Chez Carmen

Chez Carmen

My friend Carmen is keen on philosophy and is always looking forward to learning and understanding. Since it’s never enough with reading books, she tends to get some expert to talk to her about a definite interesting topic. She’d also invite some friends who share that interest with her and offering also a delicious dinner as icing on the cake.

I attended one of these some days ago, which was hosted by Asunción Domeño, who would talk about Picasso.

Picasso, The accordionist, 1911

It seems impossible to reduce Picasso’s whole career in 400 words, but I’ll try.

Asun focused on Picasso’s evolution towards cubism, or , in other words, how he started from a traditional style and ended up destroying the academical painting’s fundaments and refounded it through cubism: from the whole shape to tearing it apart in a thousand facets and presenting in a two-dimensional planes, through simultaneous perspectives or multiperspectivism, four whole dimensions: width, height, depth and temporal course of the painting’s contemplation.

He wasn’t the first one chasing this, actually Cézanne was the one… And Picasso’s fascination for  Iberic and African sculptures shouldn’t be forgotten: there are references of them in every other of his paintings (for example: "Les demoiselles d'Avignon")

Neither should be his interest in bullfighting… Nor his epoque in Barcelona where he was quite influenced by modernism. Nor his early days in the “Bateau-Lavoir” nor his friendship with Matisse…

Picasso, Au bon marché, 1913

He and Braque invented a new way of painting: both of them started doing research on their own, but always keeping hold of each other through correspondence. The more the shape was broken, the less recognisable the object was, but it wasn’t their intention to leave reality aside or reach a kind of abstraction. That’s why they both start trying with pieces of that elusive reality: the “papier collés” or collages.

“Guernica” is his masterpiece: it was commissioned by the republican Goverment for the Spanish contribution for the Universal Exhibition in Paris (1937). He painted in 3 months (not such an easy task regarding the dimensions: 7’77 x 3’5 meters),in grisaille way, with no color and using around 45 previous sketches.

Picasso, Las Meninas, 1957

In his last years, his will to experiment led him close to surrealism, where figures are recognisable and volumes are found. He also starts remaking emblematic paintings like Velázquez’ ”Las Meninas”.

And to conclude, his last painting, his self-portrait: this how he looked like being 92 years old.

Picasso, Self-portrait, 1972

 And to our dear teacher, thanks for your exposition! Also to Carmen for having an actually cosy home, and for always treating us with lots of love. And of course, Resu’s work deserves to be remarked, for such a great dinner!

Share if you like, and don't forget to comment on the comment zone!