After reading the writings of John Berger and Sylvan Barnett, I began to look at art from many perspectives, much like the art movement of Cubism encourages. At first, I looked at the art with only the knowledge in my head, much like a first impression. Then, I looked at the description to better understand the context of the painting, and possibly the meaning as well.
One of the pieces of work I focused on was Les Demiselles d’Avignon (1907) by Pablo Picasso. This famous work of art is one that I’ve seen before, but it still captured my attention from the other pieces in the room. The painting, consisting of five nude women and a fruit centerpiece, made me feel somber and admiring at the same time. I looked at the colors used in the painting as well as the faces of the women to try to capture the atmosphere of the painting. Overall, the earthy colors mix well with the light colors in the background to give this piece a mellow but bright mood. However, the coloring on the woman in the back on the far right has a discolored and distorted face, making her seem non-human in a way. However, her overall figure is very beautiful. This showed me that there’s beauty even in unlikely situations. After looking at the description, I remembered that I learned Picasso used prostitutes as models for this painting. I really liked that context because it furthered the idea that beauty is found even in the unlikely. Many people, in separate contexts would say this painting is beautiful but prostitution is an ugly practice, but Picasso found a way to make a statement on how beauty is universal.
The other piece of art I focused on was The Sleeping Gypsy, a painting by Henri Rousseau. I also recognize this painting but with less clarity than I did with Picasso’s work. Here is a picture of a sleeping vagabond woman being harmlessly passed by a lion. I really love the primitive nature of Rousseau’s painting. It doesn’t seem anything except the meaning to wonder. He finds beauty in simplicity. I also really like the meaning that the painting shows me.The lion, known to be a vicious and carnivorous (especially in 1897 when this was painted) animal, peacefully passes the gypsy. I can also see a feeling of pity and reluctance in the lion’s eyes when he is doing is. He wants to consume this woman, but refains, possibly because she is unconscious, or because he feels pity for her humble existence. Her instrument and jug of water speak to how she lives; she wanders and survives on the little water she can gather and the money she makes from music. It’s a type of harmony that many don’t associate with animals like the lion.
I find that the works of Barnett and Berger did change how I looked at works of art. They discussed the historical context of paintings, namely the 1500s-1900s, as that was the emphasis on oil on canvas paintings. This style allowed painters to really sell their paintings. The two works I focused on were very close to the end of this period, so, although they were oil on canvas paintings, they seemed to be painting less for public appeal and more for the artists’ own expression. Additionally, because I’m learning about cubism and Pablo Picasso was one of its pioneers, I also know about the initial opposition toward his work, which further cements that idea.
Overall, I really enjoyed going to the MOMA. It allowed me to experience something that is familiar to me because I have learned about them before, but unfamiliar because I don’t find it very interesting. Despite that, I liked interpreting paintings because it allows me to look at myself and the artist through the perspective of the painting.
