What is the importance of Pablo Picasso’s Les Demoiselles D’Avignon 1907?

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December 15, 2019
Importance of Pablo Picasso’s Les Desmoiselles D’Avignon
Art has always been integrated with the very fabric of society. On the one hand, artistic pieces have been influenced by the events and ideas flourishing during the time when they are made. On the other hand, art contributes to the overall aesthetic and serves as a reflection of history based on the actual expressions of people rather than narrative accounts of historians. Accordingly, Picasso’s Les Demoiselles D’Avignon portrays this dualist relationship between art and society. It is considered as one of the most important pieces in history for its profound and radical perspective of events happening in society.
In this article, I would discuss the importance of this piece of art in terms of its aesthetic and socio-political significance. Subsequently, the latter sections would also delve on how it relates to two pieces of art namely (1) ‘Fig. 19-30 Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Bal du Moulin de la Galette, 1876’ and (2) ‘Fig. 8-9 Raphael, The Alba Madonna, ca.1510’. All in all, I believe that analyzing these art pieces through a dualist framework would give us a better understanding and appreciation of such pieces.
Theme and Technique
As stated earlier Picasso’s Les Demoiselles D’Avignon is deemed by many as one of the most important art pieces in history. While there are many reasons why a lot of people revere this piece, two of the most important include its (1) theme and (2) technique. In terms of theme, Picasso’s work portrayed a sailor and five women prostitutes who were lying in the bed. Additionally, the women's’ faces were drawn in a more distorted manner even when compared to the abstract illustration of their bodies. This baffled many scholars with some saying that Picasso aims to criticize society’s acceptance of prostitution and colonialism as a norm CITATION Alm18 \l 1033 (Almog), while others saying that his work should be viewed through the lens of Modernism, wherein he merely wanted to “show that ori...