Women in 19th Century and Modern Art

         Art has always been a popular medium to express personal feelings as 
well as reflect the views of comtemporary society.  One recurring theme that 
always seems to be a popular subject is the portrayal of women and gender roles. 
The exhibition Angels and Tomboys at the Newark Museum showcased 19th century 
American works involving the depictions of girls during the time period. This 
post will discuss the work Making a Train by Seymour Joseph Guy from the 
exhibit and and compare it to a modernist painting by Pablo Picasso, Two 
Nudes.

Seymour Joseph Guy, Making a Train. 1867

         Seymour Joseph Guy's Making a Train is a 19th century American realist 
painting.  The work depicts a young girl who is becoming aware of her sexuality. 
She wears her clothing in a sensual manner imitating a dress worn by a refined 
young lady.  Her posture also reflects a more mature and elegant pose as she 
tilts her head softly downward while gently holding the drapery of her clothing 
over her legs.  The light emmited from the lamp highlights the innocence of 
childhood.  This is contrasted with the shadows formed on her body representing 
her growth into a young lady.  The cabinet on the left of the painting hides a 
lone doll representing her abandonement of childhood innocence for the glamour 
of adulthood.  The theme of childhood was popular during this era of American 
painting.

Pablo Picasso, Two Nudes. 1906

Pablo Picasso's Two Nudes shows two women in a seemingly adoring gaze 
with one another.  However, it can also be interpreted as an adoration of the 
self and one's own sexuality.  The two figures are drawn very bulky and 
distorted perhaps to serve as a metaphor of the figure's distancing from reality 
and preoccupation with her own world and sensuality.  The angular style of 
painting the figures is representative of Picasso's post Rose period way of 
illustrating the body.
The similarities between the two paintings can be seen with their 
depiction of sexuality.  The girl in Guy's Making a Train is adoring her own 
sexuality and beauty.  The left figure in Picasso's Two Nudes is also adoring 
her own sexuality by openly posing nude.  The figures in both works also tilt 
their heads slightly downward to the right enhancing their sensual expressions.  
Both figures are also in a state of self-reflection.
The most notable difference between the two works can be seen in their 
style of painting.  Guy's work is painted in a realist manner with proportional 
forms and usage of chiaroscuro.  Picasso's work depicted the figures in a 
nonproportional sense with squat figures having flat faces and body structure.  
This style was during Picasso's transition into the Cubist style.  Another 
difference is the depiction of innocence.  The girl in Making a Train is 
beginning to understand her sexuality and thus is exposing only her upper body.  
This is contrasted by the figures in Two Nudes who are adult women standing 
fully naked with a confident grasp of their own sexuality.  Picasso's Two 
Nudes is a forerunner in Modernist style with its rejection of realist 
qualities for a focus on form and process rather than tradition.
The woman as a subject of art has always been popular.  Within the span 
of different art styles, one can always be assured that women will be portrayed 
in one way or another by contemporary artists.  Whether it is 19th century 
American painting or early 20th century modernist work, the subject of women and 
gender has always been touched upon and analyzed.

Angels and Tomboys at the Newark Museum:
http://www.newarkmuseum.org/angelsandtomboys.html

References:

Hunter, Sam, John Jacobus, and Daniel Wheeler. Modern Art. Third ed. New York: 

Prentice Hall, 2004. Print.

Newark Museum. Angels & Tomboys: Girlhood in 19th-Century American Art. Newark: 

Newark Museum, 2012.

Philadelphia Museum of Art. 

http://www.philamuseum.org/collections/permanent/102969.html?mulR=5884

Two Nudes. Picasso. http://icpbardmfa.wordpress.com/2009/11/29/race-sex-

identity/005-picasso-twonudes1906/

Images taken from Google images

A Woman's Worth

Throughout history, women have been seen as fragile, lesser beings that could contribute little to nothing to mankind. Because of this notion many intelligent women had to step aside and let the males take point. Art was not the exception to this gender stereotype, for many centuries women were portrayed only in very specific, sexist gender roles. But during the 18th century, female artists began to break the glass ceiling and gain recognition for their work, they decided to fight this sexist stereotype and to give women a more accurate and righteous place in art. These ideals began to spread and influence other artists to create compositions in which the female subjects were strong, charismatic, courageous and inspirational. Two such artists are the Mexican painter Frida Kahlo and the American painter Abbott Handerson Thayer.


Frida Kahlo was a Mexican surrealist artist whose work combines femininity, strength and endurance. At the young age of seventeen she was involved in a life threatening bus accident that left her bed ridden and in a full body cast for over a year. The aftermath of this accident brought her constant agonizing pain which she turned into inspiration for her paintings. An example of this is The Broken Column, painted in 1944. In this self portrait Kahlo depicts herself nude wearing back brace with a frontal vertical tare that extends from her neck to her lower abdomen exposing her spine, which has been replaced by a cracked column.Kahlo choses to use the column because a column is suppose to hold structures up, but in her case the column is on the verge of crumbling and is held up by the back brace. Also this is a  play on words because of the translation of the word spinal cord into Spanish is “columna vertebral” (vertebral column or column made of vertebrae). She has also placed several nails throughout her body to highlight pain in her body. Finally, the barren desert in the background represents her incapability to procreate. While most of the surrealists used art to express their dreams and objects from their unconscious mind, Kahlo used her paintings to illustrate her pain and how she saw herself.


Frida Kahlo is an example of what true female strength is like. Where some men would have succumbed to the pain, used it as a crutch, or let it ruin the rest of their lives, Kahlo over comes it. She uses her pain and suffering to her advantage and becomes one of the most recognized women in history. While Frida Kahlo used her paintings to show that women are just as strong, if not stronger, than man, another artist, Abbott Handerson Thayer, used his to show how important women are to men.


Abbott Handerson Thayer was an American artist who drew his inspiration from the absence and loss of the love of his life, his wife, Kate, who died of tuberculosis. Like most men, Thayer sought recognition for his work and accomplishments, which he found in his children and his number one fan Kate, his wife whom he adored. Thayer used his own children as models in his paintings, in Angel, painted in 1887,  he depicts his oldest daughter, Mary, as a pale angel with open wings and a distant gaze. The making of this art piece coincides with the beginning of his wife’s illness, which is reflected in many aspects of this painting, such as the pale skin and the distant gaze given to his healthy daughter. It is also believe that Mary is suppose to represent Kate, whom was so important to Thayer that he consider her god-like. Finally, another theory is that Mary is suppose to represent the angel of death (name given to tuberculosis during the 19th century) which is coming to take Kate away. With his paintings Thayer tells the world that women are more than mere mortals, that they are capable to making or breaking a man and they deserve our love, adulation and respect.

Frida Kahlo and Abbott Handerson Thayer were both great painters that used their paintings to show the true power that women hold, how amazing they are and how much influence they can have in the world. Both artists use their pain as inspiration for these two paintings, however the sitters are represented very differently. In Kahlo’s “The Broken Column” her pain is very obvious, while in Handerson Thayer’s “Angel” his pain is masked by the beauty of the sitter. Both artists convey a different message about women through their paintings; Frida Kahlo shows that woman are much stronger than they are thought be, and Handerson Thayer shows women as god-like creatures.



Carpenter, Elizabeth, Hayden Herrera, and Victor Zamudio-Taylor. Frida Kahlo. New York: Distribute Art, 2008. Print.

Hunter, Sam, John Jacobus, and Daniel Wheeler. Modern Art. Third ed. New York: Prentice Hall, 2004. Print.

“Angles & Tomboys: Girlhood in 19th-Century American Art.”  Newark Museum. 49 Washington Street, Newark, NJ 07102. 23 Nov. 2012.

Kleiner, Fred S., Christin J. Mamiya, Richard G. Tansey, and Helen Gardner. Gardner’s Art through the Ages. 13th ed. Vol. II. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, 2004. Print.

Janson, H. W., Joseph Jacobs, and H. W. Janson. Janson’s History of Art: The Western Tradition. Upper Saddle, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2009. Print

Melancholia and the Loss of Innoncence

By: Krissia Keck

Angels and Tomboys:Girlhood in 19th Century American Art is a current exhibit at the Newark Museum that takes a closer look at the female identity in the 19^th century, particularly young girls, through a series of paintings, sculptures and other works.

Abott Handerson Thayer, Angel. 1889

Abott Handerson Thayer's Angel is part of this exhibition. Thayer is considered a naturalist, and after moving to Dublin, New Hampshire, he became so tuned to nature that he would frequently sleep outside with his children. Although this painting seems to be of religious nature, Thayer never went to church, and thought that “God permeates nature”. His artistic mission was “unsullied purity; spiritual truth”. He often added wings to his portraits of women, not to necessarily label them as angelic, but to make them “creatures of all time”.

Angel depicts a very young and innocent girl (who happened to be Thayer's 11-year old daughter Mary) wearing white, with large wings, very fragile, made to look like an angel. This work was completed during the summer in which Thayer's wife Kate was diagnosed with melancholia (now known as depression). It is a contrast between the healthy youthful nature of his daughter, and the emotionally distant, aging and sickly state that his wife was in. The painting also captures the innocence of childhood, which Thayer felt could be corrupted by society. For this purpose, his children were home-schooled and introduced to his Emersonian lifestyle, and ways of thinking. They later followed in their father's footsteps and became artists themselves. 

Julio Gonzalez. The Montserrat. 1936-37, Sheet iron.

Spanish Artist Julio Gonzalez was a contemporary of Picasso. Gonzalez possessed an enormous passion for metals, which was actually a family tradition. His ancestry was famous for mastering bronze, and forged iron. Gonzales is noted to have started "the era of welded-metal sculpture", which was a key element in the further development of the Cubist, Abstract, and Surrealist movements. 

In The Montserrat, the artist depicts a peasant woman holding a child. This piece was commissioned by the Spanish government, and was exhibited side by side with Picasso's Guernica at the Paris Exposition Internationale in 1937. The figure stands heroically, and is a symbol of "Spanish populist will and resistance to Nazi intervention and aggression in the civil war". (Hunter, pg.231)

Montserrat is composed of very rigid lines, reminiscent of the works of fellow Cubists such a Picasso, which undoubtedly, directly influenced the artist. The figure looks heavy, and lacks the innocence of Thayer's Angel. The fact that the figure is made entirely out of iron gives it an added element of strength, and it embodies the industrialization that is taking place during this time period. The sickle in the figure's right hand shows that she is ready to fight whatever it is that is coming her way. The child in her arms resembles a shield, which seems to be protecting her not so much from what is to come, but from her fear of what is to come. Although Gonzalez did not consider himself a Cubist, he was an important instrument in this movement because he was able to reproduce the 2-D Cubist style of Picasso into 3-D sculptures using an innovative and modern way of welding iron. 

The best way to understand the contrast between Thayer's Angel, and Gonzalez's Montserrat, is through a third party. The movie Melancholia by Lars von Trier, addresses both pieces through the characters Justine and Claire. Justine suffers from depression or melancholia (much like Thayer's wife Kate). Her youthful nature in the beginning of the movie, and perhaps even her innocence are compromised by the devastating effects of depression. Claire (Justine's sister) on the other hand, is initially seen as a symbol of strength. She helps Justine through her depression, and fights the movie's impending doom until the very end. 

Left: Justine (Melancholia) Right: Thayer's Angel

Left: Claire (Melancholia) Right: Gonzalez's Montserrat

Although both artists created their works a couple of years apart, Thayer and Gonzalez were successful in representing two extremes of the female identity. Through Angel, Thayer shows the innocence and youth of a young girl, which will eventually be compromised as she continues to age. Gonzalez's sculpture shows that the innocence of his figure has already been compromised. His female figure has been exposed to a harsh reality in which her innocence must be eradicated, in order to face what is ahead of her.  

References:

Hunter, Sam, John Jacobs, and Daniel Wheeler. Modern Art. New York: Prentice Hall PTR, 2004. Print. 

Lee, Elizabeth.Therapeutic beauty: Abbott Thayer, tuberculosis, and angels of art. Hektoen International. November 29th, 2012.
< http://www.hektoeninternational.org/therapeuticbeauty.html>

Merymen,  Richard. Abott Handerson Thayer (1849-1921). Monadnock Art. November 29th, 2012.
<http://www.monadnockart.org/history-abbott-handerson-thayer.html>

Newark Museum. Angels & Tomboys: Girlhood in 19th-Century American Art. Newark: Newark Museum, 2012. Print.

Withers, Josephine. Julio Gonzalez. MoMA. November 29th, 2012. 
< http://www.moma.org/collection/artist.php?artist_id=2231>

 

Leisure and Fast pace

Moving away from the classical art of the 18^th century, modern art of the 19^th century paved the way for artist to freely express new idea, taste, and experiment. The modern age gave rise to exceptional range of moment. Impressionism arose as a way to confront conventional subject matter and new style of painting. Soon after the World War I, futurism took advantage of the machinery age and makes their art a fast pace, moving toward abstract expressionism.  Impressionism broke the tradition and futurism embraced their contemporary world. They are so far apart in time yet they are quite similar in their idea concept as to provide new concept and technique. Both enjoy the quality of light and speed, as well as depicting their contemporary time.

William Merritt Chase, Idle Hours, 1894

In the late 19^th century, the age of leisure, people began to enjoy quality lifetime. Theme of parties, ballroom, public event, and the circus seem to be the dominant subject of art. Impressionism also focused in this subject yet their brush stroke was more loosely, free spirit to capture the essence of the picture. Their focus is not to depict detail and reality rather a feeling of the moment. William Merritt Chase, an American painter captured the height of the moment that was happening in Europe. His painting Idle Hour portrayed the leisure hour of his family on the dune of Shinnecock, Long Island. We see a carefree aspect of the girlhood and the warm spirit of the sunny day. As an Impressionist, Chase painted in loose brushstroke and bold complimentary color that captured the light fill day. There was minimal attention to details rather capturing the essence of the scene. From a distance up close, we see the brushstroke moving in the wind direction giving a lively aspect of the sunny day and the breezy wind. In a way, Chase painted the impression of Europe style yet still remained American artists who loved the scenery of American landscape.

Umberto Boccioni, Unique Forms of Continuity in Space,1914

In the mist of industrial revolution, there are many artists who break the convention and embrace the modern technology. Futurism born out of the machinery age and quickly empower light and speed. Being directly influence by cubism as to form and shape but futurism give another dynamic dimension through their work by making the object and form moving in space and racing with speed. As the most expressive artist of futurism, Umberto Boccioni fuse futurism in his sculpture showed power and speed. His sculpture, Unique Forms of Continuity in Space captured the essence of futurism as being influence by Cubism form but making those forms moving continuously in space. The sculpture showed a dynamic human body with muscularity that resembled metal sheet and machine. Boccioni also interested in making his sculpture moving. The sculpture has one feet moving forward while the other feet is stretching back. It gave the sculpture a lively speed as well as giving the illusion that it moving forward in a timeless space.

Both artist use different medium to portray their contemporary time. The Idle Hour by Chase brought a visual language to show the mind set of late 19^th century life-style. Unique Forms of Continuity in Space also spoke directly to its current time. The interest in technology and machinery showed in the sculpture as it solid like a machine and animated in space. Both work also interest in light. Impressionist used light to capture the color though the light fill scenery. Futurism also used light as an inspiration. The speeds of light seem to interest futurist as they obsess with speed and continuous motion. Also the form of futurism is fragmented just like the impressionism painted in fragments of color. Impressionism captured the essence of a scene, which is similar to futurism where it captured the essence of a form.

However, both work is completely different in esthetic and form. The Idle Hour still used one point perspective which gives the illusion of a window. We don’t see that the picture is moving in space Unique Forms of Continuity in Space broke away from perspective rather the work can be view in multiple angles. Here we don’t see the depiction of reality in futurism. The movement depicted machinery and form in space that doesn’t reflex reality. Impressionism was still taking the aspect of depicting reality. We see Idle Hour as realistic scenery that depictsed real people. It focus was mainly the leisure of life. Futurism took reality but make their work abstract, injected an interest in the future of technology.

          The two art movements are so far apart yet they still connect in many aspects. Futurism might relate to us more as we are constantly surrounding by technology and machine. Impressionism speak to us on a different level, the moment of joy and leisure that we might not have time to enjoy.  While both art movements may not be entirely relevant to the psychology of modern day, they still contribute a visual language that transcend and transform modern art. 

Source: 
* Hunter, Sam, John M. Jacobus, and Daniel Wheeler. Modern Art: Painting,  Sculpture, Architecture, Photography. [Upper Saddle River, N.J.]: Prentice Hall, 2004. Print.

Post 3 - Breaking rules

One of the works that caught my attention from the Angels and Tomboys exhibition currently at the Newark Museum was "A Sure Shot" from John George Brown. The painting shows a break of the rules of painting girls as girls in the 19th century. Girls were usually painted with a lot of symbols that symbolized fertility and their role as women in society.

John George Brown, on the other hand, painted girls as free individuals that played the way they liked to play and not the way society expected them to play. The girl in "A Sure Shot" is not depicted as a fragile and innocent girl from the 19th century. She's outside excited to see her brother, who's holding a gun probably about to kill a bird. It seems like she wants to be the one holding the gun. Brown definitely makes us think about gender role in society at the time. The work can be interpreted as a step forward for women in history.

From the Modernist era, Dada was also known for the break of rules. It was a rejection of the traditional. Dada represented the opposite and was purposely offensive. Many times, Dada artists used scandalous objects as work of art in order to redefine the nature of artistic experience.

Dada artists such as Marcel Duchamp wanted to change the traditional way viewers looked at art. In "Fountain," Duchamp shows an unexpected object as art. He reconceptualizes ordinary objects by placing them out of their natural environment so the viewer would actually notice and pay closer attention to the usually unnoticed object. Duchamp wanted to shock the viewer. "Fountain" was considered very controversial and was rejected at the time for the suggestive idea of reproductive/sexual organs.

Both works are revolutionary. It's the break of the traditional. They both attempt to open minds to the world. They symbolize a step forward in history for society since both artists make us think and see things with a new perspective.



The Newark Museum Website - Angels and Tomboys exhinition
http://www.newarkmuseum.org/angelsandtomboys.html


Hunter, Sam, John Jacobus, and Daniel Wheeler. Modern Art. Third ed. New York: 

Prentice Hall, 2004. Print.

Post 3 from Curtis

Women, girls, ladies, females, the fairer sex, have suffered much throughout history. Objectified as nothing more than sex receptacles and baby factories, females have fought hard to gain equality in society. This oppression is no more obvious than in the Victorian Era, and it was during this era that many women or feminist artists began to rebel against female oppression through painting. In November 2012, the Newark Museum offered an exhibition of feminism in 19^th century American Art entitled “Angels and Tomboys”. 

Upon visiting this exhibit myself I chose to discuss a 1887 piece from Abbott Handerson Thayer entitled “The Angel”. For comparison I chose a 1932 work from Pablo Picasso entitled Girl before a Mirror.

Thayer’s “The Angel” spoke of the times. The Industrial Age was seen as a corrupting force to the innocence of female children to Thayer and his contemporaries and as such he decided upon portraying this angelic scene to remind the viewer of the innocence, grace and loveliness of a female child. Initianally Thayer used his wife as a model, however she tragically grew ill and died and Thayer utilized his young daughter to finish the piece which helped to capture the youth and innocence he was trying to portray.

Picasso’s “Girl before a Mirror”, depicts a young woman, in front of an oval mirror which reflects a dark image. The girl’s reflection is dark and opposite to herself, a possible comment on the deceptive nature of humanity. As a cubist piece the girl’s body consists of geometric planes her face can be simultaneously seen in both profile and full face.

Picasso’s painting is similar to Thayer’s Angel, in that both depict positive and negative qualities within one image. The girl in Picasso’s painting reflects a sinister image; while in Thayer’s “The Angel” the whiteness may reflect purity and hope or may reflect his wife’s pale skin and fragile condition due to her sickness.

here's a link to the exhibit

Newark Museum Visit Tomboys and Angles

After the visit of the Angels and Tomboys collection I choose the modernist painting of Abbott Handerson Thayer 1887 titled The Angle. I also choose the painting of Picasso, The Three Women, 1908. Both of these painting depict a time when children and women of their own innocence were not the popular topic to paint. Yet both painting speak of a how cultural tendencies and movements affected the though and character of what was going on at the time. I will briefly speak about each painting and what the artist was trying to convey during the Modernist period.

First is Abbott Handerson Thayer, Angle, 1887. This painting was created to show the innocence, grace and loveliness of a female child. Thayer wrote extensively of how the affects of the Industrial period would spoil the female children and this paint was to capture hat he felt was going to be ruined by all the modern day influences. When Abbott Handerson Thayer did this painting he used his wife as a model then she became ill due to depression. To replace he wife he picked his eleven-year-old daughter Mary to finish the painting. This was to capture the angles quality of being young and innocent.

The Second painting is The Three Women, Picasso, 1908. This painting was created to show the paint to show a women’s sexuality, while using African mask as a theme for their facial expressions. Picasso drew in geometric forms and rich colors, but what speaks the most is how the women are show. They are not depicted from a male’s point of view, yet in the view of their comfort of their own sexuality and the innocence of it which is not for male pleasure.

Abbott Handerson Thayer, 1887, The Angle was and expressionist painting. This painting spoke of the times. How it affected the world in which they lived in as the Industrial Age was growing at an alarming rate. Thayer and many like him were grasping the idea of how to save the innocence of their children. As they felt threated that the Industrial Age would expose them to many things to early. Therefore by painting an angelic scene would remind the view of what they have and what could be lost.

Picasso’s The Three Women, 1908 was a Cubist painting where the idea was of painting in vibrate colors and in geometric forms. What makes the both of the paintings fall under the category of modernism is that Thayer painted of a subject that was not often used to get his message across during the cultural change of the industrial period. For Picasso his painting was considered avant-garde the first of it kind. He was a leader in Cubism and successfully incorporated African art in his work to express the cultural change of his time as artist where finding new ways to not only paint for themselves but to also push themselves to go further that what was expected.

Sources:

Exhibit Angels and Tomboys Newark Museum Tour 2012

Following Web sites for images and information.

Discover New Jersey Arts

http://www.jerseyarts.com/blog/index.php/nj-visual-arts/2012/09/dream-girls-angels-tomboys-at-the-newark-museum/

Leinim Ports .com

http://www.leninimports.com/pablo_picasso_gallery_three_women.html#awbiog

Google Image

3.) http://www.google.com/imgres?num=10&hl=en&tbo=d&biw=1247&bih=1208&tbm=isch&tbnid=Yfah8lTP-HptsM:&imgrefurl=http://www.wnyc.org/events/wnyc-media-sponsorship/2012/sep/&docid=bZzYn1A5TNmo4M&imgurl=http://media.wnyc.org/media/photologue/images/75/cache/AngelsTomboyAngelImage_medium_cropped.jpg&w=200&h=200&ei=qoi3UIj9C_Oy0AGd1YCQBw&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=345&sig=104757269010212979371&sqi=2&page=1&tbnh=150&tbnw=160&start=0&ndsp=50&ved=1t:429,r:14,s:0,i:127&tx=126&ty=68

Young Women In 19th Century Art

         Angels and Tomboys: Girlhood in 19th Century American Art is an extensive collection of visual works, depicting the lives and times of young women/girls during the 19th century. This traveling exhibition is currently being displayed at The Newark Museum, and features works from some of the most prominent artists of the 19th century. The Angels and Tomboys collection is a representation of the visual understanding of young women/girls by artists of the 19th century, which in turn helped in the social development of these women/girls at the time. These works examined the partial collective/social perception of young women/girls of the 19th century; innocent, angelic, while also portraying the aggressiveness, and assertiveness of some of the young women/girls of the working class. 

Charles Courtney Curran, Lotus Lilies, 1888

          Lotus Lillies by Charles Courtney Curran, is a visual work portraying Curran’s wife Grace Winthrop Wickham, enjoying a leisure boating ride with her cousin Charlotte Ada Taylor on Old Woman Creek, an estuary of Lake Erie in Ohio. The women are surrounded by an array of water lilies, which brings a sense of peace and tranquility to the scenery, in harmony with the overall feel of the landscape. An emphasis to a “care-free”, pleasant, easy lifestyle is highly regarded throughout the painting. This is made clear by the stillness throughout, but also the lack of effort by the women to navigate through the vast amount of water lilies; they are surrounded and drowned by them, and make no attempt to overpower them, but actually symbolically succumb to them. Curran’s use of perspective is highly regarded throughout Lotus Lilies, embodied in the picture plane is the use of three dimensionality, and a forth, mid, and background shows this. Curran was known to shy away from the conventional historic paintings of the time, but rather enjoyed painting landscapes that portrayed scenes of modern life. He adopted impressionist techniques in his works; bold colors, loose brushstrokes, while also incorporating techniques of academic drawing, and the use of balance in his compositions.

Pablo Picasso, Les Demoiselles d'Avignon, 1907

          Les Demoiselles d’Avignon by Pablo Picasso, portrays five female prostitutes from a brothel on Carrer d’Avinyo in Barcelona, Spain. These women are depicted in a rigid, forward manner with no concept of femininity; very abstract, and disconcerting, with no use or understanding of proportion. This painting represents a more modernistic perspective of painting. It uses concepts of cubist art; geometric perspective (in a two dimensional format), abstraction in multiple viewpoints, as well as African art to express the subject matter. No perspective is used; a flat, two-dimensional picture plane is visible throughout this work. Picasso’s bold use of linear drawing opted out of the use of color and light of traditional painting techniques of the time to depict form. Picasso wanted to capture the essence of Spanish art and Iberian culture in Les Demoiselles d’Avignon by incorporating artistic influences from both. It is said that Picasso was not influenced by African art in the production of this piece, but I beg to differ. It is clear by observing two of the subjects in the work that African art indeed influence the making of this piece. Les Demoiselles d’Avignon represented sexual freedom, and expression, and was a movement against the traditional values of his time. It was a revolutionary and controversial piece, and was the source of negative discussion, and disagreements in its subject matter in Picasso’s close circle. 

         Both Lotus Lillies by Charles Courtney Curran, and Les Demoiselles d’Avignon by Pablo Picasso are similar in their use of linear drawing to construct the subjects within the work. Bold use of lines are used to delineate the figures within the piece, instead of shadows, light, and color to give form to the subjects. Another similarity is the female subjects used in the works as the main focus in the paintings. One of the major differences is the overall feel of both of the works. Lotus Lilies depicts a scene of tranquility and serenity, a leisurely afternoon with no sense of hardships, or discomfort; this can be depicted through the use of light, pastel colors, and softness in the overall construction of the female figures, but also the surrounding space. While Les Demoiselles d’Avignon is a harsh depiction of the “working woman”, and their adversity; this can be represented through the strong use of odd, distorted shapes, rigid forms, and distorted faces. 

          While both pieces give much to talk about, their similarities, and differences are quite vague. The most concerning, and highly noticeable connection is the use of women to represent the subject matter within the works, as well as the use of bold linear drawing to accentuate the forms of the subjects. Both paintings represent a different way of life; nonetheless they both portray the importance of the subjects and the significance given to them by the artists, by making the figures upfront, and forward in the picture plane. These works represent two equally great works of their time, and are inspirations to many artists of today. 

References

"Terra Foundation for American Art: Collections." Terra Foundation for American Art: Collections.

             N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2012.              <http://collections.terraamericanart.org/views/objects/asitem/People$0040178/0;jsessionid=65251120992d7056518031040E0B1E88?t:state:flow=daa3a4e7-1a5c-4dfa-8b6d-ca04a52a4ad5>.

"Les Demoiselles D'Avignon." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 27 Nov. 2012. 

              Web. 29 Nov. 2012.         

              <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Demoiselles_d'Avignon>.

Hunter, Sam, John M. Jacobus, and Daniel Wheeler. Modern Art: Painting, 

              Sculpture, Architecture, Photography. [Upper Saddle River, N.J.]: Prentice 

              Hall, 2004. Print.

*Painting caption links to source image.