Nude Descending A Staircase No.2
In 1912, Duchamp created Nude Descending A Staircase, like a time bomb to the art world throw, which became a sensational scandal and caused many discussions of the art circle. The nude had been celebrated in the history of painting and created by countless painters as the Eucharist. But Duchamp wasn't in accordance with the practice to create a reclining or standing classical nude. He broke the normal procedure to make the painting liberated from the traditional theme and created a nude descending the stairs. In the painting, he also combined cubism and the form of movement, but was refused by the independent exhibition of cubism. Exhibition organizers believed that this work of Duchamp was beyond the Cubism and futurism category with the gimmick. It would damage the purity of cubism once exhibited. Here to tell everybody was that French cubism and Italian futurism were the enemies for many years. Cubism emphasized on the painting's composition and futurism stressed on the sense of movement. They were not together, and wanted to be modern flags.
The exhibition of this oil painting in Salon in 1913 was refused by the judges because it was beyond the endurance limit of people. It deeply influenced Duchamp. He quietly got the painting back and found a very simple job in a library in Paris. And he never participated in any art group which marked any spirit and began to walk on the rebel art road. Perhaps it was such bold art action, personal independent lifestyle, readily work and unreachness that constituted the unique charm of Duchamp. But, anyway, Duchamp had made the history of Western art full of vigor and vitality. Late, many art schools were more or less affected by his influence. After 1960s, Duchamp was known as the "the master without works".
