Artist Claudette Johnson describes her painting *Standing Figure with African Masks* as a deliberate response to Pablo Picasso's 1907 work *Les Demoiselles d’Avignon* [1].
This dialogue between artworks examines the ethics of artistic influence and the history of how Western artists have utilized African visual culture. By positioning her work against a canonical masterpiece, Johnson challenges the traditional narrative of appropriation in art history.
In an interview produced by Tate, Johnson said that her 2018 painting serves as a critique of Picasso's methods [1]. She specifically frames the work as a way to reclaim the visual language that Picasso integrated into his own style. "It's a reappropriation of his appropriation," Johnson said [1].
The connection to Picasso's work dates back decades for the artist. When Johnson was a student in Wolverhampton in 1982, she encountered a reproduction of *Les Demoiselles d’Avignon* [2]. That early exposure informed her later exploration of how African motifs were absorbed into European modernism—a process that often stripped the original cultural contexts from the imagery.
Johnson's *Standing Figure with African Masks* was completed in 2018 [1]. The piece functions as a visual conversation with the 1907 Picasso painting, using the medium of paint to question who has the right to borrow from other cultures. The interview detailing these motivations was recorded in 2021 [3].
By revisiting these themes, Johnson highlights the persistence of these artistic tensions. Her work does not merely mimic the style of the early 20th century but instead interrogates the power dynamics inherent in the act of borrowing. The resulting piece stands as a testament to the ongoing evolution of the African diaspora's presence within the global art canon.
“"It's a reappropriation of his appropriation."”
Johnson's work shifts the focus from the 'innovation' of European modernism to the source material that fueled it. By explicitly labeling her work as a re-appropriation, she transforms the act of borrowing into a critical tool, forcing viewers to acknowledge the cultural debt owed to African visual traditions.
