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Dynamism, Creativeness, and Evolutionary Progress in the work of Alexander Archipenko

Calhoun, Robert D
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9843-1954
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1460755467

Abstract Details

2016, Doctor of Philosophy, Ohio State University, History of Art.
Guy Habasque, writing for L’Oeil in 1961, recognized Alexander Archipenko (1887-1964) as the leading revolutionary and guide for sculptors of the twentieth-century. At the same time, he acknowledges that history has failed to do the artist justice, forgetting and neglecting him even before his death in 1964. What Habasque wrote fifty-five years ago is doubly true today when the holdings of Archipenko’s work in public museums have been largely relegated to storage, along with many other significant works of the twentieth century, under the increasing pressure to create gallery space for contemporary works of art. To find space in permanent displays, modernist works must compete for significance, the power of which has apparently been lost in the few discussions that exist surrounding Archipenko’s work. This project draws attention to the neglected importance of Archipenko’s work. What is significant about this work is that it forms part of a counter history of early-twentieth century art as an alternative to the materialist-formalist history, which has held the dominant, discursive position. Archipenko’s biocentric, philosophical position presents an aesthetic that represents science and technology as organic, evolutionary extensions of a universal dynamism. Further, his emphasis on a creative spirit immanent in matter places him squarely within an alternate discourse prevalent in the first half of the twentieth-century. This dissertation presents a fresh examination of Archipenko’s artistic production in light of recently discovered theoretical writings demonstrates a metaphysical approach that undergirds his entire career including exhibitions, teaching, and lectures. His writing closely parallels the revolutionary philosophy of Henri Bergson (1859-1941,) which was seminal to the movements of symbolism, cubism, and futurism in early twentieth-century Europe. Archipenko’s intellectual position places him at the forefront of an artistic discourse that turns away from a materialist focus on the self-sufficient art object and toward one that initiates an intuitive union with a universal and creative elan vital. This alternative discourse expands the margins of modern art to encompass a wider array of artists who have been neglected or misrepresented by traditional, formalist approaches. The present study combines theory and practice in the study of Archipenko’s art with the hypothesis that what appears to be a stylistic and sometimes perplexing diversity in the artistic practice of Archipenko is actually the working out of a consistent metaphysical position, closely aligned with the philosophy of Bergson. The philosopher’s rigorous, philosophical treatises serve as a foundation to Archipenko’s published and unpublished writings demonstrating where the two fall in line and where they depart. The goal of this comparative study is to clarify Archipenko’s complicated philosophical position in regards to metaphysics and phenomenology; situate the artist’s writing within a larger philosophical and scientific tradition; and indicate how he advances his position by incorporating principles of modern biology and philosophy into his philosophy. Of primary concern is how Archipenko’s theoretical position is exhibited in the artwork and, to that end, a thorough and detailed visual analysis of selected works is employed to demonstrate how the artistic practice squares with theory.
Myroslava Mudrak, Ph.D. (Other)
Kristina Paulsen, Ph.D. (Advisor)
Florman Lisa, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
Dixon Melanye, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
218 p.
Aesthetics; American History; Art History; Metaphysics; Philosophy
Modern Art; Sculpture; Philosophy; Twentieth Century; Alexander Archipenko; Henri Bergson; School of Paris; American Art; Plexiglas; Vitalism; Biocentrism; Ukrainian Art

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Citations

  • Calhoun, R. D. (2016). Dynamism, Creativeness, and Evolutionary Progress in the work of Alexander Archipenko [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1460755467

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Calhoun, Robert. Dynamism, Creativeness, and Evolutionary Progress in the work of Alexander Archipenko. 2016. Ohio State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1460755467.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Calhoun, Robert. "Dynamism, Creativeness, and Evolutionary Progress in the work of Alexander Archipenko." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University, 2016. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1460755467

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu1460755467
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This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.