it is fascinating when i find a jewel of personal significance and in this case it was in the African civilisation collection on loan to SIngapore Asian Civilizations Museum. Picasso was influenced by the masks made by African tribes and the resemblance in some of his paintings (i wasn't allowed to photograph them) is uncanny... anyway he says something...
"who sees the human face correctly the photographer, the mirror, the painter?"
nice, eh?
19 comments:
It was Picasso that got me interested in masks. "Les Demoiselles d'Avignon" not only led the way to Cubism, it also introduced the African mask to Modern Art. For this reason I wanted a couple masks of my own to study and reference. Who knew it would end up being an obsession??? Thanks for sharing these masks. They are wonderful!
-Don
i took quite a few photos but because you are not allowed to use flash, they were rather blurry so i didn't post them here.
i am glad to see i am in good company with my interest in masks:)
Cool, I especially love the bottom one.
I have Mardi Gras mask from a trip through New Orleans a few years back, painted by a local artist.
Never get tired of it.
Glad they appeal to you David. i have also visted New Orleans many years back but bought a puppet on strings and a green teddy bear;)
i like the last mask too .... i might take charcoal and paper and go back to the museum to draw those Picasso paintings as they truely capture the essence of the African masks.
I just noticed the eyes on the second mask down...
you can see light shining through, yellow and blue, gives it kind of a wink ; I
I also like the slight blur in the bottom mask
glad you noticed the light David... it is even more dramatic in the museum.... as for the blur, my shakey hands with slow shutter speed but i see what you mean:)
The Picasso quote is wonderful. I have an artist friend who once said a painted portrait tells as much about the painter as it does about its subject.
I recently saw a large Picasso show at the Seattle Art Museum. At the entrance they had a large exhibit of African masks. It was obvious they had a transformative effect on Picasso. As I walked back past them on the way out, the masks seemed somehow transformed as well (at least in how I saw them).
It is a great quote Shirley... i wonder what your friend would make of me through my portrait work;)thank you for your thoughts and visit.
hi Don, it is so interesting you should say that.... i had walked around looking at the masks without giving them much thought til i came to the Picasso paintings and things fell into place... the biggest lesson for me was: art is in everything if you care to look...
Hi Rahina,
Let me join up with Don's comment. We also took in the Picasso Exhibit in Seattle and were struck by the simultaneous exhibition of African Masks.
The creativity and workmanship is truly astounding. It's easy to see why Picasso was so affected by them.
Thanks for sharing.
Sincerely,
Gary.
Hey - let us have a little look-see at those watercolors.
Yes, Gary, i guess he has taken the habit from all artists who through the centuries have taken or stolen from others and added their own little something in the process.
Hi Bill, forget it... i am not goign to embarrass myself by showing you what a mess i am capable of creating... anyway i have chucked the water colours into a dark corner so i won't ever see them again;)
I agree that the Picasso quote is wonderful...These works are also outstanding...Daniel
Yes, Daniel the masks are inspiring in an errie human way:)
So interesting. Thanks for sharing.
glad you found it useful Karen:)
Oh, these masks are so cool!
Glad you like them Tim:)
quite impressive. I can see why Picasso was impressed. After my recent trip to the SW I always come away with a great appreciation for cultures.
Thanks for posting
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