Picasso Drawing with Light It's difficult at times to know where to start with Picasso as a subject of discussion. Born in Malaga Spain in 1881 he became the iconoclast that in many ways ushered art into the modern age and forced society to see things differently. Before he died in 1973 at his home in Mougins France at the grand old age of 91 he had advanced perception pretty much in every field available to him in the visual arts. This brought him world acclaim, wealth and respect from his peers but also earned him enmity with a wide range of people who resented his talent and called him a "fraud" because he didn't toe the conservative line. All the facts are in and there is no denying that his life became a juggernaut that flattened everything in its path; i mean the traditional conceptions of what art was and should be, were irrevocably changed for better and worse.
Pablo Picasso worked his way through all the artistic conventions controlled by the cultural authorities of his time and once he had understood their dynamic he proceeded to turn them upside down. He perceived clearly the connection between art and its transcendent power and the inevitability of power elites to usurp and manipulate that powerful influence to control society. Throughout his life he thumbed his nose at the attacks on his art and those against him personally. He innovated incessantly and worked across all mediums making him probably the first true pre-digital, multi-media artist. Picasso was not only a painter, printmaker, sculptor and ceramicist, he was also a stage designer, poet and playwright. He invented or co-developed a range of styles across many media forms. He is recognised particularly for the co-invention of Cubism, both analytic and synthetic with fellow artist and collaborator Georges Braques. Cubism, probably more than any other style of pictorial convention opened up extensive inquiry into the science of visual perception and the investigation of spatial realities in the 20th century and still dominates contemporary image making today.
Pablo Picasso worked his way through all the artistic conventions controlled by the cultural authorities of his time and once he had understood their dynamic he proceeded to turn them upside down. He perceived clearly the connection between art and its transcendent power and the inevitability of power elites to usurp and manipulate that powerful influence to control society. Throughout his life he thumbed his nose at the attacks on his art and those against him personally. He innovated incessantly and worked across all mediums making him probably the first true pre-digital, multi-media artist. Picasso was not only a painter, printmaker, sculptor and ceramicist, he was also a stage designer, poet and playwright. He invented or co-developed a range of styles across many media forms. He is recognised particularly for the co-invention of Cubism, both analytic and synthetic with fellow artist and collaborator Georges Braques. Cubism, probably more than any other style of pictorial convention opened up extensive inquiry into the science of visual perception and the investigation of spatial realities in the 20th century and still dominates contemporary image making today.
Whatever one may think of Picasso the man and his colourful personal life, it is hard not to admire his amazing achievements. There are more than 50.000 artworks attributed to him making him the most prolific artist ever. More Picasso's have been stolen from museums and collections worldwide than any other artist on record adding to his notoriety. Picasso was shrewd and intelligent and understood his place in history as a force for change and he determined early in his life to leave a legacy that was complete in every way. He was also a clever market player and controlled the release of his artwork to maximise his reputation and financial position.
He is a contradiction in terms though, as he was a "communist" until the day he died yet remained for the most part quietly apolitical during some of the most turbulent events in human history. An example of this incongruity is "Guernica" his large painting documenting his opposition to the brutality of the combined German and Italian air bombing of the Basque town at the request of Franco in April 1937 during the Spanish Civil War. This contrasts with his opposition later to UN forces intervention in Korea to halt the communist takeover even after news of widespread massacres and appalling human suffering depicted in "Massacre in Korea". There are also many questions surrounding his time in Paris during WW2 where he lived relatively carefree when many other artists were imprisoned or lost their lives at the hands of the Nazis. It would be unfair though to target Picasso for his ideological convictions but it does shed some light on what appears in retrospect to be a relatively charmed life.
Pablo Picasso is the first artist in history to have enjoyed a mass audience during his lifetime and so was the first truly modern art persona. He has been a difficult source of inspiration for me as i'm always aware of his long shadow looming over art history. One of my favourite quotes of his, "Art is a lie that leads us to the truth" is still one of the best summaries i've heard on the nature of art. In many ways he pushed open the door of freedom for subsequent generations of artists including myself yet in the words of a frustrated Jackson Pollock, "Picasso you bastard, you've done it all" is a sentiment many can empathise with. It can be awkward trying to look around the mountain of his original achievements if you are painting with art historical legacy in mind. Nevertheless love him or hate him, Picasso was and is an idiosyncratic "giant" of modern culture.
He is a contradiction in terms though, as he was a "communist" until the day he died yet remained for the most part quietly apolitical during some of the most turbulent events in human history. An example of this incongruity is "Guernica" his large painting documenting his opposition to the brutality of the combined German and Italian air bombing of the Basque town at the request of Franco in April 1937 during the Spanish Civil War. This contrasts with his opposition later to UN forces intervention in Korea to halt the communist takeover even after news of widespread massacres and appalling human suffering depicted in "Massacre in Korea". There are also many questions surrounding his time in Paris during WW2 where he lived relatively carefree when many other artists were imprisoned or lost their lives at the hands of the Nazis. It would be unfair though to target Picasso for his ideological convictions but it does shed some light on what appears in retrospect to be a relatively charmed life.
Pablo Picasso is the first artist in history to have enjoyed a mass audience during his lifetime and so was the first truly modern art persona. He has been a difficult source of inspiration for me as i'm always aware of his long shadow looming over art history. One of my favourite quotes of his, "Art is a lie that leads us to the truth" is still one of the best summaries i've heard on the nature of art. In many ways he pushed open the door of freedom for subsequent generations of artists including myself yet in the words of a frustrated Jackson Pollock, "Picasso you bastard, you've done it all" is a sentiment many can empathise with. It can be awkward trying to look around the mountain of his original achievements if you are painting with art historical legacy in mind. Nevertheless love him or hate him, Picasso was and is an idiosyncratic "giant" of modern culture.
