Date of Award
2007
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
Creative Writing
Abstract
Pablo Picasso was arguably the most famous and controversial artist of the twentieth century, and some of his most famous pieces were created during the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) in response to the horrible atrocities taking place in his homeland. "The Rhetoric of Picasso" by Matthew R. Sharp, filed December 2007, examines some of these works—including paintings such as Guernica and Weeping Woman —and theorizes their rhetorical force, using speech act theory as the theoretical lens. Based on common images and themes in Picasso's symbolism, it is determined that Picasso's works during the Spanish Civil War are expressive speech acts of his feelings of sadness, pain, and anger; directive speech acts to convince his audience to take note of Spain in her time of need; and assertive speech acts about the atrocity of war, the sanctity of human life, and hope for the future.
Recommended Citation
Sharp, Matthew R., "The Rhetoric of Picasso" (2007). Theses and Dissertations. 165.
https://research.ualr.edu/etd/165
