The painting I chose is “A Girl before a Mirror” by Pablo Picasso. Picasso is one of the most famous artists of all time, as many people feel like he revolutionized the art industry during the 20th century. He is most recognized for helping invent Cubism and Collage. He pioneered the concept of constructed sculpture, while bringing new techniques of his work to the art world. Picasso was born on October 25, 1881, and died on April 8, 1973, at the age of 91. Not only was he a artist, he was also a sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist, and theatre designer in France, where he spent majority of his livelihood.
A Girl before a Mirror is a oil painting made by Pablo Picasso in 1932. It is a image of a young woman and her mirror reflection in vibrant colors and cubed-like shapes on the outside. It is one of the last paintings Picasso did in a major series of art during 1931 and 1932. Picasso preferred this painting as opposed to any others he did during this timeframe, which shows how unique this painting is and how much it means to him. The girl in this painting is reaching out to embrace the mirror that is in front of her. The picture that is in the mirror curves the girl’s head and body symmetrically, showing the unique style of Picasso and why people gravitate towards him. The shapes along with the loud vibrant colors, it is not a surprise to me why his would be his favorite from the multiple different art pieces Picasso made in a two year span.
This work reflects the aesthetic preferences associated with Modernism because of the eye popping color choices as well as the shapes throughout this painting, with its second to none pattern. On one side of the painting, more neutral tone colors are shown, as it is more calm on this side. On the other side, the colors chosen are much more vibrant , and even show a face as well. A person can interpret this in different ways, it can be an example of light vs darkness, yin vs yang, or the angel vs devil. The “good” side is usually always mentioned first, which is why it is shown first, and the “bad” is on the other side, showing a alter ago. I think these are very modernistic approaches, as many people deal with temptations on a daily basis for various different decisions, and I think Picasso is showing how the same person can have a different side to them.
What struck my attention to this art piece was how vibrant it was. As soon as I turned the corner, my friend pointed out this art piece, and I instantly knew this was the one I was going to write about. At first, I had no idea what I was looking at aside from loud colors, but that’s what struck me to it. The more I stared at it, the more it made sense to me, to a point where I was comfortable making this the art piece for this assignment. I still looked around for any other backup plan, but deep down I had already found what I was looking for. It felt good using my own critical thinking skills in trying to figure out what I was looking at, and after doing some research on itm my initial interpretation of this artwork wasn’t all the way wrong, which made me realize I understood what I was talking about enough to write about it.
- MoMA, Floor 5, 517The Alfred H. Barr, Jr. Gallerieshttps://www.moma.org/collection/works/78311
Richard, There is so much to see in this painting. I love how, despite the symmetry of the work, the two figures are so different – reminding us that even a mirror image is not identical to the figure looking at the mirror. And of course, what we see when we are looking in the mirror is also quite subjective…. Thanks for sharing your thoughts about this powerful work!