destroying the tradition of painting, the Cubists appeared to have created their own
visual language.
Duchamp’s
The Nude Descending the Staircase II
became the critics’ focus as
emblematic of the nonsensical nature of Cubism. The Cubists and Matisse were also
accused of resorting to shock value to gain publicity, with the incongruence between
the title of
The Nude Descending the Staircase II
and the image itself resulting in
jibes and laughter. Many newspapers published puns, poems, parodies, cartoons and
competitions to find the nude in painting. Notwithstanding, Villon received several
positive reviews by critics who felt his paintings were subtle beauties with enigmatic
color. Furthermore, by the close of the Armory Show, all but one of the pieces from
the Villon/Duchamp brothers sold; Raymond Duchamp-Villon sold three of his four
sculptures and all nine of Villon’s and all four of Duchamp’s paintings sold.
Duchamp and the fellow Cubists had a profound influence on the next generation of
American artists. For many, this was largely their first exposure to the current trends in
European art if they had not traveled abroad or visited the “291” Gallery in New York
headed by Alfred Stieglitz. The Cubist, Post Impressionist and Fauve works prompted
experimentation among more open-minded American artists seeking to develop their
own, new identity in the wake of the works presented at the Armory Show. Among
them, even the exhibition organizers Davies and Kuhn tried their hands at Cubism
soon after the 1913 show.
Both Villon and Duchamp gained recognition and notoriety in America as a result of
the Armory Show, and they became firmly established in the US art market. Villon
would continue to have tremendous success selling his distinctive Cubist works to
American buyers and galleries. Duchamp, sensing that his fame and fortune lay in
America, left for New York in 1915 with the image of
The Nude Descending the
Staircase II
still lingering in the minds of many Americans. Duchamp would capitalize
on his success from the Armory Show and have a profound affect on future art
movements worldwide. By the time he left Paris, he was already experimenting with
conceptual art and, in 1917, introduced the world to his “readymade”,
Fountain
,
altering yet again the course of art history by broadening the scope of what was
accepted visually as fine art.
