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Primitivism

According to Dr Louis Laganà, Lecturer, in University of Malta, addresses that there is two types of Primitivism that can be divided. He states that primitivism has influenced modern artists emerging from the mid 20th century. He argues that it is crucial to study the ‘notion of Primitivism and its implications in the history of ideas’. Lovejoy and Boas, who are theorists, defined primitivism as “a name for two distinct tendencies in human thought which can divided into two aspects: Chronological primitivism and Cultural primitivism”. In the exhibition catalog, it explains the the start of primitivism can be traced back to Paul Gauguin, who was a famous French Post-Impressionist. He was a painter who obtain fame by his experimental use of color and unique style that was unusual style of impressionist.

Exhibition

The exhibition called the Primitivism, curated by William Rubin in MoMA from Sept 27th 1984 to Jan 15th 1985 and was sponsored by Philip Morris. He argues that ''The changes in modern art at issue were already under way when vanguard artists first became aware of tribal art.”

According to MoMA the exhibition was divided into 4 different sections: 1. Concepts (relationship between modern art and tribal objects) 2. History (direct influence of tribal arts on modern artists and its influence on developing modern art) 3. Affinities (appeal of tribal objects to modern taste) 4. Contemporary explorations (selection of post 1970 western art not so direct from tribal objects but combination with a primal sense of art making activity strongly altered but still relevant to each other)

Criticism

Thomas McEvilley who was an art critic criticizes Rubin and Varnedoe for their failure in curating the exhibition. He argues that : to treat objects from Africa and elsewhere as more than mere inspirational material for sophisticated Modernist works of art without recognizing the objects’ inherent value within their own specific cultural contexts”.