Marcel Duchamp’s painting the Nude Descending a Staircase, and Michelangelo’s David were pieces of art that were met with heavy criticism in different ways. Duchamp, more so for his painting was deemed unrealistic and when initially viewed the audience found it insulting. Michelangelo’s statue David on the other hand received criticism due to political views and societal views about nudity.
The objections seen and posed by audiences in the Duchamp painting was in that it didn’t make sense, there wasn’t a natural flow to the piece. People were used to seeing images reflective of life that were easy to understand and this was not the case. The painting was quite abstract and challenging for people to understand. Duchamp I believe took an innovative approach towards his piece because he wanted to challenge his audience in making them think outside the box. The painting clearly shows he was interested in the human body by painting it in abstract form rather than in true form, the body in motion is visually deceptive. Another reason for his approach was his interest in the works of photographic art; in fact, Nude Descending a Staircase is reflective of artist such as Eadweard Muybridge, Woman Walking Downstairs,(www.newyorktimes.com).
Michelangelo’s David an iconic ode to the human body was created in 1504, (www.newyorktimes.com), and the figure representative of strength before a battle is larger than life. The religious connotation of the piece is part of Christianity