Twisting the Truth

What visual ingredients do you need to render a figure? The artists featured here usually include the most basic parts of the figure—a head and a torso—but distort them. The figure is still recognizable, even though it’s no longer realistic.

Artists might distort the figure to draw attention to a situation, exaggerate an aspect of the person, or provoke a reaction in viewers. As you read about these artists, think about how they are responding to the conventions discussed on previous pages. How do they apply different elements of art and principles of design to the human form, and why?

What do you need to show a figure? The artists featured here include the most basic parts of the figure, like the head, then distort them. That means they are no longer realistic.

Artists distort the figure for many reasons. They might exaggerate an aspect of the figure, or draw attention to something. As you read, think about the artists’ choices. What are they trying to say with how they depict the figure?

In 1892, Norwegian artist Edvard Munch was walking with friends at sunset when he heard what he called “the enormous, infinite scream of nature.” He re-creates this profound moment in his 1893-94 work The Scream, above, which soon became an iconic portrait of angst.

Munch’s figure doesn’t have a recognizable gender or ethnicity. The artist reduces the face to a shape that is almost skeletal, more like a creature in a horror movie than a human. Radiating shapes and contour lines echo the sound being made, dramatically uniting the figure and the landscape.

In 1891, Norwegian artist Edvard Munch was on a walk with friends at sunset. He heard what he called “the enormous, infinite scream of nature.” He re-creates this moment in his 1893-94 work The Scream, above. It soon became a famous portrait of suffering.

Munch’s figure doesn’t have a clear gender or ethnicity. The face looks like a skeleton. Contour lines around the figure suggest sound. Radiating shapes connect the figure and the landscape.

When Nude Descending a Staircase (No. 2), above, was first exhibited in 1913, viewers found the painting jarring and off-putting. Instead of depicting a single, static moment, French artist Marcel Duchamp illustrates movement and time. He shows motion through repetition and variation, painting the transforming shapes of a figure walking down the stairs.

Duchamp dehumanizes the figure, practically turning it into a machine. “I was interested in ideas—not merely in visual products,” he explained years later. Rather than being stung by criticism he received, Duchamp embraced it and continued to push boundaries in his art.

Nude Descending a Staircase (No. 2), above, was first displayed in 1913. French artist Marcel Duchamp made the painting. It shows the changing shapes of a figure walking down the stairs. He uses repetition and variation to show motion.

Duchamp’s figure barely looks human. It looks more like a machine. “I was interested in ideas—not merely in visual products,” he explained. He embraced criticism early in his career and pushed boundaries in his art.

American artist Romare Bearden experiments with collage in his 1964 Pittsburgh Memory, above. He creates visual dissonance, composing faces with features that don’t actually belong together yet somehow make sense. The artist achieves this by using photos from magazines, fabric scraps, wrapping paper, and other found materials. The layers add depth and perspective, placing the faces in the foreground with an urban landscape in the background. The black-and-white palette creates unity.

Bearden lived off and on in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, as a child. He made this collage nearly four decades later. What might Bearden be suggesting about how memories become jumbled over time?

Artist Romare Bearden made the collage above in 1964. It’s called Pittsburgh Memory. He combines features that don’t belong together, which creates visual dissonance. Bearden uses photos from magazines, fabric scraps, wrapping paper, and other found materials. Every element is black-and-white, which creates unity. The layers add depth and perspective to the scene.

Bearden lived in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, as a child. He made this collage years later. Why might Bearden show a memory this way?

In Dancing in Colombia, above, voluminous musicians tower over curiously short dancers. Colombian artist Fernando Botero’s signature style, known as Boterismo, emphasizes exaggerated proportions, as if he has inflated each of the people like a balloon. He frequently does this to evoke humor or satire. “I paint the Latin American world in all its fullness,” he explained.

Notice how all of the men have similar facial features and the women wear the same hairstyle in the 1980 painting. These characters are not meant to represent individual people. Instead, Botero aims to capture the energy and excitement of the performance. Playing with volume and scale in this work allows Botero to create visual rhythm. Why do you think he chooses to make the dancers smaller than the musicians?

The 1980 painting above is called Dancing in Colombia. In it, large musicians tower over short dancers. This is the signature style of Colombian artist Fernando Botero. He exaggerates proportions to make people look inflated. Botero often does this to be funny. “I paint the Latin American world in all its fullness,” he said.

All the men have similar facial features. All the women have the same hairstyle. Botero wants to show the energy of a performance. Playing with volume and scale creates visual rhythm. Why do you think he made the dancers smaller than the musicians?