Tate Modern

On January 10, our class visited the Tate Modern gallery which encompassed over a hundred years of contemporary and modern art from around the world. I focused on Picasso’s Dish of Pears (1936) which was an oil painting on canvas which portrayed a still life depiction of pears on a dish through an abstract pattern of colors and shapes. Picasso painted several renowned still life paintings throughout his career and became the world’s most famous influence during his time. Picasso would often utilize his art to make political commentary and voice his opinion on current events. His art would often push themes of pacifism and distaste for war. When I think of activism in art, I am reminded of the Artists International Association, an organization in which many Bloomsbury Group members were involved in. The AIA was described in the article Bloomsbury and War as “a pacifist organization… we can see how this pacifist activism operated intersectionally with socialism and antifascism.”1 Through his political involvement Picasso became connected to the Bloomsbury Group in which he became best friends with Clive Bell.

However, despite Picasso’s progressive beliefs and massive influence we begin to see how people are multifaceted; individuals can be progressive in some areas while remaining regressive in others. Picasso was known for his problematic treatment of women as well as his Communist beliefs which were controversial for the time. While an individual of this belief might be typically shunned during that time, Picasso’s immense talent kept his works relevant. Recognizing this idea makes me uneasy. On one hand, individuals should not be remembered as a sum of their worst actions or beliefs. On the other hand, there are likely many artists who had their careers derailed due to their questionable morals and because their talent was not on par with Picasso. Nevertheless, this work by Picasso reminds how art intersects politics.