Reading Responses: Primitivism

READING RESPONSES Student’s Name Subject Name Date Primitivism is a controversial concept in western societies. Indeed, it started after Pablo Picasso displayed his painting Le Bordel Philosophique at the Modern Art Museum in New York in 1939. The artwork portrayed five female prostitutes in different brazens and distorted poses. Primitivism significantly contributed to the increased number of African objects in western museums after 18501. The acquisition of primitive art was attributed by the expansion of European colonialists in Africa. Modern artists paid more attention to African objects such that western attitudes toward these artworks changed for the better. From my perspective, primitivism enabled Europeans to appreciate the art and various cultural objects from Africa. Although European colonialists were rapidly spreading to different parts of Africa, I think they began understanding the meaning of primitive arts. That is the reason why they started gathering these items and taking them to their museums. In other words, European colonists appreciated the African culture, and they wanted their colleagu...