Cubism and Picasso
Picasso's development toward cubism reached its climax with the monumental justly celebrated Demoiselles d'Avignon (1906). This painting, named for a brothel in Barcelona's Avignon Street, depicts, in a highly stylized form, five angular nude or partially draped women grouped around an arrangement of fruit. This final, condensed version, developed through many preparatory works, was attained by gradual simplifications and eliminations of an originally conspicuous subject matter.1. LINEAR (SHARP CONTOURS) VS PAINTERLY (LINES ARE INDISTINCT Picasso shows a rethinking of the human body in Les Demoiselles. This ranges from a simplified naturalism, (in the centre figures) to an increased sense of fragmentation in to angular forms, each of which
appears to have an independent existence. Such disjunction of body parts challenged the standards by which the human body had been constructed before. In synchronicity, the background elements of draperies and wall were fragmented, aligned with the figural handling. It is also quite difficult to determine whether this painting depicts "absolute clarity" or "relative clarity." One might suggest that Les Demoiselles demonstrates "absolute clarity" since all objects are in plane sight, meaning none of the figures/objects are clouded by shadow. Yet, "relative clarity" is also suggested. Although the figures/objects may easily be viewed, it can, at times be hard to determine what exactly is being observed, (ie. drapery) 4. COLOUR + LIGHT ADHERES TO FROM
Some common words found in the essay are:
Les Demoiselles, Avignon Street, , COLOUR REFRACTED/REFLECTED, SUGGESTED OBJECTS, INDISTINCT Picasso, les demoiselles, DIAGONAL PLANES, relative clarity, VS COLOUR, Bibliography None, colour + light, semi-independent planes, difficult determine, colour +, potentially limitless, + light, human body, absolute clarity, clarity suggested, relative clarity suggested,
Approximate Word count = 524
Approximate Pages = 2 (250 words per page double spaced)
|
