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  • Essay / Comparative Analysis in Art: Pablo Picasso and Henry Moore

    Table of Contents Art Comparison Essay OutlineIntroductionPicasso's "Bullfight Scene"Moore's "Woman Sitting on the Subway"Differences in Visual LanguagesInterpretation works of artAnalysis of Pablo Picasso's “The Weeping Woman”ConclusionArt Comparison Essay ExampleAnalysis of Pablo Picasso's Work “The Weeping Woman”Works Cited Art Comparison Essay OutlineIntroductionIntroduction to Emphasis put by the essay on the comparison of “Woman sitting in the subway” by Henry Moore and “Bullfight scene” by Pablo Picasso. Picasso's "Bullfight Scene" Description of Picasso's artwork, including its medium, size, and subject matter Analysis of Picasso's emphasis on movement and form rather than fine detail Discussion of usage ink and tonal variations to depict bullfightingMoore's "Woman Sitting on the Subway"Description of Moore's artwork, including its medium, size, and historical context during the BlitzReview of the depiction of a woman on the wartime London UndergroundAnalysis of the use of media, lines and body language to convey atmosphere and moodDifferences in visual languagesExploration of the distinct visual languages ​​employed by Picasso and MooreDiscussion of how their origins and artistic approaches influenced their respective works Interpretation of artwork Argument against the need for true-to-life details for successful representation Examination of how the audience's interpretation of Moore's work differed from his intentions Analysis of the need for viewers to decode and understand the artist's "truth" in both works of art Analysis of Pablo's "The Weeping Woman" by PicassoDescription of Picasso's work "The Weeping Woman" Analysis of its vibrant colors and distorted featuresInterpretation of the emotional and symbolic elements of the workConclusionSummary of comparisons and interpretations of the two sets of worksReflection on the artists' abilities to convey emotions and meaning through their chosen mediumsConcluding thoughts on the subjective nature of artistic interpretationArt Comparison Essay ExampleThis comparison will focus on Henry Moore's Woman Sitting in the Subway and Pablo Picasso's Bullfight Scene.Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”?Get the original essayThe drawing by Picasso was done in ink on paper (size 480 x 623 mm) and depicts the picador, on his horse, throwing a bull. The emphasis is not on small details, but rather on the movement and shape of the characters; the image is a still image capturing the energy of the moment. A variety of tones is achieved by toning down the ink, which breaks the figures into more descriptive shapes, as opposed to a solid silhouette. This drawing is the tenth of fourteen made that day (02/25/1960), which represent the different stages of bullfighting. Moore's drawing depicts a woman sitting on the London Underground during the events of the Blitz. A much wider variety of media was used, including gouache, ink, watercolor and pencil on paper (size 483 x 381 mm); however, it is also a completed work, part of a series of drawings produced under the commission of the War Artists' Advisory Committee. The figure itself shows no facial features or expressions; the atmosphere is represented mainly through media and online. Body language is another detail that illustrates the tone of the drawing. In the background we see a mass of people, ghosts in white pencil. The dark atmosphere isenhanced by Moore's use of pastel grays and dull watercolors. The designs differ on many points. They express very different visual languages ​​through their choice of media, which is also influenced by the type of drawing and more by the environment in which they were produced and for what purpose. However, both artists eschew naturalistic details in favor of media and composition to depict their respective scenes. The artists generated drawings full of emotion and meaning without having to directly reproduce reality. I argue the need for true-to-life detail, achieved through a medium like photography, to successfully depict a scene. Additionally, I will detail the interpretation of the works outside of the artist's perspective and how the drawings managed to translate their subjects. The majority of Moore's shelter drawings depict groups of shelterers, but here a lone woman sits apart, "anxiously clasping her hands." (Tate, 2004) sitting in an upright position, which implies vigilance. Texture constitutes a large part of Moore's drawing: "A network of nervous, rough lines that describe the figure" (Tate, 2004), "In its texture and color, the paper resembles a slab of weathered concrete" (Ashford , 2007). the texture and dull colors perfectly encapsulate the atmosphere of Moore's underworld – Moore used pen, ink and primarily the wax-resin technique with watercolor both in his sketchbook and in his finished drawings (Moore, 1988, pp.12). The tension is very felt when observing the drawing; we feel sympathy for the heavily swaddled shelters. Moore emphasized that he never made drawings on the subway – “It would have been like sketching in the hold of a slave ship” (Moore, 1988, pp.10) – so as not to disturb people. in the circumstances. He took notes and reproduced them later at home – “a note like that of two people sleeping under one blanket would be enough of a reminder for me to make a sketch the next day.” (Moore, 1988, pp.10) “A Shelter Sketchbook” (Moore, 1988) contains a particular sketch identical to “Woman Sitting on the Subway”. In this sketch, the figure contains more recognizable facial features, a decision must have been made to remove these in the final drawing. "Moore's interpretation was... somewhat removed from the proper experience of the average shelter... His featureless sleepers are all doomed and haunted... For him it is the collective model and not the experience individual which is important." (Newton, 1945, pp.9) Newton states that Moore's drawings in Shelter form a collective, focused not on recognizable individuals, but on the collective suffering of a nation. Moore found inspiration in the Underground, emulating his sculptural eye - "I had never seen so many rows of reclining figures (in reference to his series of sculptures of reclining nudes) and even the holes of where the trains exited seemed to me to resemble them, holes in my sculpture. (Moore, 1988, pp.9) Frances Carey goes further, saying: “All the meaning and substance of his past work is implicit in his new work. » (Carey, 1988) illustrating the influence of his sculptural work. Moore's subterranean figures have been compared to "casts of victims of the eruption of Vesuvius at Pompeii" (Phaidon, 2013). Almost sculptures themselves and, similarly, a faceless community, facing a heartbreaking experience. In 1960, Picasso would have been 79 years old, yet he became more productive in his later years, producing a greater volume and variety of work (Penrose and Golding, 1981, pp.127) – The Use simpleof ink on paper in Figure 2 supports this, the support allows a faster pace of work. . Picasso and Moore used their subjects, depicted in Figures 1 and 2, to continue producing works at a time when artists could be seen as transitioning to new stages in their lives. Although Moore's works were commissioned, they still constitute an extension of his sculptural work. However, Picasso did not develop his drawings as Moore did; rather, we are witnessing quantity production. It is obvious that Picasso used a brush with ink – this movement of the brush imitates the direction of movement, especially in the bull's tail. The ink was diluted to achieve a variety of tones, breaking up figures and making shapes more distinct. The scaling of the bull and the matador walking away in the background create a sense of depth in a simplistic drawing. The Tate summary of Picasso's drawing reads: "Bullfight Scene" illustrates a dramatic moment in which the picador spears the bull as it charges, while the matador stands in the background, ready to intervene to as the final phase of the massacre begins. (Bottinelli, 2004) – Which gives adequate context to begin decoding the image. However, looking at the series as a whole, one narrative is evident; However, “many of them were drawn before going to the bullfight and made up of memories of previous bullfights – drawn, as Picasso said, to merit admission into the arena” (Sabart?s, 1961. pp. 54). Sabart? This tells us that the drawings do not strictly follow a specific narrative, but nevertheless represent the sequential stages of bullfighting. The visual languages ​​of Picasso and Moore differ greatly. Both artists are recreating a scene, but the artist's processes are very different – ​​this could be attributed to Moore's sculptural experience and his new exploration of drawing as an end in itself; versus Picasso who “had the feeling of being active is of being alive” (Penrose and Golding, 1981, pp.127). Furthermore, Moore produced finished works for his commission as a war artist, unlike Picasso who practiced his drawing to fill his life, recording his days. The artist Henri Matisse believed “that there is an inherent truth that must be disentangled from the outward appearance of art.” the object to be represented. It's the only truth that matters. (Flam, 1973. pp.117) A statement that applies to both figures 1 and 2. Sabart?s presents an excellent example: "No one has seen a bull exactly as Picasso sees it... His bulls are of real bulls; bulls… wild creatures, vibrant with life and incalculable strength… the true image of a bull, translated from the artist's memories” (Sabart?s, 1961. pp.52). Looking only at his ink drawing, it is difficult to envision the true image that Picasso represented. The collection of which Figure 2 is a part demonstrates a narrative that embodies something much grander. Sabart continues: “I don't think it is possible at all to compare our vision to that of Picasso. Indeed, as he said, no one can imagine what he sees as he actually saw it. (Sabart?s, 1961. pp.58) Moore's drawings were misinterpreted by the British public: art critic Keith Vaughan thought that "the decision to give Henry Moore, a sculptor with an extremely personal sense of form, the material of the tube shelters… was surely a man of great foresight and courage” (Lehmann, 1943) – however, Londoners felt “insulted” as they were excluded from the underworld that Moore described ( Lehmann, 1943). David Ashford described the drawings as "alienating imagery ofimmemorial suffering and passive endurance” (which) subsequently became “the key image… of a so-called ‘people’s war’” (Ashford, 2007). Vaughan believed that knowledge of Moore's earlier sculptural works was essential to fully understanding the subway drawings (Lehmann, 1943), which could explain the negative public reaction. Vaughan continues: “I have heard people call these drawings morbid and unreal. I don't think these two criticisms are justified. The qualities they emphasize are no less real because they are deeper than the obvious and the apparent. (Lehmann, 1943) further illustrate the need to become familiar with Moore's earlier work to understand his intentions. The forms he developed for the presentation of the human figure come from… his materials of wood and stone. (Lehmann, 1943) Moore's style comes from the translation of his sculptural experience into drawing. Another critic wrote: "Moore abandoned nothing...of his individual style" (Read, 1941), illustrating that Moore treated drawing as "an end in itself" (Hall, 1966, pp.103) – During the During World War II, Moore's rented studio was damaged by bombing. Moore was unable to complete his sculptural work and therefore turned to drawing (Moore, 1988). Matisse's writings explore the idea of ​​an understanding deeper than the surface: "it is therefore evident that the anatomical and organic inaccuracy of these drawings did not detract from the expression of the intimate character and inherent truth to the personality, but on the contrary contributed to illuminating it. (Flam, 1973. pp.117-119) Matisse argues that each drawing comes from the artist's understanding of the subject, which becomes identifiable by the artist: "It is not modified by the different conditions in which the drawing is made; on the contrary the expression of its truth by the elasticity of its line and by its freedom lends itself to the requirements of the composition; » (Flam, 1973. pp.117-119) The “truth” of the subject is not altered by the medium. A deeper knowledge is necessary to fully develop the understanding of drawing: just as knowledge of the bullfighting tradition complements the simpler ink drawing; and that understanding of Moore's earlier sculptural work significantly influenced his underground works. Jean Sutherland Boggs explains: "As an old man, Picasso could not help but be aware of death...The bullfight is surely a reminder of death" (Penrose and Golding, 1981, pp.127) Ronald Penrose a more developed understanding of the theme of bullfighting: "Man... the horse and the bull have all been victims of an inextricable cycle of life and death... The bull is eternal, it is continually replaced and thus becomes the symbol of the enduring force of life. (Penrose and Golding, 1981, pp110-111) Boggs relates that Picasso's fascination with bullfighting towards the end of his life foreshadowed what was to come. While Penrose believes that "Picasso's work is above all a visual investigation into the nature of this elusive reality" (Penrose and Golding, 1981, pp102), suggesting that the bullfight theme is not motivated by the concept of death – new characters are constantly reintroduced (the bullfighters) but the bull is “eternal”, a metaphor for his own life; Picasso evolves to produce new styles of work, but He is the constant. The theme of death is much more apparent in Moore's drawing, particularly in the ideas of Erich Neumann: "Increasingly 'abstract' ghostly figures... the almost recumbent sleepers are like the dead, and how protection offered by the windrowing cover is often barely distinguishable from the final safety of death. Some of the shelter designs are not justimages of underground caves, but of the underworld” (Neumann, 1959, pp.80). Many critics refer to the white wax creating featureless ghostly figures: "spectral, skeletal, devoid of flesh and body". blood." (Phaidon, 2013) Additionally, many have noted: "The apparent absence of period detail has led some...to interpret these figures as timeless symbols of fear, vulnerability, and endurance." (Tate , 2004) The idea of ​​timelessness further adds to the concept of ghostly and haunting figures. Furthermore, many comparisons have been made to "nightmarish slave ships" (Russell, 1968, p. 81), as if the figures were. Moore's memory of the Underground is just the opposite: "There were small, intimate contacts. Children sleeping soundly... People who were visibly strangers... forming small, intimate, tight groups (Moore, 1988). , p. 9) What Moore described was that of a community coming together: “They were cut off from what was happening from above, but they were aware of it” (Moore, 1988, pp.10). The suppression of individuality only reinforces the idea of ​​a collective, however, the public had misinterpreted the concept. Picasso's drawing depicts the event of the bull's death as part of the circle of life, but it is constantly being replaced; a romantic idealization. Moore's drawings have been likened to ghostly remains, timeless reminders of the blitz and the obvious death associated with it. Picasso's “Bullfight Scene” and Moore's “Woman Seated in the Subway” represent two very different scenes, but both only succeed in describing their submissive to a certain extent. Moore's drawing is very visual, projecting atmosphere through texture in particular. Moore's sculpture background heavily influenced the results, however, leaving the audience feeling misrepresented, lost in the translation of his concepts. Picasso's drawing succeeds in capturing the scene in a simplistic vision, but the drawing is better seen as part of his narrative where the tradition of bullfighting is more apparent. The drawings are a projection of the artist's "truth", but they need to be decoded: there is a contradictory debate on the themes of Picasso's drawing, torn between the celebration of tradition and the prefiguration of this which will happen in his last years. Moore was fascinated. by the idea of ​​the collective, removing the individuality of its images; he upset the British public who felt excluded from the underground world. Furthermore, many critics have viewed the characters in Moore's Underground as timeless symbols of pain, comparing the scenes to those of a purgatory – quite a contrasting view of what Moore saw and intended to see. show the Underground. The drawings show how “truth” can be reimagined. to describe the "artist's truth", but the translation is not always so obvious and is subjective to the viewer's understanding. Analysis of Pablo Picasso's work “The Weeping Woman” The work I chose made by Pablo Picasso is a sophisticated and vibrant work. work entitled “The Weeping Woman”. It was originally painted in 1937 in France, the Surrealist period, although it is a Cubist work of art. This work has quite vibrant colors that engulf the face and background. In this work, you will notice that the subject of this painting (the woman) does not seem normal. Her eyes have what look like crosses in the middle, which can mean she is sad or becoming sad. On her head, she wears a red hat with what looks like a flower with an arrow through it. Going down a little, you should notice that the subject of.