Marcel Duchamp and his classic works

'Nude descending a staircase' and Duchamp's 'Bicycle wheel'

This work by the Precedent Marcel Duchamp is one of the most known artworks by this Artist. He depicted a nude person, impossible to actually make out the figure, descending on a staircase. This painting comes close to cubism and it shows the movement of the figure by drawing the body parts in a repetitive manner. This work is a documentation of a fleeting monment, a technique that usually comes with photography. Duchamp was a man of the Dada period but he more was a man before his time. His works fit very well into the later art movements of the mid 20th century, rather than around the 1st world war.


This very classic work of Duchamps is called the 'Bycicle wheel' and is made out of a stool and one bycicle wheel, that is attached to the stool upside down. It conveyes a notion of force and abstractivity and this work shows the overly huge influence that this Precedent has on art even stil today. I like this work as i am into art that works with found elements as i personally find it more of a challenge to compose a structure or composition. The forces are put on the wheel when for example someone pushes it and causes it to move as force is created by the pressure put on by the hand or thing touching the wheel.