Thoughts On 2oth Century Art - Essay Example

Thoughts on the Twentieth Century Upon reflection of the life and work of the two great artists, Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dali, I would say that I prefer Dali’s works rather than Picasso’s. This comparison is not based on the artistic style or technique, for both men represents an uncanny visual aesthetic that artists today strive to aspire, if not imitate. The choice is based on what the artwork represent with consideration to the personal, social and political context it belonged. While Picasso’s fame had virtually spared him during Hitler’s time, he was left unscathed even after the regime when people publicly criticized those who had the slightest affiliation to Nazism or Fascism (Pablo Picasso Biography).

Salvador Dali, on the other hand, was very vocal about what the Nazi had systematically deprived the human race. Dali’s The Persistence of Memory had left a strong impression as a new representation of the qualities of time. Time, as we believe, is something that is stoic and unchangeable. However, in the painting, Dali depicted his surrealist impression of the collapse of this cosmic order. He had incorporated time, man and death in what is to become his most famous painting.In retrospect however, if I were to choose which painting I would want to for my own aesthetic pleasure, I would choose Dali’s two depictions of The Basket of Bread.

It is probably because bread is not only the sustenance of one’s being but because it depicts his impression of Hitler’s irrational hunger. In conclusion, Picasso and Dali are both great artists and were able to influence a majority of artists up to now. I believe that being regarded as a sarcastic genius, Picasso was not compelled to look into the society’s evils as much as Salvador Dali. Picasso was imprisoned in his own secluded being that did not allow him to see what occurred outside.

Whilst Dali has incorporated his personal convictions during a time of war and unrest into his art describing the reality therein.Works Cited"Pablo Picasso Biography." Pablo Picasso. 10 December 2011 .