Assignment 5 - Edmund Burke Feldman

Edmund Burke Feldman

Aesthetics class

Kerry Keith Murdock

 
As a critic, Edmund Burke Feldman explains many of his own principles regarding his critique of Pablo Picasso’s work of art, “Leds Demoiselles d’Avignon,” painted in 1907. Despite all of his various critique elements as to ‘why’ the one thing he seems to be certain of it that the majority of the elements within the famous piece are intended to depict women, most likely in the nude. Other than that, Edmund appears to remain unclear as to the purpose of the piece or why it is created the way it has been. Many of Pablo’s pieces are collages of elements and color, so why would this piece be any different? Because it is not, as it appears, in his book, as a very clear representation of his subject matter it must needs contain an additional message of some sort.

            However, in agreeing with his concept that we must look with the vision or view in which the artist has intended we run the risk of failing to miss the whole point altogether or, in the case of his own critique, shoot beyond the mark altogether. Edmund gives the critique that the subjects give the impression that one might be falling, or of different national origins, or of different sexes. However, the intended focus could have nothing to do with the shapes before our eyes. Like children staring at clouds, we naturally try to find meaning or purpose in the objects before our eyes, as taught to us in psychology; which is, our brains naturally try to ‘fill in the gaps’ of missing  elements to create the impressions of physical objects. It is by this principle that we have motion pictures, which are simply a reproduction of fast-moving photos. It is also by this same principle that there is not a big, black dot in the center of our field of vision where our iris is, for our brains fill in the blanks where there are no cones or rods on the back of our retinas. It is also by this concept that stipple art is made famous. From up close, the technique employees hundreds of small dots. From a distance, the dots turn into images.

            Perhaps the focus is not to be placed upon the subject matter at all. Perhaps, like many beautiful color spatter arts, like the one on the second floor of the Art Institute across from the drawing lab room, the focus is in the color or the emotion of the painting. Pablo does use lots of vivid colors, angles, and lines in his pieces. We do know that each of these elements portray different feelings in each person. Horizontal lines give the feeling of resting, as we generally lie down when we sleep. Angled lines promote action while vertical lines keep us busy, like when we are standing in a line.

            Colors equally evoke imagination and emotion. As someone looks upon the picture of a soft, tan ball with a pinkish hue their memory or imagination may be drawn to what their recollection or memory knows. We associate colors and emotions with familiar objects.

            As such, perhaps our job as the viewer is simply to see and feel. Anything else beyond that could be missing beyond the mark as to the ‘why.’

            Unfortunately, as Senior Pablo is no longer with us we can’t simply ask him anymore. Therefore, we are forced to speculate – which might also be what he wanted all along.