5 comments about The Ultimate Picasso.

1. To see tons of Picasso works in one book is nothing short of breathtaking. This is easily the best Picasso book that focuses on his paintings. What's incredible is to see the prolific amount of work he was capable of, and just what a inventive genius he was. Without a doubt the greatest Artist of the 20th century. Not all the works make sense, or are even recognizable as anything, but that was Picasso; his art was how he viewed the world, and how his own heart felt inside:confused, and out of place. His Cubism is nearly mathmatical, and very intriguing. IF you're interested in Picasso as more than that weird guy who made all those paintings i just don't get, come and check out this book to see all of what he was made of. You'll be amazed and inspired.



2. this book rocks so much it breaks the very laws that govern physics!! so much information, so many beautiful pictures, so dense. it seems to capture the very spirit of pablo picasso. it was give to me as a valentine's day gift, and it is one of my most prized books. this is a MUST purchase for any picasso fan.



3. I took this book out of our university library to have on hand while reading Françoise Gilot's "Living with Picasso", in order to see representations of the artwork to which she refers throughout the book. "The Ultimate Picasso" proved invaluable. Not only does it contain Picasso's complete major works, they are also presented in chronological order which made look-up easy despite Gilot's often describing an artwork and the process used to create it but not always giving its title (she always gives dates). I ordered "The Ultimate Picasso" before the library due date because I couldn't bear to not have the book in my house!
   The photos of the artwork are brilliant and crisp, and the accompanying text is informative.
   You will not be disappointed by this book.



4. This is a great book. It's chock full of illustrations--so many that they just quit offering text every few pages to let the images catch up. It goes through his entire life, showing the art he created for each section. It's great, insightfull, a huge folio-sized book and just an all around great read/see.



5. For many years I've been a great admirer of Pablo Picasso's work. Whenever I travel I always look for Picasso's museums or General Art Museums where Picasso's works are displayed. As a result of these trips I've gathered panflets, brochures and many books focusing different phases of the artist. However something was missing! And that would be a comprehensive overview that could be able to explain and make sense of his imense and brilliant lifelong work and at the same time to show magnificent reproductions! congratulations to the author who was very successful in her enterprise!

5 comments about Picasso and the Girl with a Ponytail.

1. I would definitely recommend this book and others from the author for introducing art and artists in a fun, low pressure way. I couldn't wait to get to the end of this one to see how it turned out.



2. Nicely illustrated, as expected however, not as exciting as Camille and the Sunflowers: A story about VanGogh. Character development should have been 5 stars. My kids liked it.



3. There are an average of 100 words on each page.



4. While this is a beautifully illustrated book, looking to be ment for children, there are some awefully deep emotional parts in it that I skip over when reading to my 4 year old. It is a longer picture book and geared towards 2-4th graders. It's interesting and tells a lot about Picasso and his works, but could do without his subject's tormented and emotionally disturbing past.



5. My 4-year old daughter and I love all of the books in this series. The illustrations and reproductions of Picasso's work are lovely. I like to be able to introduce her to artists, and these books, unlike most others, have a story. It is about a 15 minute read aloud, not too long for one on one. Very enjoyable.

2 comments about A Life of Picasso: The Cubist Rebel, 1907-1916 (Borzoi Books).

1. Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) was an amorous Andalusian who spent most of his life in Paris. Picasso is the greatest artistic genius of the twentieth century. In this second volume of his sine qua non biography of the complex painter his friend John Richardson does a superb job of looking at his life from 1917-1932. The small print text of over 400 pages is complimented by the works of the master which are being discussed in the text. I love this technique! It makes Richardson's astute analysis of the artwork much easier to understand!
   This era in Picasso's career is concerned with his invention of CUBISM a revolutionary avant-garde movement which changed the way we see and interpret art! Picasso drew on his love of Cezanne, El Greco and others to move from his blue and red period into the wild world of cubism. Cubism breaks down pictorial forms into angles and presents them to our eye as two-dimensional. Cubism makes use of cubes and lines, cones and
   spheres to entice us into seeing reality in a new way. The movement was launched with Picasso's great 1907 masterpiece: "Les Madimoiselles d' Avignon." Picasso along with his best friend Georges Braque and lesser lights such as Juan Gris were in the vanguard of the burgeoning movement sweeping all aside! Cubism would be virulently attacked during World War I by French chauvinists who believed the movement was German and led by spies and decadents. As the war ended we see Picasso moving to neoclassicism. It was also in these years that he moved from a bohemian life to one of wealth and renown in the art world.
   During these years Picasso lost his father and found several art dealers (especially in Germany and Russia) who purchased his art at high prices. His friendship with Gerturde and Leo Stein led to his being known in the United States. During this time we learn of his friendships with the eccentric poet Apollinaire and Max Jacob a Jewish convert to Catholicism who was a writer and worshipper at the great artist's throne.
   As always we see Picasso falling in and out of love. He broke with his live in lover Ferdinand Oliver and almost wed a woman named Eva. He had torrid affairs with the lesbian bisexual Irene Legut and a woman named Gaby who refused to wed the mecurial quick-tempered moody Spaniard. The book ends with Picasso working on the art work curtains for the ballet
   "Parade" produced for Serge Diagheliv's ballet company. It was then he got to know Stravinksy and Erik Satie as well as Jean Cocteau who became a big fan of Picasso. It was while working on the ballet in Rome that P:icasso met his first wife the lovely Olga Khoklova who was a ballerina with the company.
   Picasso is an enigma entwined in a mystery! He could be generous and parsiminous, violent and gentle, loving and sadistic. I applaud his pacificsm during World War I. Browsing through these many pages one is astounded at the range and breadth of this artist's oeuvre. Only Henri Matisse can compete with the Andalusian bull.
   No one can understand Picasso without devouring these volumes by Richardson. As Picasso changed the way we see so too does Richardson alter our perception and understanding of Picasso and Cubism.



2. This is the real deal when it comes to deep, satisfying biographies. Written by a true expert, it is also ful of life and lively details and manages to bring the enigma of Picasso closer to our understanding. I cannot compliment the author enough on bringing forth such a treat.

5 comments about Picasso & Lump: A Dachshund's Odyssey.

1. Rather than a book about the artist, or a story about a daschund, to me this was a story of love and companionship between a dog and his master. The simple story illustrates how we all feel about our pets. It is beautifully accented with private and candid photos inside Picasso's life in his older years. I think this book is great for all ages and Im glad to have discovered it.



2. I really like the pictures and the little tid bits of information about Picasso, Lump and their family



3. I ordered this for a friend, who has dachshunds and is an artist. Before I wrapped the book, though, I looked through it. It tells a visual story of their special relationship, which is clear in the pictures. I was captivated by the sentiment of the book and looked forward to hearing her response to the book. I recommend this to anyone who loves dogs. Very special!



4. I purchased "Picasso and Lump" for what turned out to be a most welcome gift for Dachshund lover/owners. Before giving it to them, my husband and I both read it and found it totally charming, as well as revealing of a side of Picasso's character that is little known. A delightful book for Picasso fans and dog--especially dachshund--lovers.



5. Don't expect much text, but the photos portray a great history of a unusual man "Picasso". It is worth the price!

3 comments about A Life of Picasso: The Prodigy, 1881-1906 (Borzoi Books).

1. Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) was born to a mediocre painter and his good wife Maria on October 25, 1881. His family was poor but well connected. One uncle was a priest; another a prominent medical doctor. Picasso's father was easygoing eking out a living as an art teacher. When Pablo was a boy the family moved to Barcelona where his father taught in an art school. His mother was beloved of Pablo who had her tenacity of character and eager desire to learn. His younger sister Conchita died in childhood and he was close to his remaining sister throughout their long lives.
   Pablo loved to paint from birth! He did not like formal schooling. He did attend the art school in Madrid but grew bored and left. As a teen he was wild and enjoyed chasing girls and hanging around with his bohemian chums. In these early years Pablo developed his routine throughout life: hard work, lots of sex (often in brothels!and smoking. Picasso drank very little and never had an alcohol problem.
   As a young man he made three trips to Paris finally staying for good in the City of Lights on his fourth trip. He became friendly with several artists and writers most notablly the poet Apollinaire. His first true love was Olive Ferdinand a fetching Parisian who was also a minor painter.
   Picasso had countless mistresses.
   During these early years he went through his "Blue Period" in which he portrayed tragic and erotic figures in gloomy and sad modes. He later entered the "Rose Period" of colorful harlequins, clowns and street folks. He also enjoyed sculpture. His work began to sell.
   Instrumental in his success were the dealers he relied upon to majrket his avant garde art. Among the influential people who bought his paintings were the American expatriots Leo and Gertrude Stein. Picasso was popular with Russian buyers. He preferred private sales rather than exhibiting his art alongside other salon artists. It was during these years he produced such masterpieces as "La Vie" "Old Man with a Guitar" and several works portraying androgynous bathers. As the book ends he is on the verge of moving into cubism along with fellow painter Braque.
   Richardson does a good job of keeping his text balanced between sapient art assessments and Picasso's personal life. The crammed text is filled with such characters as the Steins, Matisse and the fetching Olive
   Ferdinand. We see how Picasso was influenced by such masters from the past as: Ingres, Cezanne, Velasquez and El Greco. Richardson is insistent that we see Picasso as a Spanish artist heavily influenced by his Andalusian roots and the luminaries of Spanish art.
   The book is well illustrated with hundreds of black and white photos of Picasso's works and snapshots taken of Picasso and friends. Richardson knew Picasso in his old age and is a brilliant critic of his work.
   What kind of man was Picasso? He once told an interviewer "Truth is false!" In other words he was a paradox. He could be kind or cruel. He could abuse lovers forcing them into unnatural sex acts or he could be a gentle lover. He loved and hated Spain. He was apolitical at this early juncture of his career. Picasso hated pretense and liked common people.
   He is complex and unique in art history as a protean master of many different types of art. This is the best biography ever written of Picasso and is the first of the four volumes to be published on a 2oth century art icon. Essential.



2. Great work, done by a real scholar, beautifully written, as fascinating as a novel. Keeps away from myths and tales, impressively documented, meticulously illustrated (too bad it is not in color).



3. Where does genius come from? What are the motives? What are the stars that guide?
   
   Picasso was arguably the most original and influential artist of the 20th century. In volume one of four planned volumes (three of which have been produced to date), John Richardson collaborates with Marilyn McCully to establish the detailed record of how Picasso developed as a man and an artist through the early Rose period. The book is made richer by Richardson's friendship with the artist and his access to Picasso's memories of key events. But he doesn't slavishly accept Picasso's version (except in damning Matisse as inferior to Picasso) but rather checks out the different versions and picks what seems to make the most sense.
   
   Picasso's fanatic desire to succeed was fueled in part by his contempt for his father's failed career as an artist and his father's views that Picasso should follow in his footsteps. Picasso also needed to be treated as special, more than most of us. Groveling before exploitive dealers built a lifelong passion to be in charge. Picasso also knew that Paris was where he had to shine and suffered greatly to make his success there. His struggles will impress you.
   
   Where the book is unequaled in my experience is in tracking down the sources of Picasso's images, gestures, styles, and innovations. The book is filled with black and white images from the works of other artists, Picasso's notebooks, photographs of the scenes and subjects, and related works that Picasso did. From these, you get a better sense of Picasso as a synthesizer of styles and modes.
   
   In closely examining Picasso's work from these years, it's easy to develop superficial impressions of what sort of man did those paintings. For instance, the paintings of women show someone who feels compelled to alternately adore and dominate women . . . especially sexually. Learning later that he locked his mistress into the studio even on the hottest days when he left adds to that impression.
   
   The book provides other powerful insights of this sort by relating the heavy use of opium by Picasso and his circle of artist friends during the Blue period. A lot of the models seem stoned in those paintings. Could it be that they were? Picasso loved to paint the circus performers and one of his first mistresses was one. Could it be that those performers are really emotional self-portraits? The book isn't clear on that point, but the possibility of the interpretation will occur to you.
   
   A few central mysteries are left undeveloped. Why did Picasso stick so long with styles that he later abandoned and which didn't sell well when he was very poor? Picasso admitted to Richardson that the Blue and Rose periods had been mistakes. Why did Picasso slow down his production at times when he had contracts and shows upcoming? How did Picasso incorporate his love for poetry into his paintings?
   
   At times Richardson is over the top in his fawning. Here's an example. Picasso is described as clearly one of the great poets of the 20th century, but Richardson doesn't reveal any evidence . . . nor was Picasso doing any poetry writing at the time of this volume. I suspect that the fawning was the price of admission for his access which rewards us in other ways.
   
   Ultimately, the book's main weakness is that the images are not in color. Fortunately, color is less important to Picasso's work during this period than in later periods. Perhaps there will be another edition at some point that will bring the full dimensions of the work to bear at least for the masterpieces.
   
   Enjoy your immersion in Picasso's chaotic world.

2 comments about Pablo Picasso: Breaking All the Rules: Breaking All the Rules (Smart About Art).

1. This book was a great resource - I had to do an Exploring Arts project on Picasso for both a 3rd grade class and a 1st grade class. I was able to read this book to the 3rd grade class with omitting 4 - 5 pages, but it was definitely not appropriate for 1st graders. During the blue period section, it says that Picasso was depressed because his best friend committed suicide and that Picasso had used (and I quote) "tramps and drunks" as his subjects! It also has a few too many visuals that are better left to older eyes. That being said, it did have some great facts that I hadn't seen anywhere else and the Children REALLY liked this book.



2. This book is great for an adult trying to understand Picasso's art from a child's perspective. It does not try to be esoteric but instead keeps things simple which was helpful to me as I prepared for a discussion on Picasso with elementary school students.

5 comments about When Pigasso Met Mootisse.

1. This book is my daughter's favorite. We have read it every day for the past 9 or so months and she has most of the punch lines memorized, (e.g., "mootisse was not like the other bulls" "it was a modern art mess" "the silence was broken" "i'm tired of this crowded cow town"). After reading it the first time, she said she wanted to draw with paint. And she did. Now we do watercolors all the time and she knows that Picasso and Matisse were great artists. This book provided a fun and funny way for her to learn about two art masters and their styles while also teaching a lesson about conflict resolution.
   
   We have taken this book on flights across the country and overseas. The illustrations and the story engage my daughter to no end. The description of this book is for 4-8 year olds but unlike Roberto: The Insect Architect by Nina Laden (also a funny, well-illustrated book), I find Pigasso/Mootisse to be appropriate for a younger {pre}reader as well. I'm back to buy more copies as gifts for all the kids that I know.



2. Whether your kid knows who Picasso is or not, this is a fun play on Famous Artists and their feuding ways. My Kindergartener loves this book.



3. Such a humorous and educational way to learn about the two masters of 20th century modernism. My son has this book and I've given it to other kids and everyone loves it, and they amazingly retain and remember the facts about the real artists as well. Excellent way to expose your child to the arts in a way that's fun and memorable.



4. What a fantastic book to introduce some masters to your child. Wonderful, bright pictures and an adorable story!



5. This book was a great hit throughout my second grade art classes. They have been looking for characteristics of Picasso and Matisse in every art work we see. Then I read it to one of my first grade classes an hour before Christmas break began. They had so much fun creating self-portraits using the techniques of either one of these artists that several didn't want to leave the art room. I'd post some of their artwork if I could. It's been a wonderful experience.

5 comments about Picasso at the Lapin Agile and Other Plays.

1. Steve Martin was never in the Naked Gun movies. You are thinking of a far less skilled actor and comedian, Leslie Neilson. If I were Steve, I'd be offended.



2. I really enjoyed reading the play. What made it even better was seeing the play a few months later. I definitely recommend reading the book before it is on stage. This plays particularly appeals to anyone who's interested in clever dialogs and has a wild imagination.



3. As a fan of Martin's other published works, I was disappointed with this one. Most of Martin's concepts come from "pretty far out there", but this one just misses the target completely.
   
   "Picasso...", which is the centerpiece of the book, shows Picasso, Einstein, and others discussing the impact of art in an otherwise uneventful 20th Century. While this play has its moments, there are not enough of those moments to revive it from blandness. The three remaining plays are shorter and largely forgettable. "The Zig-Zag Woman" and "Patter for the Floating Lady" uses magic tricks as a device to discuss philosophies of love. The only thing I would find remotely interesting about "Zig-Zag Woman" would be the tricks being performed on stage including separating the torso from the woman's body. "Wasp" is a dry mockery of the 1950's mores of America. Since this theme has been done well before, Martin need not have tried it.
   
   I enjoyed "Shopgirl", "Pleasure of My Company", and "Underpants" as written by Steve Martin. I really could have lived without this book.



4. I've never read the other plays in this book, so I can only comment on Lapin Agile. This play alone is worth purchasing the volume for. If you are familiar with the other scripts or plays that Martin has written, this will not dissapoint. The pacing is perfect. The humor is amazing. The visitor is hilarious.



5. I think in reality this probably deserves 4 stars, but I love "Picasso at the Lapin Agile" too much to rate it anything below 5. It's a great read and a lot of fun to act. It's funny on so many levels - everything from wacky and silly to crude to smart to dry humor down to the very subtle (like having an "e-shaped pie."... it's a math joke (pi)). The ideas in it are great, and I especially enjoyed comparing science to art. It's as much fun to think about intellectually as it is to see the different characters bounce off of each other. It's the kind of play that reaches everyone differently - especially through the various types of humor.
   
   The other plays are so-so, some better than others. I like them for their read, but it's harder to see them as plays - perhaps I'm wrong. I liked Floating Lady because of the emotions and intensity I imagined as I performed it in my head. I liked Zig-Zag Woman because it was kind of cute, but I think I expected too much of the ending as I read it, so was a little disappointed. WASP was also somewhat interesting to read and draw ideas from, but as a play in and of itself I didn't enjoy it very much.
   
   Hope that helps. In the end, just buy it for "Picasso..."

5 comments about Picasso (Getting to Know the World's Greatest Artists).

1. Mike Venezia shows paintings from Picasso's various "periods" and explains them in terms a child can understand.("...Picasso felt alone and sad.") He compares the realistic portraits of Picasso's youth to the cubist portraits of his later career, asking the child questions and providing terminology to help him appreciate the difference. ("The man...looks like he's been broken up into little cubes....Can you see the man's face...hands...cat?)

   Venezia's humorous cartoon comments highlight the controversies that surrounded Picasso's work and give the adult reader a chuckle, too.

   After reading the book with him, my six-year-old grandson had fun trying to imitate, with his own body, the movement that Picasso was trying to portray with his "displaced" body parts.




2. It was a very readable historical biography of Picasso's life and the evolution of his painting styles.



3. I use this whole series in my elementary art class - and my students absolutely love it. Venezia highlights what is interesting to K-3 students while avoiding aspects of artists' lives that may not be appropriate for a young audience. Students love the cartoons Venezia includes along with the color images of the artist's work.



4. This book was about a painter. The book is non-fiction. Picasso was in his teens when he started painting. He painted lots of famous pictures. One of his paintings was 12 feet high and 25 feet wide. He painted it because he was mad about people dying in the civil war in Spain. He likes to move noses and body parts around in his paintings. I liked learning about Picasso.



5. This author's approach makes artists interesting for ages 8-80. A combination of comic strip style illustrations and copies of the artists work is entertaining and informative. This book makes cubism comprehensible. The series of books is an obvious "must" for art teachers (3rd-12th gr) but kids will enjoy it as part of a classroom library or in a personal collection as well. If you have a kid who likes to draw but hates to read, introduce him/her to this author's series.

5 comments about A Life of Picasso: The Triumphant Years, 1917-1932.

1. This a wonderful book portraying an incredible time of Picassos life and also of the other great artists of that time period with whom he was sharing this spectacular period of creativity with.
   
   John Richardson has outdone himself and this book is a must for all art lovers!!!



2. If you think you know Picasso's work, this book will convince you otherwise. John Richardson has done a tremendous service by sorting out when Picasso produced his greatest works between 1917 and 1932, what sources he "borrowed" from, what he was trying to accomplish, and how all of these works affected his career. This book was quite a revelation to me. Simply by seeing a lot of his work (as you can do at Musee Picasso, for example), you quickly realize that Picasso constantly copied himself. And, of course, it is well known that he borrowed much while trying to establish a style and while working with Braque to develop cubism. But Picasso borrowed early and often in ways I didn't realize. In that sense, he was a supreme stylist who could execute someone else's idea in a more profound way. I came away with a new appreciation for that aspect of his talent.
   
   While Picasso was alive, very little was said in books about his mistreatment of women and the motives behind his paintings of his wives and lovers. While his second life was alive, people were still pretty circumspect on this point. But now we know that Picasso was louse when it came to women and his family. This book gives you the full story of his first marriage, relationship with his young mistress who inspired so many joyous works, Marie-Therese Walter, and his constant attraction to prostitutes.
   
   There are some other surprises in this book including how central his work with ballet was in creating interest in his paintings and sculptures. It was through Diaghilev that Picasso met his first wife, Olga Khokhlova, a ballerina in the Ballets Russes. Picasso decided it was time to settle down and marry. Despite having had long relationships with women before, he now was looking for someone who would help make him respectable. In the process, Picasso adopted the lifestyle of one of the first wealthy artists (famously being driven around in one of the world's most expensive cars by a chauffeur in the middle of the world-wide economic depression).
   
   As good as John Richardson is on those subjects, he can be most annoying in other ways. For example, Mr. Richardson seems to have an obsession with Jean Cocteau and writes a lot about him even though Picasso didn't like Cocteau very much and Cocteau didn't influence Picasso very much either. Mr. Richardson also has a writing style that can be enormously elusive, describing what happened without saying anything. Picasso's wife seems to have had a lot of physical and mental problems but these are mentioned without providing much real information other than when they occurred. A greater problem comes in that Mr. Richardson likes to drop in lots of French phrases (I read French so I had no problem), but if you don't read French it makes the text harder to follow. Some will also find some of Mr. Richardson's put downs of those who disagree with as being rude and high handed. Perhaps the most annoying problem comes in using academic words to describe distasteful aspects of Picasso's personality and behavior. It's like putting lipstick on a pig.
   
   But I advise you to read the book while being prepared for its weaknesses. I'm afraid there is no substitute. The generously represented art makes up for the weaknesses.



3. John Richardson's long awaited third of four volumes of "A Life of Picasso" does not disappoint. The writing is insightful due to the author's personal relationship and knowledge of the artist. The first two works provided more than simply a lesson in art history, rather, an encompassing view of the life and times of the man and his culture. This most recent work continues the saga in the same well written manner.



4. Mr. Richardson has out done himself on his Picasso opus. He displays Picasso in the light of his work and his influences without fluff and sensation. The book is a pleasant and interesting read sans the dry, academic, and often inaccurate writing of other books on Picasso. He also down plays the sensationalism producing a sensative and revealing portrait of the greatest artist of the twentieth century. As an artist myself, (www.arteespanol.us), I found this book extremely informative, useful, and entertaining. I highly recommend this, and Mr. Richardson's previous books on Picasso to art lovers and lay people alike.



5. I love Picasso and to read about him as a regular guy living his life is very revealing in that he is human as well as a protean god of Art. Loved this book as it continues the story along. The only real criticism I have of J. Richardson is that it seems he's in a rush. Quite a difference from the slow but sure tone of the first two books. It seems for some reason that he went in and took out a lot of stuff some stupid editor told him was too much for any one to care about. Wrong. I sure hope he finishes the proposed 7 volume series but for as long as it is taking him to write it, well, I will keep my fingers crossed because he writes in a honest way the story of one man who changed the world.