Artistic Influence.

"Art is meant to disturb,science (to)reassure" so said Georges Braque (1882-1963) the famous French painter who developed 'fauvism ' in art in 1905,and 'cubism' with Picasso. Later on he also popularised the technic known as 'collage'. A very versatile artist who kept experimenting through out his long and successful career. But how true is the statement quoted above.? Both art and science can disturb and reassure,is it not? I dont think the words 'meant to be' in that statement is important any more.Both art and science can be used by us, to our benifit. Art can disturb even now, as the copy of 'Guernica' (commissioned and donated byNelson Rockfeller)at UN obviously did, the Bush administation, even as late as Feb 2003 .It seems it was covered up by a cloth when Collin Wilson was making a statement there . If that is true, then, inspite of the visuals we are bombarded daily with in TV and Newspapers- of the pain and sufferings caused by the'war' at different 'theaters' where the superpowers are engaged in cleaning up the society for us :-) artists and their works have power -power enough to momentarily at least 'shame' a superpower . Picasso's painting of pain and suffering does its trick even now after so many decades of Spanish war! By the way it was the 'critics' and the 'know alls' of the art world who were more thrilled than the artist himself by all the interpretations of 'symbolisms' in Guernica.Picasso is said to have said "This bull is a bull and this horse is a horse...if you give a meaning to certain things in my paintings it may be very true,but it is not my idea to give this meaning.....I make the painting for painting I make the objects for what they are." phew... :-0 Ok,now the painting above is one I did recently.I had shown it at a recent exhibition and quite a few young people came up to me and said that it had moved them very much.That statement did move me too :-). in that painting I tried to depict two women of Middle east consoling each other, with their homes and every other possession lying destroyed around them.In every war it is the women and children who suffer the most. I often wonder if women of the world could not do more to prevent wars--at least in future.Could they teach their sons to abhor wars-- like Picasso ?