Merce Cunningham

I am comparing my art pieces to the work of choreographer Merce Cunningham. This fall I had the opportunity to see his company live at the dance center. His choreography is unlike any other dance I’ve ever seen. It’s extremely abstract; it contains no underlying meaning. He creates dance about dance. Cunningham focuses purely on the movement itself as he reveals the dancer’s incredible strength and control. Many choreographers, especially those in ballet, concentrate their choreography around a central point, directing the eye of the audience. Cunningham, however, creates multiple centers in his work, allowing the audience to choose what it looks at.

By looking more into Cunningham’s choreography, I will be able to more effectively analyze the art of Ellsworth Kelley. Merce Cunningham’s approach to his art is very similar to that of Ellsworth Kelley. Kelley’s paintings are incredibly abstract. He paints realism in the most conceptual ways. The legs of a chair become white streaks across the canvas, obscuring all hope of depicting the object. His paintings also contain no focal points just as Cunningham’s dances. Both leave the observer the choice of what to look at, and even to determine the meaning. This kind of art looks beyond the artists’ initial vision.

The style that Kelley and Cunningham share can clearly be applied to various types of art. Today composers, photographers, visual artists, and even writers explore this new approach. Art no longer follows the traditional means of creation and significance. Cunningham, Kelley, and a variety of other artists were the first to begin this innovative method.