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Les Demoiselles D’avignon – the Painting That Changed It All

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Les Demoiselles d’Avignon – The Painting That Changed It All

Being a volunteer at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City allows me to meet many interesting people with many different views. Today I had a group who had the pleasure of viewing Pablo Picasso’s Les Demoiselles d’ Avignon for the first time. They had the same reaction I did originally! It was hideous! It was not until I had done further research on the painting that I was able to see its beauty. Today was the day I took the extra time to explain the importance of this painting to our visitors, instead of listening on in silence. The following is a reflection of the conversation I had with the guests. When I first laid eyes on Les Demoiselles, I also thought it was a poorly thrown together piece of work. It was ugly and almost an insult to the term “art”. There was no significance in the piece that I was able to identify with. That’s when I decided to do some research on the painting. It would not be in this museum if it were not of some significance, right? This painting was done by Picasso back in 1907. This was the very first painting of its kind. The painting itself had taken a stand on how we view paintings today and, what they mean to us. Before the Les Demoiselles, paintings were basically of things you could see. Visually, with your eyes. The Les Demoiselles was more about what you envisioned. How you saw things and interpreted those things. This painting was more of how Picasso visualized internally, symbolic even. To me, it seems as though Picasso incorporated some of his favorite tendencies from his favorite artist into this picture. I believe Picasso poured not just his soul into this painting, but his memories too. Did you know the painting was of prostitutes in a brothel in his childhood home of Barcelona (Sayre, pg 1121)? The intricate detail he put into making each one of the prostitutes original and meaningful is incredible. Only the two girls in the middle are similar. The other three are significantly different from not only the other two but real life as well. You can see in even the almond shape of the girls’ eyes, arms, breasts, and legs, Picasso was making a statement against what was viewed as “normal”. To me, it was like he went above and beyond to make sure his work was not going to be mistaken for anyone else’s. Picasso wanted to take a stand and become original. He really did change the way painting was viewed and painted with Les Demoiselles. He worked until he was satisfied. To me, it seems like the more he viewed the world, the more unusual things he would incorporate into the painting. I feel that his biggest objective with this painting was to be original. To do something that no one else has done before. I do not think Picasso knew exactly how famous his painting would become or how significantly it would change art today. It has not only changed the way art is viewed but the way art is made. I believe that this painting single handedly allows artists a whole new realm to be able to express themselves. It opened a door that no one had thought to cross previously. Everything was so literal before. Now artists had a chance to express how they felt or how they thought things were viewed. They could put more feeling and emotions into their work. Not everyone agrees this painting looks great but, most everyone will agree that it created a whole new way to be able to express yourself through art. So, while you look at the painting and think your three year old could have done it better, realize that sometimes beauty is not in just what you can visibly see. Sometimes it comes with a bigger meaning behind it. A larger picture, a story to tell, if you will. Beauty is always in the eye of the beholder but not always conformed to a standard way anymore, thanks to Picasso and the Les Demoiselles d’ Avignon. It should make you stop and think before you judge. What is the story?

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