Lanscapes of the Sacred: Picasso and Masks

In the text, it was determined that a mask conceals one identity while at the same time, revealing another. In the reading, Pablo Picasso was specifically mentioned. He painted people in a very geometric style referred to as cubism. I found that Picasso focused on depicting the mask throughout his African-influenced period but upon looking at works during other periods, I found that he could be depicting masks in those paintings too. His abstract depictions of people in a geometric style can be interpreted to be masks. Picasso being an extremely well-known artist, I find it strange that I had never heard of his mask period or his obsession with such; however, after looking at many of his paintings again, I can definitely see the masks present in many of his paintings and drawings.

The idea of a mask concealing and revealing at the same time is a powerful concept in art and religion. The mask can conceal the ordinary while revealing the holy to someone.The mask can be used to bring our attention back to the holy. Masks remind us that the holy can exist within the ordinary.