Subjective Critique

At a glance, this painting does not strike me as aesthetically pleasing. Given the translated title "The Young Ladies of Avignon," I understand that I'm supposed to recognize female figures in a location that is presumably Avignon. Instead, I am confronted with garish caricatures of humanoid beings with exaggerated curves on a disjointed background. While I can appreciate what the artist was trying to accomplish, I don't like the style that was used to convey the message.


By using a Cubist style to represent these women, the figures lose some of their humanity by becoming flat and undifferentiated. The bodies are emphasized in a way that is not proportionate to real people, but does not seem to accentuate the figures in any meaningful way, other than depicting a "wasp" waist. The limited variation of value within each form makes them appear very flat, as though they were drawn on a cave wall (see Figure 1). I also find that the sharp, angled lines of blue with white highlights add extra movement to the scene that is distracting (Figure 2). Additionally, there does not seem to be a sense of unity within the scene. Engulfed in some sort of red and white circus tent, the women stand awkwardly in front of a low table that has a cornucopia of fruit on it. Other than being mostly nude women, there aren't many shapes that tie the piece together. Even within the bodies there are strange variations: some breasts are curved, others are very angular.

Figure 1

Figure 2 

I think that with a few tweaks, this work of art could be something worth marveling over. First of all, I'd focus on the form and proportions of the figures, using references to keep them true to life. By applying better value and contrast, I think that each figure would have more depth, making them more relatable to the viewer. I'd also unify the piece by incorporating the figures into a digestible scene. By placing them in a setting that helps to establish the difference of mid/fore/background, the figures in this painting would really stand out as the focus. To add a bit of visual intrigue, I'd toy with different textures, further distinguishing the art from a painting on a cavern wall. I don't even think this work needs to focus on human women to be interesting. I think I could do a better job of incorporating the shapes into a new composition by relying on gesture to evoke mythical beings. You'll be able to see some of the ideas I had based on the pre-production posted later on this blog.