We all need a bit of Cubism in our well-rounded lives

Hanover Line I-XXI

Last time we sold out on the Leibnizian Ramblings blog. We drew some pictures for the few people that decided to repost our blog posts. We'd like to thank the kind gentlemen that may or may not be our doppelgänger, otherwise known as our other email account. The stick figure cubism rendition of the famous Katz scene in When Harry Met Sally is on the way.

We however got on a topic that is near and dear to our hearts, Cubism. We think that we enjoy cubism so much because our residual mental image of ourselves is closely akin to Simeon the Great in the Statue known as the Monument to 1300 Years of Bulgaria. It is for this reason that we do not own any mirrors. But nonetheless, we are cubists at heart.

We all know the well-known Cubists or Cubists inspired artists (artists are generally even more opposed to labels than hipsters - in fact, it could be argued that Marcel Duchamp may actually have been a hipster). They include the incredible Pablo Picasso, Mexican artist Diego Rivera and Max Weber. Today however, we'd like to focus on the little known, but highly influential Lyonel Feininger.

Feininger was born in America but lived much of his life in Germany. Prior to WWII he studied in Germany and began to create important pieces of art. When the Nazi Party came to power his work was labeled Entartete Kunst (degenerate art). He came back home to New York and continued his work. Feininger passed into obscurity, at least in North America, because of his time in Germany. He passed away in 1956 and since then his work has not been displayed in its full breadth until now.

The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts is presenting a pretentious sounding "first posthumous retrospective in North America". We get it, art, like hipster has to sound grandiose. But let's break it down for the majority of us who want to experience art as a way of living a well rounded life and not the vocal minority that hopes to use art as a way of making others feel stupid. We here at the Leibnizian Ramblings would never condone such an act...

What is really interesting about this collection is that the full breadth of his work is being put on display. Feininger was more than just a painter. He was a cartoonist first. Then he did a lot of paintings. Then he did some sketching and engraving. Then he started to make engraved toys. He also tinkered with photography. The toys and the photography were never displayed in his lifetime, so seeing all of his work in one place will be a neat thing. Make the trek up to Montreal. Take in Feininger's art, a Canadiens game and eat some poutine. It'll be worth the go...

Oh by the way Feininger was an accomplished violinist and composer to boot.