Art and its artists are things which have always fascinated me, particularly when they are set within the context of history. Why did these artists paint? What did they paint? And how far were they influenced by the world around them?
In my first year of Durham I took a brilliant module in European history 1848-1918 in which I explored the artists of the period and the ways in which they responded to the profound changes happening throughout Europe. I studied Picasso and how his painting Les Demoiselles d'Avignon was inspired by the pessimism which he felt towards contemporary society. As industrialisation progressed and cities became overpopulated and disease-ridden, many people felt depressed by the new, nitty-gritty, grimey, immoral world in which they lived. In this painting, Picasso seems to be echoing this feeling. The women are protrayed as prostitutes - provocative and immoral. Their faces are contorted or dirty to reflect the diseases that clung to Europe's growing cities. The tribal masks on the faces of two reflect European colonialism and the fear felt by some Europeans towards their new and unknown colonial subjects in Africa.
This period was a time of uncertainty, and the way that it is reflected through art is fascinating. The historical context into which these artists fit has fuelled my interest in art and sparked a renewed interest in painting. Hopefully during my gap year I can explore this path a bit more!
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