Les Demoiselles d’Avignon (1907)
Pablo Picasso (October 25, 1881-April8, 1973), born in Malaga, Spain was a painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist, stage designer, poet, and playwright. He became one of the world’s best known modern artists of the 20th century. One of his works that really caught my attention immediately was his Les Demoiselles d’Avignon (1907). This painting was made using oil on canvas and depicts five naked prostitutes posing with different body positions as well as faces. Their bodies seem to absorb the presence of whoever is admiring them. Their limbs are oddly shaped in pointy angles which also gives emphasis to the women’s promiscuous nature in comparison to their surroundings.
This work reflects the aesthetic preferences associated with modernism by taking a huge leap from the expected types of paintings such as covered up subjects and high social status people. Through this aspect, Picasso managed to really connect with his subjects as he aimed primarily to paint the social outcasts on the streets. This included poor people, prostitutes, and homeless people and many other social rejects at the time. His aim was to shine a light on the real people he often encountered in the streets but he never hindered to portray them as they truly were in all forms, in the physical and emotional state.
As I was walking through the MoMA I came across so many different paintings that I loved. To keep a long experience short, Les Demoiselles d’Avignon caught my immediate attention due to the authenticity and vividness of the real human body at its prime. This painting was placed strategically on its own on a big wall, drawing everyone’s attention to the brushwork and colors used to paint. Most importantly, these women are working in a field that is shunned by many conservatives and hidden in the shadows of the night. In this instance, though they seem to embody their decisions and look entirely comfortable in their bodies. It is a real depiction of what every woman should feel like in their own skin. I am all for women feeling empowered with the skin they are in no matter the shape, size or skin tone and I believe this painting greatly speaks for itself to that aspect. Some questions I have about the work is to why the two women on the right have faces that were inspired by African masks. The fact that only these two women have these masks on must symbolize something that I am not understanding.