Michael Dolan
Dr Alexandra Lukes
Texts FR1011
12 January 2015
The Conditions of Conflict in Reza’s ‘Art’
Yasmina Reza’s ‘Art’ is a play centred almost entirely around the conflict between the protagonists, Marc, Serge, and Yvan. Yet what precisely causes this conflict is a complex question - while on the surface it appears to be a simple disagreement about the value of art, as one analyses the play it quickly becomes clear that the causes are far deeper than that. In this essay, I will posit that the true source of conflict in ‘Art’ is the characters’ disagreement over the nature and necessity of identity.
Human identity has been described as the “most fundamental concern” in the work of Yasmina Reza (Karowski 77). I would certainly agree that …show more content…
It is shortly after the play begins that we first see a conflict between the two, and the only readily identifiable source is the introduction of something which lacks a clear identity - the painting. We quickly see a clash of identities, where Marc and Serge both attempt to ascribe an identity to the art, and then a value based on that identity. Serge is insistent that the painting’s identity as an Antrios makes it worth two hundred thousand francs, whereas Marc quickly writes this off as ludicrous, declaring the painting instead to be a “merde” (Reza …show more content…
He mimics the others throughout the play, changing his opinion on the painting depending on whom he is speaking to. He directly quotes Marc’s description of the painting as a “merde blanche!” (248), despite previously directly disagreeing with this selfsame identification (207). Even the identity imposed on him by Marc is that he doesn’t have one - “Yvan, tu n’as pas de consistance. Tu es un être hybride et flasque.” (226). Lukes contends that it is this direct opposition to Serge and Marc’s views on identity that cause them to attack him so fervently, and that this is why their joviality resumes once they have metaphorically destroyed Yvan. This would seem to suggest that the source of their conflict is not a thing without identity itself, but rather the general idea of something lacking identity.

Works Cited
Reza, Yasmina. Théâtre. Paris: Editions Albin Michel, 1998. Print.
Karwowski, Michael. "Yasmina Reza: From 'Art' To 'The God Of Carnage'." Contemporary Review 291.1692 (2009): 75-83. OmniFile Full Text Mega (H.W. Wilson). Web. 8 Jan. 2015.
Carroll, N. “Friendship and Yasmina Reza’s ‘Art’" Philosophy And Literature 26.1 (n.d.): 199-206. Arts & Humanities Citation Index. Web. 8 Jan. 2015.
Lukes, Alexandra “L’art et l’identité”. Trinity College, University of Dublin. Trinity College Dublin. 30 Oct. 2014.