Style Imitating Art: Les Demoiselles d’Avignon by Pablo Picasso
About Style Imitating Art
Style Imitating Art is hosted by Salazar of 14 Shades of Grey, Terri of MeadowTree Style, and Shelbee of Shelbee on the Edge. Style Imitating Art challenges us to draw style inspiration from pieces of art. Every other Monday, one of the hosts, acting as curator, selects an inspiration image that they will each post on their blogs. The following Monday, each host shares her art inspired outfit. Participants are invited to submit their art inspired outfits to the curator by 10:00 p.m. EST on the Tuesday following the hosts’ art inspired outfit posts. The following day, Wednesday, the curator will share all of the submissions on her blog.
You don’t have to be a blogger to join! You are invited to share your images on Instagram or other social media platforms. Just be sure to tag Salazar, Terri, and Shelbee or use #TeamLOTSStyle and #StyleImitatingArt so the hosts know you have joined. Go have some fun in your closets and join the SIA challenge next week!
The Inspiration Artwork
The inspiration artwork was curated by me. You can read why I chose this specific piece as my inspiration artwork here.
Les Demoiselles d’Avignon by Pablo Picasso (Oil on Canvas, 1907)
About the Artist: Pablo Picasso
Pablo Ruiz Picasso was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist, and theatre designer who is regarded as one of the most influential artists of the 20th century. With Georges Braque, he pioneered the Cubist art movement that revolutionized European painting and sculpture while also influencing other related movements in music, architecture, and literature. Picasso is also credited with the invention of constructed sculpture and the co-invention of collage as well as a wide variety of other artistic styles that he helped develop and explore.
At 11:15 p.m. on October 25, 1881, Pablo Ruiz Picasso was born in the city of Málaga, Andalusia, in southern Spain, the first child of art professor and museum curator, Don José Ruiz y Blasco, and his wife, María Picasso y López. The surname Picasso comes from a coastal region in northwestern Italy. In 1807, Pablo Picasso’s maternal great grandfather Tommaso Picasso moved to Spain. (I really only shared that detail because the name Tommaso Picasso makes me smile.) Having a lineage of minor aristocrats, at the time Picasso was born, his family was comfortably planted in a middle class background.
Picasso showed extraordinary skill and passion for drawing at a very young age. His mother recollected that his first words were piz, piz, a shortened version of lápiz, the Spanish word for pencil. He began receiving formal training from his father in figure drawing and oil painting at the age of 7. When he was 13, his father acknowledged that the student had surpassed the teacher and his father vowed to give up painting although later works by him do exist.
At the age of 16, Picasso’s father and uncle decided he would be better suited at Madrid’s Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando and sent him off on his own for the first time. However, Picasso hated formal instruction and stopped attending classes shortly after enrollment.
Picasso’s work is often categorized into periods with the most commonly accepted ones being the Blue Period (1901–1904), the Rose Period (1904–1906), the African-influenced Period (1907–1909), Analytic Cubism (1909–1912), and Synthetic Cubism (1912–1919), also referred to as the Crystal period. Many of his works from the late 1910s and early 1920s are done in the neoclassical style while his mid 1920s works frequently show characteristics of Surrealism. In his later works, he often combined different elements of his earlier styles.
Picasso achieved universal renown and great wealth for his revolutionary accomplishments, making him one of the best known figures in 20th century art. And as one of the best known artists to have ever lived, there are mountains of publications about his life and his work. So I am not even going to try to fit more in this post except these final personal details.
Picasso was married twice and fathered four children with three different women. He also maintained several mistresses in addition to his wife or primary partner throughout his life. After spending most of his adult life in France, Picasso died in Mougins, France, from pulmonary edema and heart failure on April 8, 1973, at the age of 91. His body was interred at the Château of Vauvenargues near Aix-en-Provence in southern France.
About the Art: Les Demoiselles d’Avignon
Les Demoiselles d’Avignon is one of Picasso’s most famous and most influential works. It is a very large oil on canvas, measuring nearly 8 feet squared (243.9 cm × 233.7 cm or 96 in × 92 in) and was painted in the Proto-Cubism style in 1907. The work was originally titled The Brothel of Avignon but was later changed to The Young Ladies of Avignon and it portrays five nude prostitutes standing in a Barcelona brothel. The women are not portrayed as conventionally feminine but rather they are presented in a disconcerting confrontational manner that is slightly menacing and a bit intimidating.
Two of the women are painted in the Iberian style of Picasso’s native Spain while two are featured wearing African masks covering their faces so you can’t see them, but they can still see you. And that was the triggering detail that led this painting to becoming the focal point of my thesis on Voyeurism.
Just as there are piles of works written about the artist, there are smaller piles of works written about this specific painting. This article gives a beautifully detailed history about Les Demoiselles d’Avignon. The painting is on permanent exhibit at the MoMA in New York City.
References/Resources:
- Les Demoiselles d’Avignon (Wikipedia)
- Pablo Picasso (Wikipedia)
- Stories of Iconic Artworks: Pablo Picasso‘sLes Demoiselles d’Avignon
- Cubism (Wikipedia)
- Proto-Cubism (Wikipedia)
About My Outfit Inspired by Les Demoiselles d’Avignon
From the moment I decided to feature this work, I vowed right out loud to my husband that I was NOT going to take my clothes. I was adamant about simply creating a regular outfit that anyone could comfortably wear anywhere. And somehow I ended up in my underwear anyway. But they are such pretty underwear that I was wanting to share because how does anyone know about pretty panty sets and where to find them if people like me don’t share that information.
I had recently cleaned out the old underwear drawer and went on a bra and panty shopping spree with some Torrid rewards and coupons. This pale pink lacy bra and panty set was part of that haul and it really is too pretty not to show off! And a painting of naked women in a brothel seemed like the perfectly appropriate occasion to show off my underwear.
Even though I had my heart set on the panty set, I still didn’t want to do it for some reason. I wanted to make a real outfit. So I kept brainstorming other ideas and kept the panties as a fallback. Then the other day we were walking through the mall and I spotted a little mint green bodycon dress in the window of Charlotte Russe. I am not one to buy new items specifically for a style challenge like this, but I figured if Charlotte Russe had a similar dress in pink or nude, it might be just the thing I need.
I found the nude dress for $10 and I am really happy that I didn’t pay a penny more because not only does the dress look pretty awful on me I didn’t even really like it for representing the painting. Maybe if I had worn the pink kimono instead of the white, I may have liked it better. But I had the pink bra straps peeking out and was kind of going for a “nude” look. I added light blue heels to pick up the blue in the shadows. And the kimono creates the same vibe as the all the linens draped around the naked women. As for the failed dress, I think it will work perfectly for a summertime nightie underneath any of my fabulous kimonos.
Before I sign off for today, I have to share this incredibly serendipitous story. When I was shopping in Charlotte Russe for the dress, I showed the sales staff an image of Les Demoiselles d’Avignon and explained that I was creating an outfit inspired by it. The manager looked at it, smiled really big, and said, “Wait! That’s the painting on her shirt!” as she pointed to the sales girl helping me. I hadn’t even noticed but sure enough she was wearing a tee shirt with this painting on the front. I excitedly asked where she got it and when she said she had bought it at TJ Maxx just a few days earlier, I immediately headed to TJ Maxx. They had one left in a men’s medium which is a tad too small over my bust but I bought it anyway. I think I am going to cut the image out and sew it to the back of a denim jacket unless you have other creative solutions to make this shirt work for me!
Be sure to check out Salazar’s interpretation of the painting as well as Terri’s take on it. If you want to join us to be featured in my gallery post on Wednesday, please send me your photos by Tuesday night at 10:00 p.m. EST.
Keeping it on the edge,
Shelbee
Linking up with these Fabulous Link Parties.
Outfit Details: Dress and Kimono-Charlotte Russe / Bra and Panties-Torrid / Shoes-MIA / Earrings-Old / Tee Shirt-TJ Maxx
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
I am a midlife woman, wife, and stay-at-home mother of 2 boys and 2 cats. I have a passion for helping other women feel fabulous in the midst of this crazy, beautiful life.
22 Comments
Tricia
Wow! That was a fun read this morning and I’m still waking up! I may go by TJMaxx and look for that t-shirt. You look amazing as usual! Think I’m going to buy some new lingerie. And love your shoes.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Aw, Tricia, thanks so much! I am really loving this little pink set! It feels so pretty and feminine. I hope you find that tee for yourself! Isn’t it so great?
xoxo
Shelbee
Patrick Weseman
Looking so very nice. You always nail it and liked how you teased there.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Patrick! Haha (and wink, wink).
xoxo
Shelbee
Michelle
Awesomeness! If I had the body for it and pretty new undies, I might have done something similar. 😄 And those are some beautiful undies! I know you were showing off those lacy panties, but your hair is amazing! And you’re right about sharing undies with other fashionistas. It’s one thing to see undies in a package or on a hanger, and another to see how they look on a live person.
Michelle
https://mybijoulifeonline.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thank you so much, Michelle! I just said to Jodie, why do they make the undies so pretty if they are not meant to be seen?! By the way, it really is very intimidating to post these photos. Even though I feel good and confident in the pictures, I never know what reactions will follow. But there is always at least one private message somewhere that will annoy the hell out of me and then I have to spend time and energy formulating a diplomatic response that is authentic to who I am, meaning I cannot react to offensive responses with anything other than a kind and insightful response in return.
One final note…um…you do have the body for underwear and bras! We all have the bodies for underwear and bras, silly! You may, however, lack the confidence to share pictures of your body in just underwear and bras. But you cannot blame your beautiful body for that lack of confidence. You can blame society all you want though! Society is the ultimate culprit in our struggles to gain more self confidence, after all! Rock on, my beautiful friend!
xoxo
Shelbee
Michelle
Awww…., I think that’s one of the nicest things anyone is has ever said to me. And you’re right! While it’s been 6 years, I was rockin’ this body at the nude pool party that was our wedding reception. You know what, I heard nothing but approving remarks (overheard to Dan about how lucky he was because I was walking around nude). LOL! And so were a lot of other people. Men and women both. I loved everybody’s birthday suit!
I’m sorry you get blow back from people on these posts. Holy shit, it’s underwear! Not our nude wedding reception. 🤣🤣🤣 But remember, every time you make such posts, there are a lot more women I think who take courage from you. Will they post underwear photos? Probably not. Will they like themselves and other women a bit better. Probably!
Michelle
mybijoulifeonline.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
First, I am cracking about the comment reply issue! Second, thank you for resharing this comment here! It is such a great one, it needs to be on the post. This comment made me feel validated so thank you for that as well!
xoxo
Shelbee
Jodie Filogomo
You did this fabulously Shelbee. I always love how brave you are and you look incredible.
XOOX
Jodie
http://www.jtouchofstyle.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Jodie, thank you so very much! I just had a conversation with Jeff yesterday about the whole mental process I go through before publishing underwear posts. I often wonder if I am brave or stupid…there might be a fine line between the two! But I will say it is more intimidating to do than I make it appear. And the after effects of it always leave me feeling very edgy…not in a good way. But really I just want to share the pretty underwear because why are they so pretty if I can’t show them off?!! Thanks for always being such a wonderful support!
xoxo
Shelbee
Marsha Banks
Hahaha! Too bad your husband didn’t bet you! But, your look really does suit the artwork, doesn’t it? What if you would cut off the neck of the tee and slit it down the back and wear it backwards like a cardi-type thing? I’d check Pinterest for ideas, too!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks, Marsha! That gave me a good giggle. I like your cardigan idea! The sleeves are a little snug as well so they may have to be cut off, too, making it more like a vest. Mens’ tee shirts do not ever fit large busted women! I also was thinking it might be cool to sew the image onto a canvas tote bag. I would probably show it off most that way!
xoxo
Shelbee
Eda - Yihhu
Great white dress, first time i read your story but i liked you, shelbe
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Aw, thanks so much, Eda! I really appreciate that. Have a fantastic day!
xoxo
Shelbee
Kathrine Eldridge
You look incredible in this sensual look Shelbee! Love the lingerie and the dress. Can’t believe the sales girl had the tee shirt with the work of art.
https://www.kathrineeldridge.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thank you, Kathrine! Isn’t it wild that she was wearing the art I was trying to copy?! Have a fantastic day, my friend.
xoxo
Shelbee
Jamie
Those underwear are so pretty and it was very brave of you to show them off. Designers make such beutiful undies but when does anyone get to see them? I am grateful for your post, it made my day.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Jamie, thank you so much! I really appreciate that. It validates what I do and that is so helpful. I hope you have the most wonderful day!
xoxo
Shelbee
Joanne
Hey, at least you’re not naked! LOL. You look fabulous and you did find an outfit that fit the theme; which is impressive for style imitating art when the photo is of naked women.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Hahaha, thanks so much, Joanne! I DO have this fun idea for a nude photoshoot though! My hair is long enough to cover all my bits now and I wanna see how creative I can get with angles and not show any parts! I think I will wait until it’s warmer though and do the photos outdoors.
xoxo
Shelbee
Gail
You look absolutely amazing Shelbee, your body and confidence! The lingerie is gorgeous and perfectly resonant of the Picasso artwork.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Aw, thank you so much, Gail! I think I was nervous about the pale pink color because it almost looks like I’m nude and I didn’t want people to think I was baring it all! But then I realized it’s just underwear that a model would wear in ads. No difference at all! And it worked for the art. That was the goal!
xoxo
Shelbee