Ingres and Picasso in the Light of Modernism

The reason for choosing these particular works of art is not accidental. While most viewers might look at these paintings and see no resemblance, they are actually more similar than it might initially seem. Of course, there are some differences in these paintings, like the use of space, which is depicted in a very abstract way in Les Demoiselles d’Avignon in contrast to Grande Odalisque where there is almost no background whatsoever. Also, the style of painting differs because Picasso uses more geometrical forms and robust lines to create objects, whilst Ingres prefers smooth lines and tries to hide the visibility of brush strokes. Nevertheless, even though for common viewers Ingres seems neo-classical in contrast to forward-thinking Picasso, both of the paintings were modern for their time; both, Ingres and Picasso, self-consciously depicted the images in their paintings in an unnatural manner to create anxiety in viewers. The anatomy as well as the proportions of the bodies and women’s poses in Les Demoiselles d’Avignon as well as in Grande Odalisque does not depict the reality. In Ingre’s and Picasso’ paintings the subjects have an extraordinary bone structure; the bodies are either extended or twisted in an impossible way. Likewise the central subjects of the paintings are prostitutes, which is not that surprising because they were often illustrated in works of art during that period in history but usually their glances weren’t turned directly to the viewer. By painting the women facing spectators, Picasso and Ingres tried to somehow include them in the narrative, perhaps even putting them in the role of someone who might use the women’s services. Obviously the majority of people were shocked about this kind of comparison.…