Picasso Demoiselles D’Avignon

Summary

Picasso's painting, a pivotal move into cubism, shocked the Paris art scene in 1907. Initially depicting a brothel with five women, it evolved through over 100 sketches into a complex composition of fragmented forms and jagged planes. The artwork, influenced by African and Iberian masks, rejected traditional values and painting techniques, instead favoring line drawing. This 'exorcism' painting laid the groundwork for cubism and, after years of obscurity, is now a treasured piece at the Museum of Modern Art, New York.

Takeaways

• 🎨 **Picasso's Cubism**: The painting marked Picasso's full transition into cubism, shocking the Paris art scene in 1907.
• 🤯 **Initial Reaction**: The painting was met with shock, distaste, and outrage, including Matisse considering it a hoax.
• 🖼️ **Evolution of the Artwork**: Picasso struggled with the subject, creating over 100 sketches and preliminary paintings before finalizing the composition.
• 🚫 **Rejection of Traditional Values**: The painting rejected middle-class society and traditional values, depicting sexual freedom in a brothel setting.
• 🎭 **Symbolism**: The medical student in the painting was a stand-in for the painter and symbolized death with a skull.
• 👥 **Composition**: The final composition removed the patron and medical student, focusing on five women, including one with a primitive mask.
• 🌐 **Influence of African Art**: Picasso used African masks for the faces, reflecting the influence of colonization and African art on his work.
• 🔄 **Cubist Techniques**: The painting used a linear composition, breaking forms into planes, and pushing the treatment of form and space to its limit.
• 👁️ **Unusual Perspectives**: The women in the painting were depicted from odd perspectives, with body parts shown from different angles.
• 🔍 **Detailing**: Picasso applied cubist ideas to the musculature, showing detailed anatomical parts in a deboned style.
• 🏛️ **Legacy**: The painting was initially unseen for 39 years but later became a prized part of the Museum of Modern Art, New York's collection.

Q & A

What was Picasso's painting that offended the Paris art scene in 1907?

Picasso's painting that offended the Paris art scene in 1907 is 'Les Demoiselles d'Avignon'.

What was the initial reaction of the Paris art scene to 'Les Demoiselles d'Avignon'?

The initial reaction was almost unanimous shock, distaste, and outrage.

Who was the painter that considered 'Les Demoiselles d'Avignon' a hoax?

The painter Matisse was angered by the work and considered it a hoax.

What was Picasso's struggle during the creation of 'Les Demoiselles d'Avignon'?

Picasso struggled with depicting three-dimensional space in a two-dimensional picture plane without using standard tools of illusion.

How many sketches and preliminary paintings did Picasso create before finalizing 'Les Demoiselles d'Avignon'?

Picasso created over 100 sketches and preliminary paintings.

What was the original composition of 'Les Demoiselles d'Avignon' before the final version?

The original composition included two men, a patron surrounded by women, and a medical student holding a skull.

What does Picasso's painting 'Les Demoiselles d'Avignon' signify in terms of societal values?

The painting signifies Picasso's rejection of middle-class society and traditional values, opting for the sexual freedom depicted in a brothel.

How did Picasso's 'Les Demoiselles d'Avignon' influence the art movement of Cubism?

The originality of Picasso's vision and execution in 'Les Demoiselles d'Avignon' helped plant the seeds of Cubism.

Why was 'Les Demoiselles d'Avignon' largely unseen for 39 years after its creation?

After its initial showing, the painting was rolled up in Picasso's studio until it was bought by an art dealer in the early 1920s.

What role did African and Iberian masks play in the creation of 'Les Demoiselles d'Avignon'?

African and Iberian masks influenced the faces in the painting, with Picasso using their forms and characteristics to create a sense of innocent sexuality.

How did Picasso use the concept of Cubism in the depiction of the women in 'Les Demoiselles d'Avignon'?

Picasso broke the forms of the women into a series of planes, using identifiable characteristics and pushing the treatment of form and space to its limit.

Outlines

00:00

🎨 Picasso's Cubist Revolution

This paragraph discusses Picasso's groundbreaking painting that shocked the Paris art scene in 1907. The painting, a departure from traditional art, was a significant move into cubism. Picasso showed his controversial work to a group of painters, patrons, and critics, receiving a mix of shock, distaste, and outrage. The painting evolved from sketches of five women in a brothel to a complex composition that challenged the depiction of three-dimensional space on a two-dimensional canvas. The final piece excluded traditional elements like color and light, instead focusing on line drawing. It featured a mix of Iberian and African influences, with the figures representing a clash of cultures and a rejection of middle-class society and traditional values. The painting was initially hidden for 39 years before gaining recognition and is now a prized piece at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

05:02

🌍 Influence of Colonization on Art

The second paragraph delves into the influence of French colonization in Africa on Picasso's art. It explains how Picasso incorporated African masks into his cubist style, breaking forms into planes and using identifiable characteristics. The discussion highlights the odd perspectives and the way forms are moved around, creating a unique representation of the human body. The paragraph also touches on Picasso's use of curvilinear forms, showing that cubism is not limited to straight lines. The painting is described as a battleground, with jagged forms in the background suggesting a critique of the brothel setting. The revolutionary nature of the piece and its development of cubism is emphasized, making it a significant artwork in art history.

Keywords

💡Cubism

Cubism is an early 20th-century avant-garde art movement pioneered by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque that revolutionized European painting and sculpture. It's characterized by the fragmentation of subjects into geometric shapes and the simultaneous representation of an object from multiple viewpoints. In the video, Picasso's move into Cubism is highlighted by his painting that shocked the Paris art scene in 1907, marking a radical departure from traditional artistic norms.

💡Picasso

Pablo Picasso was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist, and stage designer who is one of the most recognized figures in 20th-century art. The video discusses Picasso's groundbreaking work that led to the development of Cubism, specifically mentioning his painting that caused an uproar in the Paris art scene due to its departure from traditional aesthetics.

💡Iberian Women

The term 'Iberian Women' refers to the central figures in Picasso's painting, which are depicted with a clash against the masked creatures on the right side of the canvas. These women are based on Iberian stone masks and represent Picasso's exploration of form and space, pushing the boundaries of traditional representation.

💡African Masks

African Masks are a significant influence on Picasso's Cubist period, as they provided him with a new way of seeing and representing form. In the video, it's mentioned that the faces on the right of the painting are based on African masks, which Picasso used to explore the concept of 'innocent sexuality' and to fracture forms into a series of planes.

💡Fetishes

In the context of the video, 'fetishes' are likened to the act of painting by Picasso, suggesting that by giving form to spirits, one can achieve a form of independence. This concept is used to explain Picasso's approach to his painting, where he creates forms that are both independent and powerful, much like how fetishes are believed to work.

💡Exorcism

The painting is referred to as Picasso's 'first exorcism painting', indicating a personal and emotional release for the artist. This term is used to describe the transformative and liberating process of creating art, where Picasso channels his inner demons into a tangible form.

💡Middle Class Society

The video discusses how Picasso turned his back on middle-class society and its traditional values by depicting sexual freedom in a brothel setting. This rejection of societal norms is a key aspect of the painting's narrative and reflects Picasso's broader artistic philosophy.

💡Impressionism

Impressionism is an art movement characterized by small, thin, visible brushstrokes and an emphasis on light and color. In contrast to Impressionism, Picasso chose line drawing and a more linear composition, moving away from the defined forms of light and color that were prevalent in French art at the time.

💡Brothel

The setting of the painting is a brothel, which Picasso uses to depict sexual freedom and to challenge societal norms. The video suggests that the brothel setting and the figures within it are intentionally made uninviting, reflecting Picasso's critique of such establishments.

💡Cezanne

Paul Cézanne was a French artist and a post-Impressionist painter whose work influenced the development of Cubism. The video mentions how Picasso pushed Cézanne's treatment of form and space to its absolute limit, indicating a significant artistic evolution from Cézanne's approach.

💡Surrealism

Surrealism is an artistic and literary movement that seeks to express the unconscious mind, often through dream-like or fantastical imagery. Although not directly related to the painting discussed, the video mentions the Surrealist publication that reproduced the painting, indicating the broader influence of Picasso's work on subsequent art movements.

Highlights

Picasso's painting caused shock, distaste, and outrage in the Paris art scene in 1907.

Matisse considered the painting a hoax, an attempt to paint the fourth dimension.

Picasso struggled with depicting three-dimensional space in a two-dimensional picture plane.

The original composition included two men, but in the final composition, they were removed.

The medical student in the painting has been called a stand-in for the painter himself.

The painting is described as a battleground with the remains of the battle left on the canvas.

Picasso turned his back on middle-class society and traditional values with this painting.

Picasso chose line drawing over color and light, contrasting with popular movements in painting at the time.

The painting is referred to as Picasso's first exorcism.

The painting remained largely unseen for 39 years after its initial showing.

The Museum of Modern Art, New York, now owns the painting and it is a prized part of their collection.

The painting represents a radical new method of representing form in space.

Picasso used African masks as a basis for the faces in the painting.

The women in the painting are fractured and interwoven with jagged planes.

Picasso pushed Cézanne's treatment of form and space to its absolute limit.

The painting includes identifiable characteristics such as the tricep part of the muscle of the arm.

Picasso applied the cubist idea to the musculature of the woman in the painting.

The jagged forms in the background give a sense of time and argue against the brothel.

Cubism is shown to not be limited to straight lines but can use curvilinear forms.

The painting is revolutionary and a significant development in the history of art.

Transcripts

[Music]

is really picasso's move

fully into cubism

with this painting the spanish painter

picasso

offended the paris art scene in 1907.

he would show his eight-foot square

canvas to a group of painters

patrons and art critics at his studio

and he meets with almost unanimous shock

distaste and outrage the painter matisse

is angered by the work which he

considered a hoax an attempt to

paint the fourth dimension quote

it was the ugliness of the faces that

froze with horror the half converted

the critic solomon wrote later

the painter de raine commented riley one

day

we shall find picasso has hanged himself

behind his great canvas

now in the months leading up to the

painting's creation picasso

struggles with the subject what were

originally five women in a brothel

he would create over 100 sketches and

preliminary paintings wrestling with the

problem of depicting

three-dimensional space in a

two-dimensional picture plane

one that we've dealt with throughout but

he doesn't want to use the standard

tools of illusion the original

composition included

two men a patron surrounded by the women

and a medical

student holding a skull perhaps

symbolizing that the wages of sin

are death but in the final composition

the

patron is gone and the medical student

who has been

called a stand-in for the painter

himself

has become a fifth woman with a

primitive mask holding back the crimson

curtain

to reveal her well quote-unquote sisters

the painting is described as a

battleground with the remains of the

battle left on the canvas

the iberian women in the center of the

canvas

clash with the hideously masked

creatures standing and squatting on the

right

in creating ledomasal de avilla picasso

turns his back on the middle class

society and traditional values of the

time

opting for the sexual freedom depicted

in a brothel

he also rejects popular current

movements in painting by choosing line

drawing rather than color and light

uh defined forms of impressionism in the

fove so he's going with a more

linear composition which is in stark

contrast to everything else we've seen

in france

up until this point now the painters

private demons take

shape in the figures on the canvas

picasso later calls

demos el de avillon my first exorcism

painting he likens the act of painting

to that of

creating fetishes or weapons if we give

spirits a form we become independent

states picasso now the originality of

picasso's vision and

execution in this work helps plant the

seeds of cubism

after its initial showing the painting

remains largely unseen for 39 years

it is shown in paris in 1916 and then

lies

rolled up in picasso's studio until it's

bought in the early 1920s

sight unseen by an art dealer it is then

going to be reproduced in the

publication the revolution

surrealist in 1925 but remains

relatively unknown

until 1937 when it's eventually shown in

paris

today the museum of modern art new york

owns it and it becomes a prized

part of their collection

but let's look at the piece overall now

this is less than a year after

he's done gertrude stein or the painting

of gertrude stein

and we see a radical new method of

representing

the form in space

so what exactly are we looking at well

we're looking at

faces that are based on african mass

such as the example here you can see

the commonalities the similarities

between the forms and he's looking at

the masks in this

case looking at their sense of innocent

sexuality which he has signs and society

assigns to the masks

in the early 20th century

instead of continuous forms the women

are fractured and interwoven with

jagged planes that represent the drapery

as well as the negative space

he's really pushing cezanne's treatment

of form and space

to its absolute limit or the limit that

he sees at the time

the faces on the left are based on

iberian stone masks whereas the ones on

the right are based on

african masks so

where is he getting these ideas he's

getting it through colonization of

course the french had heavily colonized

africa at the time especially parts of

northern

and western africa now he will break

the forms into a series of planes

and as he does this especially on the

right he's

again using those identifiable

characteristics

so as we move through it for example i

hear this woman in the center you'll see

one breast is in profile

the other is seen from below these are

identifiable forms whereas another is

seen not with

sort of an angular form but rather as

round forms

when we look at the women themselves

sometimes we see different aspects here

we see

the tricep part of the muscle of the arm

being shown as if we're looking below

the arm

upward and here we see an arm that's way

out here and we're almost looking

down at it some very odd perspectives

as he moves forms around in the masks

he's treating

just like the other faces so here's a

jaw turned

in a form that we very easily recognize

the mouth is here the nose again in

profile the eyes

independent of one another and of course

an ear that we

wouldn't typically see but he has tacted

on because

it is something that he believes is

particularly important to that

phase now he goes one step further when

we move

over to the woman on the left you'll

notice

this very odd sort of leg and what he's

done is

he's sort of deboned the leg imagine you

take someone's

leg and you remove the flesh and remove

the bone and then cut it down

sort of the inner side of it and flop it

out on a table you're going to get

something like this here's the hamstring

here's the quadricep here's the calves

on one side the shin in the middle

here's the calf on the inside as well

as on the outside he's actually applied

the cubist idea to the musculature

of the woman these jagged forms in the

background give us a sense of time but

also

it's been argued that those jagged forms

and the

forms that the women take are picasso

kind of arguing against the brothel

itself

trying to make it as ugly and uninviting

as possible after all

who really wants to enter into this

painting

so there's a lot going on here but we

definitely

get a sense of the cubism and

how cubism is developing also the fact

that cubism has nothing to do with the

straight lines that we usually associate

it with

but rather can use the curvilinear forms

of the human body and of other forms

such as the fruit

in the foreground or some of the

curtains

that we see in the background this is a

revolutionary piece and that's why we're

spending

so much time with it