Picasso’s Guernica: Interpreting an Artistic Text

Introduction

Artistic works often attract people’s attention to the most urgent issues and make the public consider the most effective solutions. Artistic texts are often most appealing since they reach people’s hearts and souls and make a profound impression forcing them to discuss important things. Guernica by Pablo Picasso is one of the illustrations of the power of artistic texts that serve as a reminder, facilitator, motivator, or evidence. In his painting, Picasso revealed his attitude towards the war and some forces that could start it (“Guernica”). The artist stressed that his artwork was a response to the horrible aftermaths of the bombing of Guernica, as well as the overall concept of war. This paper includes a brief analysis of the iconic painting that can be seen as one of the most remarkable warnings to humanity.

Background

Spain in the 1930s was a battlefield between the forces of Republicans and Nationalists who had opposing views regarding the future of their country. Republicans believed that Spain needed peaceful and liberal transformations that would lead to progress. However, Nationalists focused on totalitarian methods and the supremacy of some groups, as well as the denial of certain basic rights (Cox 24). Nationalists were supported by another oppressing regime of the first part of the 20th century, German Nazis. The attack of German aircraft that caused the major destruction of Guernica, a Spanish city, had a substantial impact on Picasso (Cox 23). At that period, the artist was decorating an exhibition in Paris, but changed his initial plan and created the work in response to the fascist attack.

Interpretation

The artistic text in question is full of symbols and allusions that have been interpreted in many ways. The artist himself explained only some aspects of the painting and encouraged people to decipher his message or find their own meanings (Cox 82). As mentioned above, the painting is all about war and its horrors. One of the primary impressions the artwork creates is the sense of complete chaos since the figures are scattered across the painting (“Guernica”).

It is possible to interpret this chaotic location and postures of figures as a symbol of the chaos wars create. Any attack is characterized by civilians’ horror and despair. The weeping women who are trapped in a house on fire or the mother holding her dead child represent the major horrors of war. The figure of the horse is a symbolic representation of the forces of Republicans who tried to fight and defend people. The horse is also caught in motion trying to react, but everything seems rather hopeless.

Notably, one of the figures that remain calm and observant is the bull. The bull is an embodiment of Fascism and brutality that takes the form of the animal that has a very specific role in the Spanish culture (Cox 82). The bull is the only figure that seems to be in control of the situation and keeps watching carefully with no empathy or even emotion (“Guernica”). This attitude stands for the way Hitler provided his aid to the Spanish dictator Franco and, simultaneously, managed to try his new killing machines.

He did not care about the suffering of people but observed the extent to which the set goals had been achieved with the help of the bombing. This quiet observer also makes the viewer think about those who benefit (or often think they benefit) from war. There is always a small group of people who start a war and millions of those who lose their homes, their health, and their lives.

It is necessary to note that the way Picasso communicates his messages makes it reach so many people and resonate with modern times. The painting is produced using three colors exclusively. The painter used a blue background and utilized black and white, to make the painting similar to the reports provided in newspapers (Cox 82). This approach creates a very specific atmosphere of chronicle that can and does affect all people’s lives to a different extent.

White and black are also instrumental in depicting darkness (Fascism, Nazism, and war) and some sources of light (freedom, compassion, and knowledge). Two major sources of light (a lamp and a candle) can also be interpreted as people’s attempts to discover the truth and understand what is happening. However, real warmakers are often in the shadow of false ideals and propaganda.

Conclusion

On balance, it is possible to state that Guernica is an epochal artwork that serves as a warning and reminder for Picasso’s contemporaries, as well as modern people. Those who lived in the first part of the 20th century missed Picasso’s message, as well as many other individuals’ concerns, which led to the deadliest and most devastating wars in the history of humanity. At present, people are also making similar mistakes, which leads to excessive violence in many regions of the planet. However, such masterpieces as Guernica show that war can bring nothing more but brutality and devastation. Perhaps, people, especially those in power, need to look at Picasso’s work more often to remember past mistakes.

Works Cited

Cox, Neil. An Interview with Pablo Picasso. Cavendish Square Publishing, LLC, 2014.

Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Rena Sofia, n.d. Web.

Picasso: Surrealistic Master of the Monsters

Introduction

Picasso is one of the most enigmatic artists of all time, not so much for what he produced but for the quantity and hard work he has churned out of his ripe old age, estimated to be more or less five thousand works of art.

This research paper shall try to present an objective.

Discussion

“Picasso surreal 1924–39” exhibition at Gallery: Fondation Beyeler in December 9, 2005 (Basel, 2007).
Figure 1. “Picasso surreal 1924–39” exhibition at Gallery: Fondation Beyeler in December 9, 2005 (Basel, 2007).

This Picasso piece was included in the “Picasso surreal 1924–39” exhibition at Gallery: Fondation Beyeler in December 9, 2005 (Basel, 2007).

  • Artist: Pablo Picasso
  • Title: “Femme couchée lisant”
  • Date: 21, January 1939,
  • Courtety: Öl auf Leinwand,
  • Size: 96,5 x 130 cm,
  • Location: Musée Picasso, Paris,
  • Photo: RMN © Jean-Gilles Berizzi, © 2005, ProLitteris, Zürich

When it comes to most Picasso works, a quote associated with Bernard Shaw written in January 1903 is a very apt association. “You cannot prove that your translation is artistically good,” Shaw was quoted saying to his translator Siegfried Trebitsch, “any more than you can prove that Rembrandt was a great painter. Artistic qualities are matters of taste,” (quoted from an editorial, The Burlington Magazine, 1973, p 489).

The editorial went further as associate obscurity and total confusion as it went on to add, “…But with Picasso the situation still remains complex. The name may be familiar; but the style is oftn difficult, and in spite of 9perhaps even because of0 the great fame. Picasso himself has remained an elusive figure. His relatively few comments on art have often been pithy and epigrammatic (like Degas’s) or downright cryptic,” (quoted from an editorial, The Burlington Magazine, 1973, p 489. Another Guardian assessment on Picasso was quoted in 1973 that although it wrote (it was claimed to be of anonymous writer0 “In a real sense, Pablo Picasso was the last Renaissance man […] he had to ultimate destination. It would almost be true to say that he travelled for the sake of the journey and not for the arrival,” (quoted from an editorial, The Burlington Magazine, 1973, p 489).

Many interesting things could be said about Picasso’s works, and fame. One notable comment is about cubism in general: “Cubism is all right as a joke, but it is not all right if it is taken too seriously,” (quoted from an editorial, The Burlington Magazine, 1973, p 490) and another associated with Evelyn Waugh says, “Senor Picasso’s painting cannot be intelligently discussed in the terms used of the civilized masters,” (quoted from an editorial, The Burlington Magazine, 1973, p. 489).

Picasso

Pablo Ruiz Picasso was born October 25, 1881 and died April 8, 1973 was born Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Clito Ruiz y Picasso by parents José Ruiz y Blasco and María Picasso y López (O’Brian, 1994) in Málaga, Spain. He is often referred to simply as Picasso, a Spanish painter and sculptor and considered as one of the most recognized figures in 20th century art best known as the co-founder along with Georges Braque, of Cubism.

Picasso, at one time has been compared to another Spanish Francisco José de Goya who was considered as the last of the Old Masters and the first of the moderns (Rico, 2007), while Picasso’s is generally described as, “His style changed frequently,” (quoted from an editorial, The Burlington Magazine, 1973, p 490) of which several major periods were linked: Blue Period between 1901 to 1904, Rose Period from 1905-1907, African-influenced Period (1907-1909), Analytic Cubism from 1909-1912, Synthetic Cubism from 1912 to 1919, Classicism and surrealism (Cowling and Mundy, 1990).

Surrealism

According to Basel (2007), “Pablo Picasso was not a Surrealist. He never belonged to the inner circles of those artists who, under the aegis and discipline of their “pope” André Breton, attempted from the mid-1920s onwards to shatter the walls of tradition through the dogma of Surrealist revolution. Still, Picasso did contribute much to this movement that set out to tap the imagery of the unconscious mind, discovered by Sigmund Freud, as a wellspring of art. In fact, Picasso enriched Surrealism by some of its most significant examples, part of the unprecedented flood of paintings he produced from the mid-1920s to the 1930s. Building principally on the stocks of the Musée Picasso in Paris and our own museum’s treasures, the exhibition will be one of the first – for a very long time – to venture on a comprehensive presentation of this phase of Picasso’s oeuvre, a phase that was one of the most personal, powerful and highly creative in the career of this genius of the century.”

“Femme couchée lisant” included in the Basel exhibit, is considered a Surrealism. Surrealism is a cultural movement more popular with visual artworks that began in the mid-1920s. Coined in 1917 by Guillaume Apollinaire in the program notes describing the ballet “Parade” which was a collaborative work by Jean Cocteau, Erik Satie, Pablo Picasso and Léonide Massine, it is characterised by the element of surprise, the unexpected juxtapositions and non sequitur. Leader André Breton asserted that Surrealism was above all a revolutionary movement (Ades, 2001).

It was considered that much of Picasso’s work after 1927 is fantastic and visionary in character. His work “Woman with Flower” (1932) is a portrait of Marie-Thérèse, distorted and deformed in the manner of Surrealism. Already at that time, Surrealism movement was growing in strength and popularity. Picasso was influenced by this group of Parisian artists, although it has been said that they regarded him as their artistic stepfather. “I keep doing my best not to lose sight of nature. I want to aim at similarity, a profound similarity which is more real than reality, thus becoming surrealist,” Picasso was quoted (Art History Archive, 2007).

During this time, Picasso has set up a sculptor’s studio near Paris. Picasso admitted that this was the worst time of his life, began in June 1935. He had an affair with his son’s nurse seventeen-year old Marie-Thérèse who became pregnant with his child. His divorce from Olga was postponed many times as their wealth had become a target for lawyers. Personal financial crisis was in a period where he was supposed to be living in luxury. Picasso would use the bull, dying or snorting furiously and threatening both man and animal alike to his works. As Spanish, Picasso was fascinated by bullfights or “tauromachia”.

“Femme couchée lisant” dated 21, January 1939 is one of his contributions to Surrealism which many until today still find as one of his monstrous products.

Conclusion

Considering the many forms of art or movement that Pablo Picasso has adapted as his own, or as his influences in producing so many works, it can be credited that for many, he is not a great artist but a hard working artist who has gone through a lot of stages and adapted changes in order to reflect what may be popular during a period. He nevertheless has shown his original creativity mostly in his older paintings during or prior to the Blue Rose Period. Later, during the period of Surrealism, Picasso has mastered enough techniques and gained enough influence in his work as well as to his patrons or audience to come out with whatever he may want such as Femme couchée lisant and many more works which many will always contest as something not to take seriously of.

References

  1. Ades, Dawn, and Matthew Gale (2001). “Surrealism”, The Oxford Companion to Western Art. Ed. Hugh Brigstocke. Oxford University Press
  2. Art History Archive (2007). “” Web.
  3. Basel (2007). “Picasso surreal 1924–39”.
  4. Burlington Magazine, The (1973). “Fetch Me the Picasso File,” (Dditorial) Vol CXV (845). 489-492.
  5. Cowling, Elizabeth; Mundy, Jennifer (1990). On Classic Ground: Picasso, Léger, de Chirico and the New Classicism 1910-1930. London: Tate Gallery. ISBN
  6. O’Brian, Patrick (1994). Picasso: A Biography. New York: W. W. Norton, 14
  7. Rico, Pablo J. (2007). “.” Web.

Critical Analysis of Pablo Picasso Drawings

Introduction

The twentieth century brought not only unprecedented opportunities for artists (especially technical), but forced to abandon his habitual vision of the world. In the early century, science has reviewed much of the «hard» truths. Humanist values of the Renaissance and Enlightenment no longer serve as the support person. Now he had to protect them in the nightmare world wars, totalitarian regimes. The achievements of the past seemed irrelevant, and humanity left alone with a formidable and mysterious world, like in primitive times.

A Woman with a Fan (After Carnival)

Depicting his model Picasso simplifies and makes geometric every shape and size, seeing them as a geometric, enclosed in a body. A familiar perspective in the painting is missing and every detail of her shows as if there are multiple points of view.

The colored variant of the picture entirely is appropriate to the goal. Color stresses characteristic structure of each form, it becomes conditional, like «wooden». Obviously, this has affected the influence of African sculpture exhibition in Paris, which has played a major role in the emergence of Cubism (Kelley, 2002).

Picture in picture is pointedly accentuated because its mission is to provide every closed volume and the overall silhouette. Chiaroscuro clearly underlines the heavy tilt of the head of woman with force based on the knee hand, mechanically raised the second hand with the fan. So a combination of geometric forms and movements arise woman, tired and sad, in an armchair. Cubistic works by Picasso are is always emotional, that their allocated among the works of other artists of this area.

The theme of woman was always popular among the people who deal with art, among the poets and among the artists. The soul of woman is considered to be the most interesting and unknown area of artistic research.

Absinthe-lover

The theme of a single woman at a cafe table appeared in art in Barcelona. In this picture, created in Paris, are rejected all the elements of Impressionism. The painting is like a stained-glass window is a lot of dark flexible circuit, covering large color plans. Cafe at the Picasso is homeless shelter. For Yvette Gilber, the singer, perpetuated by Toulouse-Lautrec, there is a description of such cafe: «Here they are – these funny Comedy, eccentric dancers, singers that evening will amuse the crowd song, severity and apery and cause, maybe the envy of his carelessly and merry life; they are, pale, gaunt, with eyes tired, hungry, cold and sick, with the print of suffering and misery on his face. Every day they come to «Cafe De La Chartreuse» in the hope of obtaining engagement, run by impresario… There are many women. Pale in bright daylight, with tight and frozen smile on the lips, made up and powdered with the cheap powder, containing an eye, they too are waiting for any entrepreneur, the services they offer to the remnants of his lost voice and the outgoing youth (Kelley, 2002).

The boy with a dog

In winter of 1904-1905 Picasso worked on a huge canvas, depicting circus performers. The painting has repeatedly been rewritten. Now it is known as the major work of «pink» period (National Gallery, Washington). The figure of a boy is the sketch of the work.

It is very close to gouaches «Two acrobats with a dog» (Museum of Modern Art, New York), which is regarded as a direct response to the Baudelaire poem «Good Dogs»: «I praised dirty dog, poor dog, homeless dog, dog vagrant, comic dog, dog, whose instinct, like instinct poor, gypsies and street acrobat is surprising, this good mother, the patroness of the true reason».

If pre-cubic surface imitates the style of Picasso, rehearse some trivial ideas and aims to achieve a certain emotional effect, the new approach is keen analysis, identifying plastic properties of nature. The high level of conditionality in the works by Picasso is the result of all a greater understanding of the nature and plastic reflection. Whatever the intentions of the author, the result of the plastic analysis and subsequent fusion, concise design, in which he implements those figures and their models – specifically, an appropriate so that it is transforming the way the artist showed us is in the early 20 century in the center of art, literature, philosophy, ideology (Kelley, 2002).

In the early 20th century people and the world are subject to rethinking. In painting this is happening a little earlier than in life, which visibly and invisibly covered preparations for the total reorganization. Construction of a new human preceded the destruction of old: what it is – a set of basic parts, a universal repository.

In art, the final classical tradition, the most remarkable phenomenon, of course, is Picasso’s art. Unmistakable sense of boundaries, sharp as the feeling the gap, allows the incredible things, supposedly to demonstrate the absolute freedom and in doing so remain beyond the verge of separating art in its classic sense of its decay products – various kinds and forms, with the different properties and functions.

References

Kelley True, Pablo Picasso: Breaking All the Rules: Breaking All the Rules (Smart About Art), Grosset & Dunlap, 2002.

Lowery Linda , Porter Janice Lee , Pablo Picasso, Carolrhoda Books, 1999.

Salvador Ana , Draw with Pablo Picasso,r Frances Lincoln Children’s Books, 2008.

Ullmann HF,: Life and Work (Art in Focus (Konemann)), h.f. ullmann; 1 edition, 2008.

Pablo Picasso’s Painting Artworks

Pablo Picasso can be discussed as one of the unique artists of the twentieth century because his works represent different styles and approaches which are correlated with the periods of the artist’s development and his moods. Thus, the talent of Pablo Picasso can be discussed as rather diverse because this person is known not only as a prominent sculptor and a painter but also as a printmaker, a stage designer, a ceramicist, and even as a poet. As a result, Picasso’s works reflect all the changes in the artist’s vision of style and meaning. The most common periods in Picasso’s artistic career include the Blue Period (1901-1904), the Rose Period (1904 – 1906), the African Period (1907-1909), the Analytic Cubism Period (1909 – 1912), and the Synthetic Cubism Period (1912-1919), and the works painted during these periods are extremely different in their forms, styles, and color schemes (Dantini, 2008, p. 102). To understand the variety and importance of Pablo Picasso’s contribution to the world art, it is necessary to focus on analyzing such artist’s famous works as Boy with a Pipe (1905), Guernica (1937), and The Weeping Woman (1937).

The Critique of the Artworks

Throughout his artistic career, Picasso was the highly flexible, dynamic, and versatile artist who was oriented to find new paths about manipulating various styles, forms, and colors (Dantini, 2008, p. 102). From this point, Picasso developed his talent while trying to work within many art styles, and he demonstrated the impressive results while concentrating on different movements and artistic approaches (Walther, 2000, p. 67-68). Boy with a Pipe (1905) is Picasso’s painting which belongs to the Rose Period, and it represents the period’s main features and characteristics. During the period, Picasso focuses on painting many people in pink, orange, in red colors (Walther, 2000, p. 67).

The shapes and forms are depicted close to reality, and the paintings of this period are characterized by the depiction of the real-world objects accentuate with the help of pink colors. The boy from the painting is depicted while holding a pipe and having the wreath of flowers over his head. The boy’s blue clothes and the red background are in contrast, and this contrast helps to emphasize the boy’s features more clearly. It is important to note that during this period, Picasso focuses on using the colors to express his ideas and reflect the inner world and emotions of the depicted persons and the artist (Walther, 2000, p. 67-68). The colors used by Picasso not only add to the work’s aesthetic value but also help to reveal the work’s unique message.

Boy with a Pipe (1905)

Boy with a Pipe (1905)One of the most famous works painted by Picasso is Guernica (1937), which was painted by the artist as his response to dramatic bombings in Guernica. Thus, the artwork presents the sufferings of many people and animals who became victims of violence. Picasso painted Guernica in grey, black, and white colors to accentuate the dramatic nature of the event. The tones of the grey, blue-grey, and black colors change in their intensity to provide a significant dramatic effect on the audience. The painting is rather symbolic, and all the depicted figures demonstrate their opposition and suffering about the event. The shapes and forms typical for Cubism are chosen to accentuate their interrelations and symbolic meanings. Thus, the viewer can pay attention to the unique shifts from one form to another and from one color to another, and these shifts are used to emphasize the flow of the artist’s thoughts represented on canvas (Serres, 2010, p. 25). It is rather difficult to interpret the meaning of the painting, and the viewers are inclined to discuss possible interpretations with references to the analysis of the presented symbols of the bull and the horse.

Guernica (1937)

Guernica (1937)Guernica is also discussed as one of the most influential works painted by Picasso because it was followed by the series of the other artworks associated with Guernica such as The Weeping Woman (1937). In spite of the fact that The Weeping Woman is painted in vivid colors different from the color used in Guernica, this painting repeats Guernica about the theme. The represented weeping woman seems to suffer because of the tragedy of the war. However, many interpreters are inclined to discuss the image of the weeping woman as symbolizing the idea of suffering in all its meanings. It is important to pay attention to the fact that Picasso changed the color scheme and shapes presented in the painting during many years, and the theme of the weeping woman was also repeated in the artist’s other works (Rubin & Armstrong, 2012, p. 89-92). Furthermore, The Weeping Woman can be discussed as the most typical example of the artist’s approach to Cubism with its emphasis on the unique forms and lines, interrelated symbols, and bright colors. Although the background and dominating colors used in the painting are rather vivid, the central element of the painting is depicted in grey to represent the woman’s grief.

The Weeping Woman (1937)
The Weeping Woman (1937)

Pablo Picasso’s works can intrigue and surprise the viewer if they are examined in perspective and with focusing on different periods because they differ from each other significantly. However, the artist’s style can be noticed with references to the paintings’ messages which are repeated in many works as the reflections of the artist’s ideas.

Conclusion

Pablo Picasso is among the most reputable artists of the twentieth century whose works attract the audience’s attention during the decades. Today, Picasso is recognized as one of the major contributors to art development in the twentieth century. I can state that the uniqueness of Picasso’s talent is in the artist’s ability to shift from one artistic approach to another without any difficulties. Thus, Picasso’s paintings belonging to the early periods of his work are characterized by the focus on depicting the real objects in their variety.

On the contrary, Picasso’s latest works are influenced by Cubism, and they differ greatly from the previous rather traditional works painted to reflect the artist’s emotions. With this great stylistic versatility, Picasso demonstrates his ability to practice various styles of art in any form. That is why Picasso’s artistic heritage is rather diverse about style. Interestingly, Picasso is persuasive in any followed manner because of the artist’s talent and ability to paint out of his imagination and memory. I can state that I am interested in Picasso’s works because the artist was inclined to depict the objects, persons, and situations which were extremely significant for his life.

References

Dantini, M. (2008). Modern and contemporary art. New York City, NY: Sterling Publishers.

Rubin, W., & Armstrong, M. (2012). The William S. Paley Collection: A Taste for Modernism. USA: The Museum of Modern Art.

Serres, A. (2010). And Picasso painted Guernica. USA: Allen & Unwin.

Walther, I. (2000). Picasso. USA: Taschen.

Critique of the Exhibition of Pablo Picasso’s Works

Introduction

Speaking on the topic of Arts, it would be relevant to suggest the exhibition of Pablo Picasso’s works running at National Gallery of Art, as an object of the discussion and critique. This exhibition is indeed worth attention, as the creator of the paintings provided there, Pablo Picasso’s, made a great impact in foundation of the modern art

While looking at Picasso’s works, there is no doubt that, while creating them, he had used complex approach and found innovative art solutions. It is significant that subject of his masterpieces is surprisingly deep. The value of the exhibition is great because it can be regarded as an exhaustive description and representation of Pablo Picasso’s art before cubism art period. This exhibition presents periods since artist’s academic and realist works that are related to his youth path till his brilliant stylistic peaces of the late 1906.

Main body

The exhibition is divided into four periods corresponding to certain life and work circumstances of Pablo Picasso. Those periods are: early youth, modernism in Barcelona and Paris, the Blue Period, the Saltimbanque, Gosol and after. It might be suggested to analyze and describe Picasso’s works in accordance with those periods (concluding with Blue Period) with the view to understand better the motives, feelings that the artist experienced while creating them and, thus, undertake the message send to public through this masterpieces.

Pablo Picasso’s Work

Here might be viewed Picasso’s “Study of a Torso” (original place of the exhibit: 1894-1895, Musee Picasso/Picasso Museum, Paris, France, also known as “After a Plaster Cast”; drawing, charcoal on paper) – one of the early drawings in the formative work style that dates to the youth period. While studying in Barcelona and Madrid art schools through 1890’s, the artist was working with live athletic models and various Greek and Roman sculptures available in the art academies.

This early painting classicism style may be evaluated as an important step in Picasso’s creative work and career, as it would serve as the as the mediator for some of his famous original work. While looking at it, the viewer might have a feeling of beauty admiration and aesthetic satisfaction, but at the same time, one may feel the presence of violence (this is very common for the works of the Renaissance period).

The drawing, done on paper with charcoal, shows the torso that had lost its head and all of its limbs owned by each human being. Pablo Picasso’s drawing savors the deep and well comprehend pattern of muscle that is constrained by the unavoidable violence. He enhanced effect by using shades masterly. In order to display torso’s beauty, the artist forced the body into a vivid pose.

Being a student, Pablo Picasso was also interested in the representation of different subjects and portraiture using less idealized manner then in his classicism style’s works. The young artist was greatly impressed by local cites and objects of the places that he visited. He was really inspirited by the figures of an old Malaga’s sailor called Salmeron, therefore, he expressed his emotions in the portrait of this sailor – “The Old Fisherman” (original place of exhibit: 1895, Museu de Montserrat/Montserrat Museum, Barcelona, also known as “Salmeron”; canvas, oil painting). This painting creates the feeling of freedom and indestructible spirit.

Picasso’s art was also affected by his studies of Velazquez’s and Ribera’s works, who were famous old Spanish masters. This led young artist to create several large – scale pieces on the allegorical and religious topics. The happiness and carefree manner of the young artist’s life reflected in his playful “Self – Portrait in a Wig” (original location of the exhibit: 1896, Museu de Montserrat/Montserrat Museum, Barcelona, canvas, oil painting), where Picasso makes a joke describing himself as a Spanish noble of the eighteenth century, and, indeed, this portrait makes most of the viewers to laugh. Meeting with another Spanish artist El Greco influenced Picasso’s work style. It might be traced that in a few years as the mannerisms would hold an important place in Picasso’s creative work.

Pablo Picasso’s Work

Following this, it is necessary to pass to the Pablo Picasso’s modernism in Barcelona and Paris. Here might be observed that in his “Sabartes Seated” (original place of the exhibit: 1900, Museu Picasso/Picasso Museum, Barcelona, also known as “Portrait de Jaume Sabartes”; charcoal and watercolor on paper) created in Barcelona, the artist uses entirely different style fro his previous works. Here might be viewed sinuate contour lines, rather simplified shapes, and not natural artificial colors.

The artist created two-dimensional spatial on the paper. He depicted mass constricted forms tied together in the frame of a closed outline. There also can be observed deformations determined by the absence of spatial perspective. Such deformations were used by Picasso with the view to concentrate the attention on the flexible hand without wrist that was holding the beer glass. The artist used just sober colors. The jacket of a man is dark blue concerning a blue background; Sabartes’ hair is dim brown; the glass is depicted in gray color.

This work creates the atmosphere of challenge and disobedience to the official rules. Picasso was inspired by the ideas of his new friends – young avant-garde artists and writers, who started decadents’ movement and established Modernism. Pablo Picasso’s work style was influenced greatly by famous French artists – Theophile Steinlen and Toulouse – Lautrec.

The artist was greatly impressed with life and fate of urban poor, political anarchy of that period and their social causes. Significantly, themes from the street life of Barcelona and Paris would become frequent subjects of Picasso’s work.

Pablo Picasso’s Work

And now, might be viewed the Blue Period’s “The Old Guitarist” (original place of exhibit: 1903, Art Institute of Chicago, Illinois; canvas, oil painting) portrayed in dark corner of a poor neighborhood. This work is permeated with the artist’s melancholy or despair caused by the suicide of his close friend – Casagemas. In order to express his feelings, Picasso used solemn and dark plots; he adopted a palette of blue shades that represented the condition of his soul.

The artist emphasized the socially outcaste and poor guitarist poverty. He masterly expressed this by surrounding the man’s figure with a dark blue and black outline. Using this technique the artist tried to ‘cut’ this beggar off from his surrounding. The guitarist is locked and squeezed within the canvas, so there is no chance for him to raise his lowered head. With the help of this, Picasso revealed old man’s helplessness: the guitarist is locked within the frame of the painting, same as he is locked by his poverty and social outcast position.

The associations of despair and melancholy affected Picasso’s subject matter, the message of the artist soul that seeks for answer. In the search of this answer, Pablo Picasso depicted suffering of poor people, fate of prostitutes and their children; he represented to public the hopelessness and disparity by the work that showed Paris’ prison for women – Saint – Lazare.

Conclusion

It would be relevant to finish the description and the analysis of the exhibition on the Picasso’s Blue Period works, as they might be considered as a peak of his creative work. This might be proved by the assumption under which, the artist can fully recover his talents only through the sorrow, when his soul seeks for answer and he shares his feelings and emotions with others though his work trying to send a message to the public, and this message consists of the truth that the artist undertakes by understanding the means of the suffrage.

Works Cited

Blunt, Anthony, and Phoebe Pool. Picasso, the Formative Years: A Study of His Sources. New York: Graphic Society, 2002.

Geiser, Bernhard, and Pablo Picasso. Picasso: Fifty-Five Years of His Graphic Work. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 2005.

Larrea, Juan. Guernica, Pablo Picasso. Trans. Alexander H. Krappe. Ed. Walter Pach. New York: Curt Valentin, 1997.

Picasso’s Guernica and Conrad Bo’s Artworks

Picasso and Bo

Art evolves, along with the society and new forms and styles appear. At the same time, it is obvious that contemporary painters tend to start a discourse with artists of the past. They often use techniques developed earlier and transform them to apply them to the reality which has changed. Art is a reflection of the society people lives in. Admittedly, there are eternal topics such as life and death. Nonetheless, even these eternal issues are depicted differently in different periods. For instance, it is possible to compare a modernist artwork and work pertaining to contemporary art to identify the discourse and the way the society has evolved. Picasso’s Guernica and one of works by Conrad Bo can be analysed to achieve this goal.

The Form

In the first place, it is necessary to focus on the form. Picasso’s work is completed in symbolism with elements of the cubist style (Martin 2014). The media is oil on canvas. Black and grey colours prevail. Notably, Picasso is one of the most potent representatives of the styles mentioned above (Franck 2007). These styles were seen as revolutionary at the time of their creation. They were aimed at transforming art forms as well as the entire society. The artist contributed greatly to the development of these genres and had a great impact on many artists.

Conrad Bo is one of the people as he is also associated with a new style in art. He is the founder of the Superstroke style. He is also a member of the corresponding movement In the manifesto for Superstroke, it is noted that painters should use “violent brushstrokes”, such colours as black and white should prevail, such topics as death and life are central (“Primary Influences of Superstroke” 2009, n.p.). Remarkably, the painter stresses that he was largely influenced by Picasso, and he even coined a term for a style within Superstroke, Picassofication (“Picassofication in Superstroke” n.d.). Bo’s depiction of a man holding a weapon is created in this genre (“Untitled” n.d.). Grey, black and blue colours prevail in the painting. As stated in the manifesto, brushstrokes are violent. It is possible to note that Guernica and Bo’s Untitled are quite similar in form as the two paintings bear traces of cubism and symbolism.

The Theme

However, the works have much in common when it comes to the theme of the paintings. Thus, Picasso’s Guernica is his reaction to the bombing of a Spanish city by the German (Pooke and Newall 2014). The artists revealed the horrors of the war and the greed of the military. Bo also explores the idea of war and death by depicting a soldier in such a symbolic way. The face and the very figure of the soldier are distorted to stress the wrongs of violence. The weapon takes up the central position in the artwork.

It is necessary to note that the political situations in the world in the 1930s and in 2000s have much in common. The 1930s was the time when violence was legitimised, and it seems that people can do nothing to diminish this wrong in the 2000s. Creating the works on war, the artists try to make people think of the horrible outcomes of any violence. It is noteworthy that lots of modernist works had an idea of art autonomy. However, Picasso’s Guernica is one of the works which were created to appeal to people and reveal the reality focusing on its horrors.

The Way Society is Evolving

On balance, it is possible to note that the two works analysed to reveal the way the society has been evolving. Clearly, there are hardly any changes. There are still wars and violence. The military people are still greedy in their search of power. The artists show that people have not learnt even though they have had a variety of lessons. The two works can also be regarded as an illustration of the way art and society are entangled. There is an on-going discourse among artists who influence each other and develop new styles. There is also a lasting debate on eternal issues which are yet to be resolved.

Reference List

Franck, Dan. Bohemian Paris: Picasso, Modigliani, Matisse, and the Birth of Modern Art. London: Grove Press, 2007.

Martin, Steve. “That Goddam Surface.” In Jackson Pollock’s Mural: The Transitional Moment, edited by Yvonne Szafran, Laura Rivers, Alan Phenix, Thomas Learner, Ellen G. Landau, and Steve Martin, 1-4. Los Angeles, CA: Getty Publications, 2014.

n.d. Web.

Pooke, Grant and Diana Newall. Art History: The Basics. Oxon: Routledge, 2014.

Web.

n.d. Web.

Pablo Picasso’s Art Modernism

Introduction

Modernism can be broadly defined as comprising of modern wider thoughts, practices and modern characters. It is a description of the modernist movement set up by tendencies in culture and movements within the culture it originated from resulting in changes which are far reaching especially in the European and western society in the late 19th and early 20th century. Modernism was a revolution against the conservative nature of realism which was the highest paradigmatic motive reason for the rejection of the traditional ways and their reprise.

This led to the incorporation of revision, rewriting, recapitulating and parody in new forms. It generally rejected the belief and the certainty in enlightenment thinking with a consequent rejection in the belief of the existence of a powerful and most compassionate creator-God. Modernity encompasses the thoughts of those who believed in the daily activities of traditional literature i.e. they believed that literature, architecture ,forms of art, social organization and daily life were growing outdated and out of favor in the new socio economic and political society that was fully industrialized and had experienced an advancement in technology.

Pablo Picasso Les Demoiselles d Avignon 1907

Les Demoiselles d’Avignon meaning the Young Ladies of Avignon and which was originally titled the brothels of Avignon is a large oil painting done in 1907 by a Spanish painter called Pablo Picasso. This artistic work portrays five nude prostitutes on a carrier in a brothel in the city of Barcelona.

Each of the figures has a portrayal of a confrontational state and none of them portrays feminine characters as they show figures which are disjointed and menacing. Two have faces with African characters and the other three seem of Iberian origin as the case with Pablo Picasso. In this work, Picasso makes a radical change from the traditional way of painting in the European environment. He adopts abandonment of perspective and uses primitivism in favor of a flat and plane two dimensional formats.

The creation of this work led to an artistic scandal because from the appearance of the drawing, one could see it as a group of naked women involved in some kind of gathering or assembly. The name of the work represents a street in Barcelona called d’Avignon which was famous and notorious for brothels. In this work, Picasso distorts the human form ridding it of the soul, concern and emotion but he portrays what happens in these brothels which make human lose their integrity, personality and privacy behaving as if completely naked and used by the society without any form of care.

This work has rugged, jagged and sharp edges portraying the women as rough. Their skins are of African and Iberian origin and seem uncared for in the ways women especially prostitutes care for their bodies. The color of the surrounding and the women seem so unnatural and unappealing indicating the aggressiveness of the characters.

Through the use of character distortion, this work of Picasso began the artistic revolution. Both the characters and the paintings composition give feelings of discomfort to the viewers. Since this work has no audience or by-stander in the composition, Picasso allows the viewer to perform the duty of the client in the brothel; a position that will actually lead to disturbance of the client down to his core.

How the prostitutes glare is accusatory and stoic leading to piercing of the viewer’s moral fiber forcing the viewer to endure their glares. He embraced and encouraged discomfort and hesitation which related hand in hand in the Les demoiselles d’Avignon. Mentioning of sexual encounters was a taboo and this leads to the artist folding the canvas and hiding it from the public glare, by tackling this sensitive area in visual art the work became so revolutionary that it remains relevant today, though hundreds of years later.

Picasso tried to move from realist literature and introduced technological and advanced concepts such as disjointed timeline in the early eras of modernism. During this time duration, post-world war, one the metanarratives were becoming irrelevant due to the increasing rise of discontent, rise of trade unionism and the birth of psychoanalysis. This led to the birth of a unifying factor due to the growth in politics and the rise of democracy.

La Grande Jatte is holding an exquisite balance of innovation and tradition, a sense of transition and momentary, solemnity and wit. In this work, we arrive at appreciation of unforgettable imagination. Piere Augustine Renoir painted high quality and leading crafts however, he developed a style called impressionalist. He celebrates beauty with specialty to feminine sensuality. Seurat’s work is pointillism in that he uses a large number of characters in a single work giving each individual some task like the painting of a Sunday outing on the island. Renoir has a desire to capture a single event like individuals leading to dwelling on beauty and the feminine sensuality.

Conclusion

Picasso uses contemporary modes of drawing which depicts the traditional ways but passes across the information to the society, his rough and jagged edged paintings pass the message of the recklessness of the society towards the prostitutes and the rugged background is a sign of the uncaring nature of the society to the environment of prostitutes. Both the work of art and the creativity of Seurat and Renoir are appealing and highly creative. The paintings of Renoir are not merely pretty and superficial but he has introduced intellectuality as compensation. Seurat uses color and technique i.e. employing the use of dots; from his works it is clear that he never followed common theories. He equally controlled surface painting and used aerial perspective.

Cultures and Emotions in Picasso’s Artworks

Picasso’s Primitivism

Picasso’s primitivism was existing in several stages such as young Picasso’s drawings, which are represented by the influence of Gauguin and Iberian traditions, culture, and sculptures, Africanism (Blue and Rose periods), Cubism, and Analytic Cubism, which involved a high level of complexity and philosophical sense in the portrayal of the objects and figures. Nevertheless, the first stage, which is mentioned above, does not count as the primary one since it covers the beginning of Picasso’s style of the artist and his ability to express his ideas and feelings by emphatically referring to Iberian culture and being inspired by Gauguin paintings and ability to use the color pallet. As for the knowledge of African/Oceanic traditions and geographical location of these ethnicities, Picasso and his friends lacked the clear understanding of the African culture, often referred to it as Egyptian tradition and basics of human portrayal, and understood it as being magical, exotics, fetishistic, alien, and foreign. Nonetheless, Picasso had a tendency to deny the influence of the African culture in his paintings, and It could be said that the primary reason for the denial of the African tradition is the fact that Picasso implied that he wanted to underline his interest in the Iberian tradition, and did not wish to show that his works were highly inspired by the foreign culture due to political and patriotic influences.

Masks and figures referring to the composition of demoiselles on the Picasso’s works

There are several masks and figures, which Rubin cites to refer to the composition of demoiselles on the Picasso’s works, such as mask from Etounbi region (People’s Republic of Congo), mask Dan (Ivory Coast or Liberia), Susu mask (Guinea), figure Teke (People’s Republic of Congo), mask Grebo (Ivory Coast or Liberia), figure Baga (Guinea), figure Tiki (Marquesas Islands), fan handles (Marquesas Islands), mask Fang, head Fang (Gabon or Equatorial Guinea), reliquary figure Fang (Gabon or Equatorial Guinea), and the majority of the figures and masks appeared in France and Belgium in 1890-1900s. As for the establishment of the differences between affinity and influence, in this case, Rubin implies that affinity is not a direct influencer but a combination of various dogmas, traditions, and symbols, which contribute to the portrayal of the already existing object. As for the influencers, it could be said that in this case, Rubin presents various masks and figures to show Picasso’s ability to get inspired by already existing objects by examining them and discovering their features in detail.

Expression of emotional state with the help of paintings, drawings and sculptures by Picasso

It could be said that Picasso and Basque learned that the portrayal of objects and figures could be more complex, involve sophisticated meaning and higher plasticity, encourage encoding of the meaning and usage of various material, and express the analytical ideas through the simplicity of shape and a combination of dissimilar objects. It is evident that the tribal objects involved simplicity, but in this case, the portrait of Olga suggested usage of the particular objects, as they were associated with her personality. In could be said that the Picasso’s painting in the analytical Cubism phase involved more feelings and help him express his attitude towards Olga and Marie-Terese, as they were playing significant roles in his life by affecting his personality, way of thinking, perceptions of life, and changing his understanding of the importance of various aspects of the world and ability to express his emotional state with the assistance of paintings, drawings, and sculpture.

Modernism in the Eyes of Picasso

Beginning roughly at the turn of the previous century, social structures throughout the world were undergoing tremendous change and adjustment. In the Westernized cultures, industry and technology were booming, contributing to the growth of cities at the same time that it was producing various devices that made life in the home easier and more comfortable at more affordable rates, thus birthing the consumer culture. In America, the northern cities expanded with young people and black people seeking higher wages than what could be earned on the farms while the southern farms still struggled in the aftermath of the Civil War.

Throughout the first half of the twentieth century, every aspect of society was transformed by the inventions of the age. “Americans were becoming more diverse, more urban, and more mobile” (“America”, 2006) in action that mimicked what was happening in other nations such as England and France. In this rapidly changing climate, social norms were questioned as large groups of workers came together to earn larger wages within a single location rather than struggle to grow crops out on the farm. This coming together of workers gave rise to the middle class, bringing the women in from the fields and into the homes. The social changes that were taking place necessitated a new system of philosophy to understand it and a new mode of art to express it. To understand how the art of the period, such as that produced by Pablo Picasso, helped to express the more significant ideas of the period, it is necessary to first understand what some of these ideas were.

The concepts of Modernism can be broadly defined as the group of studies investigating the social processes that organize the society we live in while recognizing that this world is in a constant state of flux. Modernist ideas tend to insist that everything can be classified into sharply defined categories and definitions. “Modernity is a project and not only a period, and it is, or was a project of control, the rational mastery over nature, the planning, designing and plotting which led to planomania and technocracy” (Beilharz, 2001: 6). The main question of modernism was the search for the universal truths of the universe, which was believed to be achievable by breaking down elements into smaller elements. Through this process, the world was fragmented into several parts. Clean lines and distinct boundaries were sought as a means of discovering these universal truths. The driving force behind this search was to canonize the discovered universal truths as a means of distilling messages into communications that would apply to all cultures, individuals, and periods. The foundation upon which the theory rested was economic, political, and scientific rationalization (Mourad, 1997). Economic rationalization refers to the process of harnessing the forces of nature within the control of intellectual processes through greater understanding. Political rationalization refers to a similar control of the governing bodies and value systems to bring about a ‘correct’ society. Scientific rationalization held that there was an objective truth that could be discovered through the application of the scientific method (Mourad, 1997). As these concepts were considered to ever greater degrees, they would eventually start to collapse upon each other, giving birth to the Postmodern movement.

As these investigations suggest, it was generally felt that the content of an image could be distinguished from the form of the image, a concept that can also be understood as the sublime and the visual. While the sublime, or the content, of the image, cannot take on a specific universal visual form, the visual form of the image is discovered to be inextricably connected to the content. Even when the artist does not intend any intrinsic

meaning in the forms that he uses, the fact remains that all artistic expression exists in an interactive environment, meaning that the individual within the audience will have their own associations and meanings ascribed to the forms they view in the image. One of the more famous theorists on these ideas is Marshall Berman, who describes modernism as “a mode of vital experience—experience of space and time, of the self and others, of life’s possibilities and perils—that is shared by men and women all over the world today. I will call this body of experience ‘modernity’” (Berman, 1982). The term refers to all the social changes that are constantly occurring in this time period, the way that people experience these changes and the way that the changes are reflected in different circles, such as in the artistic realm. “To be modern is to live a life of paradox and contradiction. It is to be overpowered by the immense bureaucratic organizations that have the power to control and often to destroy all communities, values, lives; and yet to be undeterred in our determination to face these forces, to fight to change their world and make it our own. It is to be both revolutionary and conservative: alive to new possibilities for experience and adventure, frightened by the nihilistic depths to which so many modern adventures lead” (Berman, 1982). For Berman, the contradictions of modernity are characterized by a tendency to order space and time while simultaneously promoting their ruination and failure.

Another way of illustrating this concept of the modern as both ordered and disordered is in its expression through influential artists of the time period, such as Pablo Picasso. Artists working during this period dedicated themselves to the depiction of human emotions as discovered through the colors and lines of their work rather than through the symbols and forms of the photograph and the machine age. In doing so, these artists were attempting to dig deep into the feeling of human experience as a means of discovering the true reality of what being human meant; in other words, to express the sublime. Lyotard (1984) describes this process as an attempt “to make visible that there is something which can be conceived and which can neither be seen nor made visible” (78). This sublime element is brought out as the viewer’s imagination becomes engaged with the various elements that remain visible or understandable. For artists like Picasso, the sublime element was recaptured to the highest degree through the sense of wonder and imagination typically found through the focus on ‘primitive’ geometric forms. As these forms were explored, the fallacy of the concept of a universal truth became increasingly obvious. However, as artists concentrated on the essence of the experience of the art and its creation instead of the symbolic form, they discovered that emotions were generally felt the same universally even when technical elements such as symbols, shapes or colors were understood differently by different cultures. This meant that the process of triggering an emotional response could be approached in the same way almost universally even though the forms might need to be changed.

Pablo Picasso was inspired in his approach by the works of French impressionist painter Paul Cezanne and the pointillist painter Georges Seurat. Other influences include the intellectual works of the Fauves and African primitive art. Within his work, Picasso continued to focus on the picture plane by breaking up images into fractals. His works were characteristic of the modern abstractionists in that they focused on presenting graphic representations of emotions while freeing himself from the true representation of objects. In his paintings “Figures on Beach” (1931), for example, each figure is presented by Picasso as an abstract collection of geometric shapes. These shapes are arranged to suggest the specific emotions and feelings his figures are experiencing as they participate in their activity. His use of color is intended to convey the emotions of the moment just as the relative nature of the lines establishes the relative strength of the feelings. Picasso also strives to portray motion or action in his art by depicting more than one viewpoint at a time on the same picture plane.

In “Figures on Beach” (1931), the idea of movement is depicted through Picasso’s placement of the eyes and nostrils of the figures in various places, as if their faces are moving all around. Picasso also seems to have placed the woman’s breasts in random places to make them more accessible and interesting. There is a confusion of body parts in which the arms and legs become almost interchangeable and reflects the idea that the people are entangled in a passionate, active, moving embrace. The only truly recognizable shape discovered in the painting is the shaded upper thigh and buttock of the woman, which thus automatically become the most stable element of the scene to an eye seeking recognition. The two figures and the beach area are filled with warm but soft colors and gentle shading as a means of denoting a fully mature, loving embrace rather than the lurid pulsing tones one might associate with sudden uncontrolled passion. These concepts are reinforced by Picasso’s use of smooth curved lines and his general avoidance of any hard or sharp angles. The dominant warm tones used for the figures and the beach are cooled by the gently sloping blue ocean and sky found in the background. Excitement is introduced in the image with the triangular-topped white tower, introducing diagonals as a means of invoking energy as well as a pyramid to invoke a mathematical sense of stability.

In Picasso’s work, his use of colors and shapes are important in conveying the emotional content that is the subject of this piece. However, these shapes are broken down into the most geometric shapes or primitive forms as a means of reaching the universal emotion. Solid blocks of color and careful attention to detail refine and define the impressions Picasso was struggling to convey, yet he was fully conscious of the Modern conception that his interpretations of color and form would forever be different from what others would discover within his work. While Picasso’s focus was an attempt to convey the emotions felt within his painting, he was not necessarily able to completely shut out references to his contemporary world as his entire approach was set by the Modernist movement that was sweeping his society.

References

“America After the Civil War.” (2006). Education. Albany, NY: Albany Institute of History and Art.

This source gives helpful information regarding the state of affairs of the world as the Modernist movement began. It is useful in discovering some of the shifting social ideals that characterized the movement.

Beilharz, Peter. (2001). The Bauman Reader. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers.

This source is a presentation of the ideas of Zygmunt Bauman in a condensed, easier to understand format. It covers Bauman’s thoughts regarding culture and intellectualism, ethics and morality and modernity and postmodernity.

Burgin, Victor. (1982). Thinking Photography. New Jersey: Humanities Press Intl.

This book presents many of Victor Burgin’s philosophies regarding the image and representation. He helps to make the concepts of modernism and the sublime understandable.

Lyotard, Jean-Francois. (1984). The Postmodern Condition: A Report on Knowledge. Trans. Geoff. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press.

In presenting his understanding of the concept of postmodernism, Lyotard helps to define Modernism as it was different from and introduced the concepts of postmodernism.

Mourad, R.P. (1997). “At the Forefront: Postmodern Interdisciplinarity.” The Review of Higher Education. Vol 29, N. 2, pp. 115-140.

Like Lyotard, Mourad helps to define the concepts of modernism by setting it off as something different from and antecedent to the concepts of postmodernity.

Picasso, Pablo. (1931). “Figures on Beach.” Oil on canvas. Online Picasso Project. Web.

This source is the visual image of Picasso’s painting discussed in the essay as it is presented on the internet. It provides the image as well as the technical details of the painting such as dimensions, media and ownership.

Reading Synopsis: Picasso’s Paintings

Picasso’s works from the early period, also known as the Blue and Rose period, can be characterized as melancholic and pessimistic because of the dark palette used in the paintings. The paintings also utilize dark colors to represent human misery. A further prominent work of Picasso (1906), Two Nudes, was inspired by Greek vase paintings. Les Demoiselles d’Avignon, one of the painter’s most famous works, represents a modernist approach to expressionist art and pictures three women similar to the women in Two Nudes in a simplified manner (Picasso, 1907). Experiments with simplifying object forms and contours resulted in the development of Picasso’s Cubist style.

Picasso’s paintings during the analytic Cubism period often explore different themes through sculptural modeling and deconstruction of the objects. On the other hand, works from the synthetic Cubism period resemble collages or collections of pieces that form a single object. Many of Picasso’s Cubism focus on the concept of the sculptural ensemble. Some of the sculptors who also explored the complexity of sculptural ensembles included Archipenko, Duchamp-Villon, Lipchitz, and Laurens. After the war, Picasso developed an interest in sculpture and produced many experimental constructions from metal and clay.

Other significant figures in the history of Modernism include:

  • Julio Gonzalez, the pioneer of modern iron sculpture;
  • Constantin Brancusi created elemental sculptures with basic forms;
  • Juan Gris, famous for his complex and refined Cubism paintings;
  • Albert Gleizes, a Cubism painter used a signature color palette of green, yellow, and red;
  • Giacomo Balla, Italian Futurism painter;
  • Umberto Boccioni, a Futurism sculptor and painter who encouraged the use of different materials such as glass, leather, and mirrors in sculptures;
  • Fernand Leger centered his painting on the theme of humanity and industrial society;
  • Alfred Stieglitz and Edward Steichen, who owned the 291 galleries of modern paintings and sculpture;
  • Georgia O’Keeffe, a famous American abstract painter;
  • Piet Mondrian, developed a technique of expressing dynamic movements through plastic art and the simplification of colors.

Color and form in modern art can be associated with two prominent movements, Synchronism and Precisionism. Synchronism is based on the principles of color theory introduced by Chevreul, Rood, and Blanc. On the other hand, Precisionism prioritizes using of geometric forms and sharp details. Lastly, Russia significantly impacted Modernism; in particular, works by Kazimir Malevich and Vasily Kandinsky present valuable examples of the interpretation of Western experiments with abstraction and construction in art.

References

Picasso, P. (1907). [painting]. MoMa, New York, NY, United States. Web.

Picasso, P. (1906). [painting]. MoMa, New York, NY, United States. Web.