Centurians — Pablo Picasso
A Series Dedicated To Long Lived Genius
Centurian status requires more than just longevity. It requires a life-long history of impact and genius. At 91 years, Picasso was the beneficiary of a very long life. But not so long as his name — Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso.
Truth is, Picasso moved so agilely through changing techniques and perspectives that even a much shorter life would have been full of impact and influence. Perspective was his art. Period. Whether Blue or Rose, cubism or surrealism, he was an original.
An Evolution
Of course, it was an evolution. The lives of Centurians often are. Picasso’s early works were not the same works that would earn him a place on the world stage, but they earned him a trip to Paris.
His early years were marked by rebellion against these more structured and conforming forces. It would be some time, however before his real genius would be revealed. Again, like many other Centurians, it was not universally accepted.
Creation
Les Demoiselles d’Avignon was not the original title of the painting. Perhaps Picasso was still compromising. Regardless, he introduced the world to cubism.
Gone were the realistic perspectives that were typical of most other painters of the time. Picasso embraced multiple perspectives in one. His brothel inspired painting became the first work of “modern art”. But he was also not one to settle. His cubism period lasted only a short while. By 1912, he would move on, but not before adding another perspective.
Science?
In 1910, Picasso would introduce analytical cubism. His works were “broken down” into interlocking plates. They featured geometric shapes and a multitude of perspectives.
Picasso would quickly cross into three dimensions. From 1912–14, he created sculptures and constructions. He often just expanded his canvas into the third dimension. If his cubism days had been inspired by women, he was now on to musical instruments (and the occasional still life). But not for long…
Art?
The next chapter for Picasso was inspired by Olga Khokhlova, his first wife and frequent muse. It would be his Neoclassical period but again that would soon give way to Surrealism. Olga would give way to Marie Therese Walter. Who would later give way to Dora Maar, but I digress… well, Picasso digressed (or did he transgress? oh, nevermind).
Picasso didn’t invent Surrealism, unlike Cubism. He really was not one to do anything twice, so why not join a movement? He had never been one to take very strong political stances, so why not change that too? Guernica may be his most influential work and potentially his most famous.
Guernica was a reaction to the bombing of a town in the Basque region of Spain. It was a very large painting and was featured at the Paris Exhibit. It was created over a period of 35 days and the entire process was chronicled through the photography of Dora Maar. Suddenly Picasso was the muse…
Picasso would adopt a varying array of styles in his Later Works, a term which seems to encompass everything he did in the second half of his life. His works became more diverse, but often more shocking as well. He also incorporated inspiration from Dora’s photography.
Change
Not long after, Picasso tried his hand at play writing. He wrote only one. He also wrote over 300 poems. He was involved in films and a never ending array of infidelities.
I am always doing that which I can not do, in order that I may learn how to do it.
By many metrics, Picasso was one of histories most successful and influential painters. Commercially speaking, there is little challenge. Over his long life he influenced and was influenced by a never ending array of friends, colleagues, and often lovers. He was a man of many perspectives. And one who evolved from quiet artist to rebellious genius.
Like many Centurians, it was a lifetime of learning that produced a legacy of influence and change. Thanks for reading!
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