Sample Art & Architecture Paper on Race-ing Art History: Critical Readings in Race and Art History

Letter to Pablo Picasso

1000 S. Grand Avenue

Los Angeles, CA 90015

United States

15/11/2018

Dear Pablo Picasso,

You are one of the most skilled painters of this generation who has revolutionized how people perceived art. I consider you one of the greatest creators of art due to the manner in which could break down a subject into its core elements, eliminating what was not required, and concentrating on what counted in an efficient way. What I admire most about you is how you communicated using art. Some of your works still garner attention and attract plaudits to date. For example, the “Desmoisellesd’avignon,” painted in 1907, is still considered one of your most magnificent works of art and it can be viewed at the Museum of Modern Art, located in New York City (Pinder 6).

   For all the countless works of art created over time, only a select few have the power to thoroughly mesmerize, amaze, and psychologically challenge the observer. In my opinion, The La Vie painting, which you painted in May 1903 in Barcelona, stands out from the rest of your works (Pinder 3). This painting is a masterpiece. To me, the La Vie painting is a work that is a culmination of ideas and past efforts. There is often a quality of pure inventiveness about the La Vie painting, as though you stepped further and moved into uncharted territory (Pinder 4). This element about the La Vie painting still puzzles me to-date. What did the couple in the La Vie painting represent? Additionally, not only did you invent new forms of painting but also explored the aesthetic possibilities of ephemeral and non-art materials.

To-date, new artists continue to incorporate some of your styles of painting in their works. Moreover, you have helped to completely redefine Western standards of beauty in art and how people view/interpret static images. By challenging several aspects of neoclassicism, including the illusion of realistic depth and form, you instigated the rise of new painting styles. Besides, your paintings have challenged human assumptions about form and how to identify something. For instance, how our brains create a meaning from a painting even if the pieces are scattered or contradictory.

Reference

Pinder, Kymberly N. Race-ing Art History: Critical Readings in Race and Art History. New York: Routledge, 2002. Print.