.
Prostitutes were a consistent subject in his work. That doesn’t include the forgeries.While the general public may embrace, enjoy and comprehend Picasso’s early Blue and Rose periods they are flummoxed by cubism which, in collaboration with Georges Braque, came hard on the heels of the gut wrenching and violent breakthrough “Les Demoiselles d’Avignon” of 1907.
The less they know about art the more reliant the public is on biography.
For Picasso this was a surprise. As a macho ersatz matador he waved a red cape at women in erotic rituals of blood and sand. But a “mess” come now. In June, the Brooklyn Museum will mount a show, co-curated by the comedian Hannah Gadsby, looking at Picasso through a feminist lens, placing him beside such artists as Cindy Sherman, Ana Mendieta and Kiki Smith.”
Picasso lived to a ripe age and was creative till the end.
The late work is problematic hovering between kitsch, repetition, and self pity.
He then went through his so-called blue and rose periods from 1901 to 1906, in which he depicted such things as poverty-stricken children and circus scenes, respectively. He died 50 years ago this month at 91, and we’re still trying to clean up his mess.”
Mess! For artists there was ready access to models and lovers.
His biographies did much to promote the work of Vincent van Gogh and make Michelangelo more accessible. He studied them in prisons and hospitals. Not surprisingly the book, which sold well, was DOA. Directed by James Ivory, it was the source for Anthony Hopkins’ worst film, “Surviving Picasso” 1996.
Much art history is daunting to slog through.
In Friendship the match between Gauguin's Tahitian work and 'reasonable' Polynesian carvings, such as the large tiki, was not arbitrary and reflects a proven historical connection. Picasso in his underwear, Picasso in a bow tie. The first rule of journalism, however, is never let the facts get in the way of the story.
As to the facts, Smee informs us that “This year, in Europe and North America, around 50 exhibitions have been organized under the umbrella ‘Celebration Picasso 1973-2023,’ an initiative with the support of the French and Spanish governments.
This, along with an increased emphasis on color, precipitated a transition from what’s known as Analytic Cubism to Synthetic Cubism. This is particularly true of formalism which focuses on the work and not the creator. Oh really Sebastian. Best to dial back on the hyperbole and let the facts tell the story. “Les Demoiselles d’Avignon,” a distorted portrait of five prostitutes that is considered one of his most revolutionary pieces, came in 1907.