The Call to Order

The disorder and violence of the First World War was seen as a catalyst for a new direction in art a return to tradition, figuration and classicism. This shift was described as the call to order a phrase coined by the influential poet and critic Jean Cocteau, writing in Paris in 1926. Seen as a rallying cry, it was taken up by avant-garde artists and critics of the time, initially in Paris and then throughout Europe.

Fundamental to this new classicism was a desire to revive and reinterpret classical ideals and universal themes. Art was inspired by antiquity, Greco-Roman sculpture, Greek mythology and the Italian Renaissance. This was accompanied by traditional subject matter: the still life, landscape, and the female nude. The nude was often presented as an object of desire for the male viewer, and expressed ideas and ideals of beauty and sensuality.

Both Picasso and Matisse were key players in the call to order. Picasso's links to classicism began in 1917 and lasted throughout the 1920s and early 30s (although he engaged with other art movements simultaneously during this period). Matisse settled in Nice in 1917 and his work became more naturalistic, and focused on the female model, often portrayed as an odalisque (a slave or concubine in a harem). Drawing upon classical and Renaissance sculpture, Matisse produced a number of monumental female nudes that evoked timeless ideals of beauty and order.

Seated Woman in a Chemise, 1923 by Pablo Picasso(1881-1973)
© Succession Picasso/DACS 2002