Eva Hernández will be presenting her research: Symbols of War and Death: Pablo Picasso’s Vanitas Still Lifes.

Abstract:           

Known for his abstract forms, Cubism, and blue and pink periods, Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) remains one of the most important figures in art history. Starting in 1907 Picasso found a new interest in Vanitas still lifes. Picasso appropriated and reimagined the Vanitas genre—more typically associated with seventeenth-century Dutch paintings. His production of Vanitas still lifes greatly increased during the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) and continued throughout the Second World War (1939-1945). Picasso’s Vanitas works not only reflect the global devastation and political unrest of this period but also align with the personal losses in his life. The artworks sway between personal reflection and political commentary, drawing from both his personal experiences and broader social conditions. This research will examine the circumstances under which Picasso created each of these works and how these circumstances are reflected in the artworks themselves.

Picasso once described art as an instrument of war; he consciously or subconsciously shaped his Vanitas to embody this idea. (Barr) Through more than twenty memento moris, Picasso pays homage both to the broader struggles of his Spanish and French communities and to those close to him such as Gertrude Stein, Paul Cézanne and Robert Desnos. 

[1] Alfred H. Barr, Jr. Picasso: Fifty Years of his Art. (New York: The Museum of Modern Art, 1946), 248-247.