Christine Cézanne-Thauss

HARMONY IN ART            

The theme of the 21C ICAA deals with harmony. All artists, including myself, tried to express what their definition of this subject is.

My painting shows two kids playing together – children symbolize innocence, lightheartedness, impartiality.

Children are able to play together in a nonverbal communication – not concerning themselves with different cultural background or their different languages.

I found a definition of the word "harmony" in a dictionary:

Harmony is an "Agreement in feeling or opinion, a pleasing combination of elements in a whole" (www.thefreedictionary.com/harmony)

Harmony in art is either seen in form or content or both of course.

Concerning the formal criterion, harmony may refer to a blending between objects and styles in a painting, it concerns colour relationship, composition and symmetry.

For me harmony can also be seen in all artworks beeing authentically drawn - when deep and true feelings are conveyed. Such paintings could have an disturbing effect, could be unsettling – but they help people to question professional blinkers.

I´d like to give you an example of different handlings with harmony. I got to know paintings of children held in Concentration-Camp Theresienstadt in World War II. Friedl Dicker-Brandeis was an Austrian artist. She  was quite famous and lived, worked and taught in the Bauhaus, an artist association in Germany. This association dealt a lot with harmony. The members wanted art to be seen in connection with handycraft. Not only paintings or sculpturings were worth being called art, but also craft industry.  Friedl Dicker Brandeis, who went to Austria again, was imprisoned in the first republic for her political believing and in WW II she was imprisoned in Theresienstadt . She lived in harmony with her belief, and in peace of her mind that she has to do something for these kids. She mostly ceased painting herself, in order to establish an art-school for kids in the Concentration-Camp, although it was forbidden. Every painting or scratching was named after each kid. Friedl Dicker-Brandeis hid and therefor saved these painting. They were found after WWII and are now presented in a museum in Prag. Friedl Dicker-Brandeis and most of the kids didn´t survive, but their artwork did. The artist helped, that the kids were not forgotten.

The artworks of these children could be divided into two categories:

Some tried to show life in CP – they lived in harmony with their here and now, with their present horrible life. They were documentarists of reality and let us share their desperation.

The other group lived in harmony with their dreams of a better world – they remembered how beautiful life could be. They drew their former happy family life, they painted nature - like butterflies and flowers.

Both groups tried to handle their feelings by expressing them trough paintings. These artworks demonstrate unjustness and are one of the most authentically drawn paintings for me – they are full of unity, harmony and of wonderful vigour. When children are painting themselves, they act viscerally and so create authentic, absorbing works.

A lot of famous artists could be named  concerning and producing authentical artwork. They paint what they think is important, they are concerned dealing with what is moving them. Being authentical and expressing ones feeling is pure harmony for me.

The theme of this years´ ICAA implies integration and consists of a "TOGETHER" – people living together in harmony could change the whole world – and artists preoccupying themselves with this theme allow greater insight to this subject and help to create a more peacful world.