A Volcano of Violence, Peace, and Liberalism

The art expressed by Pablo Picasso and Isadora Duncan strengthens the insecurities that lie beneath my soul. The violence and battles depicted through their art are a constant reminder of the wars and violence that have occurred throughout the twentieth century in the United States of America. An example of Picasso’s and Duncan’s theme in the current society is the hatred expressed by adults and children manifested through massive school shootings and terrorist attacks. The general concept of the works of these two artists completely eradicates the ideology of world peace and the sense of an optimistic civilization.

As I observe some of Picasso’s love paintings and Duncan’s distinctive dance choreographies, a sense of hopelessness overwhelms my inner being with a dose of oppression, which is a constant reminder of the current perverse society. The sense of family stability is slowly deteriorating at the sight of so much violence overpowering the homes, such as that of the families of relatives lost, due to terrorism or mass violence. The work of Picasso and Duncan depicted violence, which occurred during the nineteenth hundredths. The art of Picasso and Duncan express a personal intricate state of violence combined with peace and liberalism in the twentieth century. The current analysis will compare and contrast these themes through the work of Picasso and Duncan, as well as my personal reality of the messages expressed through their work.

Violence and Liberalism through Picasso and Duncan

Though Picasso was fonder of expressing love rather than violence, it was inevitable to exemplify love through his work without incorporating a dosage of violence. Particularly, in Picasso’s drawing and study of A Torso utilized the human body to exhibit a sense of vulnerability (Indignation 179). This state of vulnerability was depicted through some of Picasso’s drawings of the human body without a head. Since the head is visualized as the main source of human identity, the absence of such is more likely to transmit a sense of decapitation. Without a head there is no voice; hence, no freedom of speech, self-will, and self-purpose. The absence of limbs exemplified in Picasso’s drawing of A Torsi is a testament to a weak culture and a fragile society. Picasso’s painting of The Three Dancers culminated in the sense of fear and threat transmitted through its message. The brutality of the mutated object models would most likely be received as a sign of violent and oppressive terrorism in the twentieth century.

Likewise, Duncan used her body to express a sense of violence through cultural deviancy by forming her body into strange and rarely seen movements. Specifically, Duncan believed natural movements, like that from the savage, were accepted and lovely. Such movements can be seen as a violent behavior expressed by illiterate and uneducated people. Similarly to Picasso, Duncan believed the underlying messages of her artistry should reveal a deeper and meaningful message. Her rebellion against the traditional role of oppressed women is exemplified through her free-spirited movements, her liberal ideologies, and her view of the future for women. Particularly, Duncan’s sinful and liberal lifestyle exhibited through her multiple life partners and bisexual tendencies were also transmitted through her dances. Picasso and Duncan’s liberalism and violencewere manifested through symbols and forms commonly perceived as peaceful, such as a dove and a ballet choreography.

Contrarily to violence, Picasso’s underlying message of peace was transmitted through some of his work. For instance, the artwork of The Village Dance in 1922 exemplified a simple and peaceful romance where the couple were ultimately united and at peace (Durant 78). In the current culture, the message transmitted through this artwork can be viewed as satirical to the behavior of modern love. A drawing such as this weakens my desire for love and old traditional family values. Contrary to this artwork, the bonds of relationships in the twentieth century have been diminished. Pure and honest traditional love has been removed from society. The concept of solidarity revealed through Picasso’s artwork is almost nonexistent in modern American culture. Picasso’s dove painting in tribute to Guernica can be viewed as a mock to world peace, as the artist did not believe the dove was a symbol of peace (Chambers & Hood 44). Contrary to the popular opinion, Picasso believed dove was more a symbol of violence than of peace.

Similarly, Duncan believed in a peaceful and supernatural state of art. Particularly, she believed that the movements of the body should be the language of one’s soul (Valley 132-133). Duncan enjoyed observing her body as she danced across the dance floor. Her contradictory actions exemplified through her dance apparel can be seen as an act of deviance during the nineteenth hundredths, as dancers would usually dance in conservative clothes. Duncan perceived this behavior as a call to freedom. The artist believed the dancer’s moves should be unique and different, as they should express the intricacies of one’s soul. The moves displayed through her students went against the norm. The typical ballet rules were not strictly followed. Duncan’s dance school was a testament to the change in dance and art structure from one of restriction to that of liberalism, which is representative of the twentieth century aesthetic.

Personal Discovery

As I observed the work of art expressed through Picasso’s paintings and Duncan’s dance choreographies, I realized how similar messages can be manifested through several platforms of art. Although Picasso and Duncan might have shared common feelings of their sense in the nineteenth century, their internal realities were exteriorized through bold artistry. The general opinion does not always coincide with the reality of a human being. For instance, the idea that a dove is a symbol of peace might not coincide with a dove’s natural behavior. Similarly, Duncan’s strange dance movements might not be correlated with the traditional ballerina choreography (Valley 132-133). People manifest internal emotions and thoughts through blatant and subliminal behaviors. Their true message might not be deliberately exposed; however, their hidden message lies underneath. Similarly to artists, one has to search deeply to discover a human being’s true meaning, as it is sometimes far from the obvious.

I believe every human being is an artist, as everyone has something to express through some type of medium. The manifestations of one’s behavior are connected with our true sense of place in the world. The human being’s artistic nature can transmit social and psychological symptoms of depression, which leads to one’s personal sense of place in the world. These individual manifestations can be positive or negative, such as romantic love or violent behavior. Often times, one’s artistry transmits an underlying message others are not able to perceive through superficial eyes. The work of an artist is more likely to elicit an emotional and/or rational response from its viewer. Personally, the art of Picasso and Duncan expresses the intricacies manifested in the twentieth century including a mixture of violence combined with peace and liberalism. Such cultural manifestations cause personal conflicts and confusion, as to one’s future perspective of the world.

Works Cited

Chambers, Joan, and Molly Hood. "Mary Cassatt." A work of art. Twickenham: Belair, 1995. 44. Print.

Durant, Delia. "Musee Picasso." Paris. 11th ed. London: Somerset Books, 2007. 78. Print.

Indignation, Gentle. "The Highly Opinionated Newsletter Volume 2 Number 17." The Highly Opinionated Newsletter. Lincoln: iUniverse, 2002. 179. Print.

Valley, Martha. "The Making of Peace." Deadly dance/divine dance: a journey into freedom. S.l.: Dorrance Pub Co, 2013. 132-133. Print.