Modern Art (ARTH 2210): Critical Analysis of Chave Article Questions

This homework assignment analyzes Anna C. Chave's article on Les Demoiselles d'Avignon, exploring its themes of gender, race, and the origins of Cubism. The student's responses address questions about Chave's interpretation of the painting's content, target viewers, prominent images, and the male response to the nude figures. The analysis delves into the pictorial space within the context of modern art, the depiction of European and African-inspired figures, and the characteristics of prostitutes in Western culture. Additionally, the assignment examines Picasso's shift in style, Chave's perspective on the headgears, and the painting's apotropaic qualities. The student's answers provide a critical perspective of the painting, focusing on the negative portrayal of women, racial gaps, and the complexities of modern art.

Name 1
Art History
Question 1
From a literal point of view, Chave describes the work as awful and fails to categorize it as an
appropriate depiction of art in the modern century. The author decries the negative portrayal of
women especially the black as tools of sex in addition to other feminine struggles.
Question 2
The target viewer, as it seems, is the heterosexual male, however, the normal beings especially
women in the African society are the unanticipated viewers in this case. This can be derived
from Chave’s description of the piece of art as a mimicry to the decent woman and her sexual
privacy.
Question 3
The most prominent image is the depiction of women as sexual apparatus for male gratification.
The women use this ‘gift’ to win over the attention of men. It is still clear, from this piece of art,
that women are the weaker gender in the society and may never be able to prove a point without
being aggressively seductive.
Question 4
According to Chave, the male see the demoiselles not only as awful but also fearsome. The piece
of art exposes the nudity of the women but covers their faces which is quite depreciating going
by the author’s stand. The work entirely brings out the women as whores, harlots or prostitutes
desperate for the attention of their long list of clients. But not all men desire for women packaged

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like this, others prefer the decent types which explains why they would see the women in this
painting as fearsome and awful.
Question 5
Chave does not only see the pictorial space as female sexual space but also as a flattened space
of the history of cubism, origin of capitalism and formation of the base from which modern art
has since been developed. In her description of the pictorial space, she mentions that it is
“Shallowing or depleting of the full texture of human experience under capitalism.”
Question 6
Despite the inclusion of the more European figures, Chave still believes the piece of art is a
mimicry to the black woman. The work in itself indicates the existence of a gap between the
black and the white. Chave takes issue with the aspect of the black women having masks, the
artist intentionally tries to hide their ugliness using masks while exposing their privates which
ought to have been covered first. Consequently, the white women are depicted as stronger and
more empowered despite the fact that both divides are operating in more or less similar
circumstances.
Questions 7
According to Chave, one of the eminent hallmarks of prostitutes in the western culture is their
seductive nature. They are always willing to go through all it takes to win the attention of men.
The prostitutes are indecent and explore nudity as a sure way of reaching out to their clients.
Additionally, their thirst for men is unending. This never happens necessarily due to their love
for sex but rather the desire for money. In summary of her thoughts, she wonders whether sex is
for the purposes of pleasure anymore since most individuals, specifically the prostitutes, have
taken this up as an economic venture. It is now treated as the emblem of the modern culture.

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Question 8
Picasso changes his style first by allowing the audience to believe that he has moved away from
cubism. He makes the paintings more naturalistic and uses elements that eventually offer the
viewer’s more space and desire to interact with the art. The depictions in Les Demoiselles does
not only paint a graphic image of the women but would also make some of the intended viewers
‘uncomfortable’. A more natural approach to art is attractive and peaceful.
Question 9
Chave leans towards reading the work because she finds fun in the artistic depiction of the
prostitutes as having headgears which pokes fun at the prostitutes’ clients. As mentioned, the
headgear depiction despoils the clients’ sexual appetite.
Question 10
The term apotropaic can be used to describe something that has the power to ward off or avert a
bad situation. Based on this definition, the painting is treated as apotropaic by Chave due to the
fact that the wrongful depiction of women can easily put off the very audience for which the
piece of work was intended. Greek ancient mythology also relates the term to exposure of
genitalia as a way of averting attention. The extreme exposure of women nudity in the painting
would be the core reason why Chave refers to it as the most apotropaic work in modern art.

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Summary
The theme of feministic sexuality laced with elements of race and gender has been evidently
explored by the writer through the arguments. Negative portrayal of women especially the black
woman takes the center stage in the author’s perspective of the painting. Despite her appreciation
of the piece of art, Chave is keen to point out that Picasso, perhaps unintentionally, reveals the
aspect of racial gap between the black and white which has been a major point of argument
especially in the western culture (Chave 2). The author’s evaluation has successfully brought out
a different point of view regarding the painting. While one would simply view it as a painting of
nude women made on canvas with a trendy mash up of colors, the author confirms through the
arguments that there is more to this piece of art that the audience can interestingly interact with.

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Works Cited
Anna C. Chave, “New Encounters with Les Demoiselles d’Avignon: Gender, Race, and the
Origins of Cubism”, The Art Bulletin, Vol. 76, No. 4 (Dec. 1994), pp. 596-611
https://www.jstor.org/stable/3046058