Approaches to Picasso's Vollard Suite and a Dionysian view of Art (original) (raw)
1991, South African Journal of Art and Architectural History
The central concern of the present study is an exploration of approaches to Picasso's Vollard Suite, particularly in light of his interest in a Dionysian view of art in the 1930's. Firstly, the most central literature concerning Picasso's Vollard Suite and the image of the Minotaur is reviewed. The study identifies some insufficiently explored areas as well as methodological problems in the interpretations of this series of etchings. The influences of Friedrich Nietzsche and Georges Bataille are significant, as well as Picasso's merging of mythological sources. Secondly, the study considers the reception of Picasso’s art and the Vollard Suite amongst his contemporaries. Picasso's approach to a Dionysian view of art is explored against the background of the Surrealist crisis of 1929, and the subsequent debate between Andre Breton and Georges Bataille. In particular, the study considers the writings of Bataille and his attempt to dissociate Picasso from the Surrealist movement. The study argues that Bataille's interpretation of the primitivism of Nietzsche's Dionysian view of art yields new insights into Picasso's approach to art. Thirdly, the study explores Picasso’s merging of mythological themes, and relates this to Bataille's view of the loss of the identity of images. Finally, several implications of a Dionysian view of art are considered. The study attempts to indicate the significance of Picasso's Vollard Suite in terms of a Post-Modern reading of a Dionysian view of art.
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