Topic > Summary of Stravinsky's Rite of Spring - 726

Before the end of the 20th century, art and music went through radical evolutions to express the environment, politics, and beliefs of both the artist and the composer. After the rediscovery of artistic and musical creation in the Renaissance period, each individual seeks to reinterpret and recreate the work of art from his own perspective point of view. In the era of impressionism, art and music once again undergo a radical evolution for others to see and hear. Among these individuals, the Russian composer Igor Stravinsky and the Spanish artist Pablo Picasso would make such changes that even longtime fans of their works would have found them shocking and offensive in their time. In this article, we will look specifically at Stravinsky's “Rite of Spring”. In this movement, visual forms from primitive (i.e. African, Micronesian, Native American) or non-Western (Asian) societies reemerge and integrate them into their art. This movement was inspired by artists such as Paul Gauguin and Henri Matisse. This was the case of Pablo Picasso, where in his artwork he combined European prostitutes of Cubism with African masks and Iberian characteristics. According to Joachim Pissarro, curator of the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, “…it was like an earthquake in the art world. It shook the foundations [that] everything that had been accepted… was destroyed.” (Museum of Modern Art) Picasso's “Les Demoiselles d'Avignon” was actually a pictorial response to his rival “Blue Nude” by Henri Matisse. These two artists fought to be the best artist of the art movements. The public reaction to the art took everyone by surprise, especially Matisse who finds that everyone is amazed that Picasso's viewers were familiar with works such as Chopin, Tchaikovsky and Stravinsky's early works such as “The Firebird” and “Petrushka” . But no one was not prepared for his latest work "Rite of Spring" together with ballet master Vaslev Nijinsky. Stravinsky's work was unique in that it was based on the prehistoric/pagan past of Russian history involving human sacrifice and "unconventional music, sharp and unnatural choreography..." (Green). A few minutes into the performances, the audience started booing. The first performance literally caused a riot in the theater. Marie Rambert, one of Nijinsky's artists, states that during the first performance, Nijinsky said: "Whatever happens, the conductor must continue to play until we go up..." (MartialViz). Not one, but two unorthodox young professionals stood their ground in continuing their work until the end of the show despite the audience being hostile towards them