Marcel Duchamp - Fountain

The 'Fountain' is one of Marcel Duchamp's most famous piece of work and is widely seen as an icon of twentieth century art. The original 'Fountain' , which was lost, consisted of a standard urinal which was presented on its back for exhibition, with a signature and date 'R. Mutt 1917'. In William Camfield's Marcel Duchamp's Fountain: Its History and Aesthetics in the Context of 1917, the author quotes from an interview with Duchamp on the origins of "R.Mutt": "Duchamp stated many years later that the pseudonym "Mutt" came from the Mott Works [J.L. Mott Iron Works, manufacturer of the urinal] but was modified because "Mott was too close so I altered it to Mutt, after the daily strip cartoon "Mutt and Jeff" which appeared at the time, and with which everyone was familiar. Thus, from the start there was an interplay of Mutt: a fat little funny man, and Jeff: a tall thin man...And I added Richard [French slang for money-bags]. That's not a bad name for a "piasotiere." Get it? The opposite of poverty. But not even that much, just R. MUTT."  however, some people believe that the R.M stoods for 'readymade' which is a term to describe the 'ordinary manufactured object designed by the artist as a work of art (and, in Duchamp's case, interpretated in some way)

'Duchamp later recalled that the idea for Fountain arose from a discussion with the collector Walter Arensberg (1878–1954) and the artist Joseph Stella (1877–1946) in New York.He purchased a urinal from a sanitary ware supplier and submitted it – or arranged for it to be submitted – as an artwork by ‘R. Mutt’ to the newly established Society of Independent Artists that Duchamp himself had helped found and promote on the lines of the Parisian Salon des Indépendants (Duchamp had moved from Paris to New York in 1915). The society’s board of directors, who were bound by the Society’s constitution to accept all members’ submissions, took exception to Fountain, believing that a piece of sanitary ware – and one associated with bodily waste – could not be considered a work of art and furthermore was indecent (presumably, although this was not said, if displayed to women). Following a discussion and a vote, the directors present during the installation of the show at the Grand Central Palace (about ten of them according to a report in the New York Herald) narrowly decided on behalf of the board to exclude the submission from the Society’s inaugural exhibition that opened to the public on 10 April 1917. Arensberg and Duchamp resigned in protest against the board taking it upon itself to veto and effectively censor an artist’s work. Duchamp never explicitly commented on why he wanted to test the principles of his fellow board members but it may well have sprung from his own experience at the Salon des Indépendants in Paris.'

http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/duchamp-fountain-t07573/text-summary

3 Minute Wonder: Marcel Duchamp – Fountain  

My Thoughts: I find it interesting how this piece of artwork has created such a large discussion and debate as to what is art? The definition by Oxford Dictionary states that; Art is "the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power" Does the Fountain fall into the dictionary definition of art? According to Society of Independent Artists (that Duchamp helped found and promote) decided it wasn't "believing that a piece of sanitary ware - and one associated with bodly waste - could not be considered a work of art and furthermore was indecent" But who are we to say what is art? Each person has their own opinions and perspectives. It also raises question, is it the subject or idea that creates the art within the Fountain?