User:Aaugspurger/sandbox

With the unique application of multiple mediums and unusual additions of color, this multi-faceted image stands out in Masson’s extensive collection of work. Having explored many styles throughout his life and been shaped by the influences of his surroundings and peers, Masson displays a willingness to blend styles and a lack of adherence to any one form. Tying together artistic elements from cubism, automatism, and surrealism, Masson presents a nearly garish depiction of an intense battle below the surface—articulate use of sand, charcoal, oil paints, and pencil give the otherwise one-dimensional work a kind of inconsistent depth and serrated texture that adds to the uncomfortable nature of the scene.

Description
Through hasty construction, undulant lines, and spontaneity of expression, Battle of Fishes by Andre Masson emerges from the canvas in a dynamic scene. With the lack of any logical recession of space comes an emphasis on what terrain is present in Battle of Fishes. The ocean floor seen in charcoal outlines around the sand is jagged and full of uneven crests. Shading around these underwater crests in the lower right-hand corner of the scene juxtaposed with the lack of shadow in the upper left-hand corner creates the illusion that these battling fish are almost in a crater of sorts—and if taken a step further, one might associate this form with an arena. Smaller fish seem to cower in the periphery of the crater while perhaps the fish lying off to the side bleeding is a previous fighter (see Fig. 3 and 4). In relation to the fish, this dip in the ocean floor is small and the close proximity of the two fighters adds tension in the image. The sand thrown arbitrarily onto the canvas where gesso had previously been applied adds a gritty texture to the scene and an abrasive quality. The point of conflict between the two main fish in the center of the piece is accentuated by the fact that the sand, too, meets here and is stirred up and blotchy around the mouths and jaws (see Fig. 2). This constructs some movement within the limited depiction of the landscape along with the swift current that can be seen in the cloud-like shapes paired with straight parallel lines in the upper third of the work. The two fish in the center of the image posses a wild and nearly garish essence as the erratic and serrated edges of the body and fins of the upper fish stand out against that of the more curved, irregular body and fins of the lower (see Fig. 5 and 6). A saw-toothed rostrum punctures the body of the lower fish amidst the battle and blood oozes into the scene from the wound. Here Masson applied oil paint directly from the tube—because of this, the blood lifts away from the canvas as a result of excess oil staining the edges around the red a slightly dark hue than the canvas (see Fig. 6). Swelling erratic lines throughout Battle of Fishes not only reflects the underwater environment, but too establishes the fleeting nature of the whole scene. Masson captures a moment in time and the movement of every body in the image is amplified through the overlapping of shapes and the way line, color, and texture remain transparent through the mix of layers and mediums.

Life and Influences
Having moved around quite a bit in his life, Masson enjoyed the liberty to experience and experiment with a number of styles he came in contact with. Not feeling tied to any particular technique and displaying a willingness to explore even the most abstract forms of depiction, when cubism, automatism, and surrealism where much in play during the early 1900s Masson was quick to dive into these emerging styles. After voluntarily enlisting and enduring the hardships of World War I, the artist returned to Ceret, France known famously for being the residence of numerous major artists of the twentieth century including Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Juan Gris, Miro, and Georges Braque. Here Masson was very much influenced by the emerging works around him. As can be seen in Battle of Fishes, Masson employs many key elements of cubism, most prominently the use of multiple mediums applied directly to the canvas as is done in synthetic cubism. The dimension in the image created through contrasting geometric shapes and lines seen in the simplistic fish forms and terrain play with perspective and plane of vision, though with less of the three-dimensional quality that was often seen in analytical cubism. After moving to Paris and holding his first exhibition, Andre Breton showed much interest in his works and invited the artist to join his group of surrealists. Masson showed an interest in the free association techniques and duality of images that is often present in surrealist images. This similar duality can be seen in the way fish forms blend with the form of the landscape in Battle of Fishes, along with the free association of the image developing quickly, one element after the other without much forethought. Branching away from surrealism much to the dissatisfaction of Breton, Masson quickly grew immersed in the heavily abstract expression of forms and the hasty, unconscious approach to artwork that is taken in the automatist style. Masson began Battle of Fishes by throwing sand onto a randomly gesso covered canvas, swiftly and with no real intentions for the piece he filled in where he saw fit and so emerged the energetic dispute of sea creatures. Fluid lines and the lack of clear boundaries apparent in the piece also display the influence of automatism.