Art is as true as it is observed to be. It may depict truth, ideals, wishes, or thoughts, or may not even have a readily discernible purpose.Without any prior knowledge, Pablo Picasso's Les Demoiselles d'Avignon is a challenging piece to understand. It is unlike any artwork in that, while it is "truthful" in its essence, it is not a true-to-life depiction.
Art is always, on some level, true, but art doesn't have to be beautiful. For example, unlike his predecessors' works, there is nothing soft, pleasing, or external about Les Demoiselles. The forms are sharp, the gazes piercing- the shapes distorted, the colors heightened and changed. It is awe-inspiring and vivid, but is not, by any conventions, beautiful. Beauty may be depicted in art through shape or subject, and art may truthful- but although they do not have to be woven together, art is not solely one or the other.
I agree that Les Demoiselles is not a beautiful painting and that all art is not beautiful. It is also interesting that art can be truthful while while not depicting a real life. I guess if art is only meant to be viewed, then it is always truthful.
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