Bob Dylan and the History of Art

Bob Dylan is no stranger to Art History. His rich knowledge of art, and admiration for celebrated masters, is expressed repeatedly through his words and his work. In particular, Dylan admired Picasso, explaining: ‘Picasso had fractured the art world and cracked it wide open. He was revolutionary. I wanted to be like that.’

Dylan has also discussed the use of the camera obscura in the history of art by the likes of Caravaggio, Vermeer and Van Eyck. In his Foreword for the Beaten Path catalogue, he revelled in the idea that ‘Da Vinci paints a blurred picture – you see no lines but clouds that fade into one another’. In contrast, he recognises in Van Gogh’s work ‘strict lines that define the volumes of space.’ Thinking about artists through history, and their distinctive approaches, was a pastime for Dylan, one that he explored for the purpose of creating his own art and finding his own approach to representation.

The impact that the great painters have had on Dylan’s consciousness manifests in his work. Paintings such as Still Life (2021) feature the same wallpaper used in many of Cezanne’s iconic still life paintings. Other clear examples of the weight that art history has on Dylan’s practice include Picnic (2021) which clearly references Édouard Manet’s Le Déjeuner sur l'herbe (1863).

Dylan’s latest series, Point Blank, similarly contains traces and references to some of the leading figures in 20th century art. A core concept for this body of work is in itself, rooted in the art of masters that Dylan admires, namely the ‘lived perspective’. Artists like Paul Cezanne, Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso looked to find techniques to represent space as though it is being inhabited by the viewer.

Likewise, Dylan achieves this effect through low view points and arranges space and objects in a way that encourages our physical involvement in the scene. For example, in Speedboat, Dylan places the viewer within the vehicle, staring at the wheel. The expressive brush strokes that he uses to represent the landscape on the left and right communicates the speed of the vehicle, compelling us to take control of the wheel.

Other works seem to be a clearer reference to works by master painters, although Dylan develops their visual ideas and transforms them into an image that feels distinctly of his style. This is exemplified by Nightfall which captures a building behind contorted trees that oppressively obstruct our vision, our eyes struggling to navigate the complex space. The effect and the appearance of this painting is reminiscent of Van Gogh’s paintings of the Asylum he lived in between 1889-1890, the space similarly intensified by the meandering trees that occupy so much of the picture plane. 

Similarly, Puffball (Sex, Death and Money) displays a nude according to a similar composition and pose as was represented by Henri Matisse in his famous bronze sculptures The Back Series (1909-1930) which hang today in MoMA, New York. 

A respect and knowledge of Art History is at the core of Dylan’s art. However, he does not pay homage to works of the past nor does he repeat them. Instead, he uses them to aid him in realising his own unique aesthetic, with the traces of his favourite artists visible within its DNA.

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