utopian novels, I encountered many other art forms that stemmed from utopian ideas and constructs. Such art forms include the arts and crafts movement, functional art, and architecture.
The arts and crafts movement started by John Ruskin “questioned whether anything made by a machine could truly be artistic” (Stankiewicz 169). The desire to return to pre-Industrialization modes of working led people to seek purer forms of art. These purer forms of art were made with wood, glass, and other materials found locally. Men and women set up small workshops apart from modern society and handcrafted humble objects for the home. Many communities such as Oneida, the Shakers, and the Amana Colonies contributed to this artistic movement. Arts and crafts such as woven tapestries, furniture, and pottery were commodities traded outside of these communities to help financially sustain their way of life.
Furniture was the most practical of the arts and crafts movement, but other crafts became more utilitarian in nature. As the name indicates, functional art was art that was specifically created for daily use. The Amana Colonies, for instance, created brooms, candles, baskets, and clocks. The Oneida community became so well known for their silver knives, forks and spoons that members have been able to sustain a successful business selling their flatware. The austere, handcrafted furniture of the Shakers was
Deeply dedicated to ideals of communal living and asceticism, the Shakers designed and constructed furniture that reflected their belief that to make a thing was in itself an act of prayer and their conviction that the appearance of a thing should follow upon its function. (Britannica.com)
All of these communities exhibited a desire to work for the greater good of the community, and that desire led to creative outlets and utilitarian art that has successfully been passed down throughout generations.
Reading utopian literature such as Gilman’s Herland, Callenbach’s Ecotopia, and Bellamy’s Looking Backward, I noticed how the architecture was specifically designed to isolate and perpetuate communal living. For example, in Herland, the women secluded themselves by planting dense forests and constructing tall fortifications that protected their villages. Citizens of Herland lived together in well-built huts.
Guarding the borders of the eco-friendly city of Ecotopia, the Sierra Nevada Mountains also provided a natural and necessary backdrop to keep the city safe from prying eyes. When the protagonist of the novel William Weston is taken to visit Ecotopia, he notices ex-corporate buildings have been turned into apartment complexes, and that most adults live together in forest camps.
The other novel that isolated its characters from the outside world was Looking Backward. In this novel, the main character is found sleeping in an underground chamber. The architectural features of such a place included walls that
Had been laid in hydraulic cement … the floor was likewise protected … roofed with stone slabs hermetically sealed, and the outer door was of iron with a thick coating of asbestos. A small pipe, communicating with a wind-mill on the top of the house, insured the renewal of air. (Chapter 2)
The rest of the city was above ground, but all of the houses were created for multiple families and businesses were just huge warehouses of merchandise. The architecture found within the pages of these novels was definitely more functional than aesthetic. The sturdiness and workmanship of these architectures emulated real-life utopian communities and offered community members a different kind of lifestyle.
Due to the time constraints of this research paper, I was not able to go into great depth of these highly interesting art forms; so continued research is necessary. However, what I was able to uncover in my research helped me to better understand how people’s beliefs and lifestyles can contribute to art, crafts, and architecture.
Works Cited
Stankiewicz, Mary Ann. "From the Aesthetic Movement to the Arts and Crafts Movement". Studies in Art Education, Vol. 33, No. 3 Spring, 1992: 165-173.
http://www.amanacolonies.com/artscrafts.htm
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/537846/Shaker-furniture
http://www.colgate.edu/DesktopDefault1.aspx?tabid=730&pgID=6013&nwID=2451
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