Picasso’s Pictures from Paris

The Village Dance (1922)I’ve never been a massive Picasso fan, I must say. I don’t love Cubism (although in the context of its time, I admire its principles), and drip paintings don’t do it for me (gasp!). I really like his line drawings though, and I was bummed I ran out of time to visit the Picasso museum in Barcelona last year. So since I was going to be in Sydney last week anyway, I thought I ought to view the Picasso exhibition at the Art Gallery of NSW (now closing in a few days). The work is from the Musée National Picasso, Paris, so I would not have seen these pieces in Spain anyway.

Paul as Harlequin (1924)Nude with crossed legs (1905)I really enjoyed some of his earlier works: those that looked unfinished, rendered in pencil and charcoal on canvas, such as the delicate lines that trace the form of Nude with crossed legs (1905), and manage convey so much with so little; and the pictures of his wife Olga and his son Paul, dressed as a harlequin. There is a beautiful contrast between the highly finished face and sketched feet and table of the latter – the same technique applied to the portrait of Olga.

Possibly my favourite piece was The Village Dance (1922). Gorgeous overhead light creates luminous highlights, dramatic shadows and voluptuous forms. There is a lovely texture inherent to the medium and surface of fixed pastel and oil on canvas.

Massacre in Korea (1951)Another painting that transfixed me with its power was Massacre in Korea (1951). Reminiscent of Goya’s The Third of May 1808, the contrast between naked women and children and machine-like executionist soldiery is shocking and terrifying in its brutality and emotion.

War and Peace (1952)From his drawings, a lovely pen, wash, India ink on paper titled Man in a mask, woman with a child in her arms particularly caught my eye. Although I couldn’t find it online, War and Peace (right) is another example of Picasso’s spare and elegant linework.

Scroll down for some more of my favorites.

Portrait of Olga (1918) in an armchair uses the same ‘unfinished’ technique as in Paul as HarlequinIn Landscape with two figures (1908) the figures are camouflaged in the trees by their very chiseled form, while the opening through trees frames a spare view of rocky mountainThe whimsical The bathers (1918) employs a delicate, light touch, its stripes and warm light contrasting with the cool groundJacqueline with crossed hands (1954) – a lovely colour palette and strong black lines delineate a chunky figure, obelisk like, carved from stone. (I love the yellow and white stripes.)