Rosalind Krauss Analyzes Picasso's Collages and Internal Contradictions
A new French edition of Rosalind Krauss's 1998 essay examines Pablo Picasso's shift from Cubism to collage around 1912, when he moved to Montparnasse with Éva. Krauss argues that Picasso's work was driven by perpetual internal contradiction, not a return to classicism. She uses Mikhail Bakhtin's theories of dialogism and polyphony to interpret the newspaper clippings in Picasso's collages as multiple voices—political, economic, sensational—that engage the viewer and respond to contemporaries like Georges Braque, Henri Matisse, Guillaume Apollinaire, and Francis Picabia. Krauss also explores Picasso's stylized line as a form of depersonalization, his use of pastiche, and his secretive coding of personal life. The essay was originally published in 1998 and is now translated by Jean-Louis Houdebine.
Key facts
- Rosalind Krauss's essay on Picasso was originally published in 1998.
- The French translation is by Jean-Louis Houdebine.
- Picasso's first solo exhibition in 13 years was in 1919 at Paul Rosenberg's gallery.
- The exhibition mixed Cubist works with classical-style pieces, shocking critics.
- Critic Roger Allard called the classical works a pastiche of many artists except Picasso.
- Robert Delaunay in 1923 accused Picasso of pastiching Braque and others.
- Picasso invented collage around 1912, transitioning from analytical to synthetic Cubism.
- Krauss applies Bakhtin's dialogism and polyphony to analyze the newspaper clippings in collages.
- Picasso's collages include cut-out text like 'Un coup de thé...' (a theater coup).
- Krauss sees Picasso's line as stylized and depersonalized.
- Picasso produced both neo-classical and Cubist drawings in Rome.
- Krauss identifies 'reaction formation' as a structure leading to pastiche and secrecy.
- Picasso's relationships with women are described as 'oppositional pairs' that structure his work.
- The essay argues Picasso's internal contradictions were a motor for his creativity.
Entities
Artists
- Pablo Picasso
- Rosalind Krauss
- Jean Cocteau
- Fernande Olivier
- Éva Gouel
- Georges Braque
- Henri Matisse
- Guillaume Apollinaire
- Francis Picabia
- Roger Allard
- Robert Delaunay
- Mikhail Bakhtin
- Jean-Louis Houdebine
- Olivier Renault
- Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres
- Vincent van Gogh
- Paul Cézanne
- Albrecht Dürer
- Leonardo da Vinci
- Le Nain brothers
- Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec
- Théophile Steinlen
- Honoré Daumier
- Camille Corot
- André Derain
- Pierre Puvis de Chavannes
Institutions
- Macula
- artpress
Locations
- Montmartre
- Montparnasse
- Rome
Sources
- artpress —