PICASSO Genius or Charlatan

My enthusiasm for Picasso--right now I'm a little drunk from my dinner's vino tinto, so he is God at present--has been enhanced or, at least, revitalized by my before-dinner scanning of a hardcover book I bought today at Borders (for less than eight dollars) titled (you guessed it) "Picasso" (edited by Carsten-Peter Warncke). It's selection of works and (I think) their reproduction is marvelous; no surprise since the publisher is Taschen.
I can put up with the doctrine that "God is Dead," but not the notion that Picasso is merely a charlatan.
Consider this an advertisement for the book in question; you'll not regret buying it.

yes, I agree

Caravaggio was mentioned earlier - this thread has added 2 whole pages while I've been busy - he was indeed an unsavoury man, constantly getting into fights and trouble and on the run for murder

as I said somewhere else the catholic church in Malta didn't mind sheltering him in return for a nice big painting for the cathedral!

art work is art and the artists morals are something else unless the two become linked in porgnography or something vile

There is an Evard Munch in the Museum of Modern Art in Edinburgh of a young girl (about 12 years old??) siting naked on a bed, Her whole body language is of uncomfortable distress and I really disliked it - for me it gave off strong paedophile vibes, I don't know anything about Munch (though there's an exhibition coming to London), so don't know if he was a paedophile but I do find this work a problem.

Thankyou, miklos, for expressing your own feelings about Night Fishing at Antibes.
What is so true is that appreciating a work of art is so very individual; that we bring so much of ourselves to that process...our knowledge, our emotional and physical experiences, etc. In a way it might be said that appreciating a work of art is in itself a work of art.

G-S, by all means. I think I tried to express once that it takes three "things" to produce a work, or an experience, of art: the artist, the materials used and the viewer. To appreciate a work of art IS a creative achievement. No doubt. That's why so few people really enjoy good art; they lack the creative capacity. Our educational systems should help them develop this life-enhancing capacity, and not just prepare them to serve the ends of industry.

That reminds me, here's a thread some may enjoy -

http://www.able2know.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=60538


Also, good news, G-S, Craven fixed it so people can't double post any more. This is a big relief for me, a famed double poster. Also, he changed our ability to edit because that has been part of why the site gets slowed down to taffypulling speed. One can only edit or delete now up to the time another person posts.
See Announcements under the Forum Index for more on this.

very true, to truly understand music, literature or art takes some study and intellectual consideration. People make snap judgements on just a few seconds viewing and without necessarily knowing anything about context. I forget how many seconds research says people normally study a painting in a gallery but it is incredibly short - less than 30secs I think - 15 secs is the figure lurking at the back of my memory.

JL, Warncke's Taschen paperback on Picasso is an amazing buy--as are almost all of the books in this publisher's artist series. I, too, am hugely impressed with the quality of the reproductions--and with the choice of works to be reproduced. A couple of years ago, I led a one-month discussion group on Picasso's paintings and writings. The painting aspect was problematic, as the nearest Picassos on public display are nearly three hours from here! I turned to Taschen--and their book was a major help. People who had seen the various paintings in museums all kept remarking on the high quality of the Taschen color. These books would be an excellent purchase at $20. At nine bucks, they are a gift!

Yes, Miklos; a gift for sure. I also appreciate the inexpensive Taschen publication of Ulrich Bischoff's "Munch". Another source of well-made and inexpensive art books is the Modern Masters series by Abbeville Press. I have their works on deKooning, Hoffman and Bacon. All much appreciated.

Osso, thanks for alerting us to the new thread. You've always a wonderful beacon in that regard.

Did you call me bacon?

I haven't posted there yet, still mulling.

Beacon (of light), dear.

kidding... I have bacon very rarely and tend to think of it on a Sunday morning fondly...

Me too.

Be back around the 14th. Be well.

You two too...