Picasso's Curbism During World War I

World War I (WWI) was the turning point for modernism where many artists involved in the war welcomed nihilism and expressed their opposing views on outdated societal norms through non-traditional works of art. The artists of the movement expressed a different point of view regarding how reality was portrayed. Characteristics of this modern avant-garde revolution included the expressive use of color, primitivism, and experimentation. Modernism soon had a lasting impact on artistic styles and techniques throughout the 20th century, resulting in a profusion of artistic movements from impressionism to the influential style of Picasso’s cubism. The movement that became known as cubism emerged with one of Picasso’s most loved pieces, Les Demoiselles
This philosophical movement opened a gateway to a plenitude of artistic factions. Cubism emerged from the influence of French modernist, Paul Cezanne who used simple forms, geometric shapes, and deliberate color choices to create complex compositions. These features are central to Picasso’s cubist revolution, wherein he exploited these intriguing techniques to reimagine the shape of the prostitutes featured in Les Demoiselles d’Avignon. In doing so, Picasso allowed his viewers to see new angles that opposed modern perception, however, created no depth perception in the space. This new style was considered analytic cubism where, as portrayed in the illustrious painting, the female figures are geometrically misshapen and unrealistically accentuated creating a piece capable of being analyzed differently. The color scheme used in the piece is unlike those of the fauvism movement or of traditional art, but dull-like and instead of the use of bold color, Picasso utilized strong line drawing and the art was perceived as flat and lacking shading between tones. Like most modern artwork, this piece and cubist pieces alike focuses on representational still-life differentiating it by using shifting planes and
Women, who bodies were perceived as natural and pure, were presented with confrontational looks of hostility as prostitutes of a Brothel that were unappealing and lacking feminism. Picasso also expresses his fetishes, sexuality, and his fear of women during the frequent encounters within the Brothel on Avignon Street in Barcelona, Spain. Additionally, in terms of expression, this piece was regarded as a mockery towards Matisse’s piece, Joy of Life, because of their ongoing competition to become known for supremacy in modern