1 comments about The Success and Failure of Picasso.

1. John Berger is a critic with a real sense of decency: never too high-falutin, smart and responsible. He asks us to see beautiful objects, not in their staid isolation in the museum setting, but in the context of social history. It is obvious that Picasso was a genius. He saw and drew things that evoke wonders and passions. But is that all?

   The central essay here is "The Moment of Cubism." Berger paints a general portrait of a distinct era of possibility: artistic and social and political. The explosion of Cubism is but a moment in a larger moment of real revolution. Not just "ways of seeing" but ways of living, thinking, hoping. Berger reminds us that Picasso needed the times (Europe), he also, more specifically needed friends and support. After all, there were two who brought forth cubism; moreover, there were the likes of Cezanne.

   Berger asks the question that is overlooked in the constant reverence of Picasso's potency (echoing Benjamin Buchloh on the "ciphers of regression"): was Picasso genius throughout his career or was that moment (historical and aesthetic) the real genius?

   (For more on Berger, read his two inspired novels: "G." and "To the Wedding.")

No comments about Picasso: Architecture and Vertigo.

No comments about Pablo Picasso (On My Own Biography).

4 comments about Picasso and Minou.

1. This glorious debut book by a talented children's author is filled with stunning artwork. More than that, the delightful story (based on true events) is masterful and evocative. The story of a special relationship between Picasso and Minou, a street-wise and loving feline, touched and intrigued me as both a cat lover and art lover. BRAVO, and may this book be the first of many successful works!
   
   --Amy D. Shojai, author 21 pet care books and a founder of the Cat Writers' Association



2. 
   Budding young artists and adults will be drawn to this touching story of Picasso. Set in Paris during Picasso's Blue Period when the artist struggled to sell his paintings, the tale is part fact, part fiction.
   
   It's true that these paintings were deemed sad by many and did not sell. It's also true that Picasso lived in a garret in Montmarte where he took in a street cat he called Minou (French for kitty). The rest comes from the artist's imagination.
   
   Our story opens with Picasso so poor that he cannot buy enough food for both Minou and himself. So he sadly returns Minou to the streets where the poor cat is booted from a restaurant and finds only stale bread in the trash.
   
   Minou's luck changes when he wanders into a part of Montmarte that is new to him and finds people dressed in colorful clothes. To his amazement these people jumped, twirled, juggled and did all manner of wonderful tricks. Soon, a little girl found him and brought him a plate of bread and stew. Minou made short work of that, so she brought him a sausage. However, "Instead of eating the sausage, Minou held it in his mouth and ran toward Pablo's studio."
   
   Of course, Picasso was delighted to have some food and also happy to see Minou. Eventually, Minou led the artist to the people who wore all colors of the rainbow and Picasso was so enchanted that he decided to paint them. He used colors of pink and rose, signaling the beginning of Picasso's Rose Period.
   
   The author's note includes a photo of the young Picasso and Minou. Artist Pau Estrada prepared well for illustrating "Picasso and Minou" by visiting the Museu Picasso in Barcelona and the Musee National Picasso in Paris. Estrada's watercolor illustrations are rich with the colors Picasso used during his Blue and Rose periods, adding authenticity and vivacity to this charming story.
   
   - Gail Cooke
   



3. The stunning illustrations make this book a must-have for both children and adult art-lovers.



4. My four-year-old daughter was fascinated by this story and wanted me to read it to her at least once a day while we had it from the library. I took the opportunity to check out a few other books of Picasso's art to show her that this was a story of someone real. The entree the book gave us into the world of Picasso's Blue Period was a genuinely enjoyable educational experience for her. It was a lot of fun to match the reproductions of Picasso's paintings with the pictures of the real thing in the books we brought home!
   
   The story also opens possible discussion for other topics--poverty, artistic pursuits, caring and friendship. This is a rich and well-told story.

1 comments about The Essential: Pablo Picasso (Essentials).

1. When a renowned photographer was asked why Picasso did not attend Henri Matisse's funeral, the reply was: "Because he didn't like death. He didn't like thinking about death......And he thought that if he stopped working, that was death."

   Picasso, arguably the artistic giant of this century, seldom stopped working and he lived to be 91. Sometimes he was found working in the nude, enjoying his reputation as an enfant terrible. He had many mistresses, and was the proud, if not doting, father of a number of love children.

   A courageous maverick who was constantly exploring new art forms, he was also somber witness to the tragedy of war as is evident in his "Guernica, 1937."

   The world may not see his like again, but here is a stunning portrait.

No comments about Correspondence: Pablo Picasso and Gertrude Stein (French List Series).

5 comments about Picasso's War.

1. On April 26, 1937, 100 aircraft of the German Luftwaffe's Legion Condor conducted a three hour bombing attack on the city of Guernica, a small Basque town, then held by the Loyalist Republican Army. The Germans were pressured into conducting the attack by Francisco Franco, the Spanish rebel leader. Guernica was approximately 10 miles behind the front lines and was crowded with retreating soldiers and refugees. The day was the normal market day for the town and surrounding area. Local citizens crowded the marketplace, doing their weekly shopping.

   Two-thirds of the of the explosives dropped by the German bombers were 500 and 250 kilogram high explosive bombs and 20 pound anti-personnel bombs; one-third were 2 pound incendiary bombs. Approximately 1,654 people may have been killed and another 889 wounded in the attack. Reports indicate as much as 70 percent of the town was destroyed, with most of the rest heavily damaged. Fires ignited during the attack are reported to have burned for three days. Guernica fell to General Francisco Franco's advancing army two days later.

   From his home in Paris, Pablo Picasso, Spanish artist and master painter, translated the shock, horror, sorrow and outrage he shared with his fellow countrymen and most of the world's people, into a gigantic black and white mural he titled Guernica.

   Russell Martin tells the complete story of Guernica, starting with the events that lead to the creation of the painting and following Guernica as it moved from museum to museum, becoming ever more the important symbol it has become today - and one of the 20th century's greatest masterpieces. Martin examines Spain under Franco's fascist regime, the storied private life of Picasso, the messages of protest within the painting, and the controversy that surrounded Guernica.

   This painting symbolizes all that is horrible and evil in war, and the resulting suffering that occurs in wars everywhere. "Picasso's War" has been named a Book Sense 76 selection of the US Association of Independent Booksellers. It is extremely well written and fascinating - educational, critical and very personal. I cannot recommend it highly enough.
   JANA




2. Picasso's War untangles much of the criticism of the artist during WWII for remaining in France. It is an excellent discussion of Guernica--the paintings beginning as rough sketches to the final product. The tragedy at Gernica is discribed vividly, putting the reader at the scene. Martin's take on Picasso is balanced--his outstanding talent and chauvenism toward his many women are discussed. My criticism of the book lies with the total lack of illustrations. As an artist I wanted to see pictures of the initial sketches, the painting in process and a good reproduction of Guernica, not just what was on the cover. The lack of illustrations makes the book much less effective for a visual person, artist or art historian.



3. The book as a whole was rather well written, and, if someone asked me for a good nonfiction book about Picasso, there is a good chance that I would point them to this book. The book had good descriptions throughout, it was written for so that people who had very little understanding previously could understand what was going on, and the book was written so that it didn't have to be read all in one sitting. So, while I probably wouldn't pass it onto others, I feel that it was a good experience to read it.



4. I'm midway through 'Picasso's War' and so far I'm really enjoying its content. It's a well-rounded account not only of Picasso's famous artwork, but of the history and social context and Picasso's life and personal situation at the time. However, I have one huge criticism, which is that this book is full of grammatical errors - namely split infinitives on just about every page. I don't expect every author who has something interesting to say to have a perfect grasp of grammar, but surely that's what an editor is for? The lack of good editing in this text has quite spoiled the experience of reading it for me. I read very widely and I can honestly say that I've never read such a poorly edited book in all my life. Pocket Books, Simon & Schuster or whoever you are, you've done a very poor job.



5. I regret having to give this even one star. The author has thrown up a bolshevik screed that is ignorant of history. His knowledge of the Spanish Civil War seems to be entirely the product of communist propaganda; he even repeats hackneyed lies that Moscow gave up on decades ago! Aggravating the author's political bias and historical shortcomings is his terrible grammar. The author should have written a simple art review for a European, socialist-type magazine and called it quits. HOW did this over-expanded piece ever get published as a book?

1 comments about Picasso: Erotic Sketchs / Erotische Skizzen (Prestel's Erotic Sketchbook).

1. Beautifully printed and presented, a book that says "gift" for an art-loving friend who appreciates mainstream erotic art.

1 comments about Picasso: Style and Meaning.

1. In Picasso: Style And Meaning, author Elizabeth Cowling (lecturer in Art History at the University of Edinburgh and curator of the "Picasso: Sculptor/Painter" exhibition held at the Tate Gallery, London, in 1994) brings her considerable expertise to a major, 704-page, illustrated (507 color, 119 b&w), in-depth examination and history of the work of Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) with an especial emphasis on his artistic style. Picasso: Style And Meaning combines biography with analysis into a comprehensive and seminal work that will be of interest and benefit to scholars and enthusiasts of Picasso's seminal and ground breaking artwork for generations yet to come. No personal, professional, or academic Art History collection can be considered neither comprehensive nor complete without the seminal inclusion of Elizabeth Cowling's Picasso: Style And Meaning.

1 comments about Pablo Picasso (Artists in Their Time).

1. This book was very helpful as I was preparing to present Picasso's art to elementary school children. It takes a long, prolific career, and organizes the different periods of Picasso's art so that it is more succinct. The wording is very understandable yet not condescending for older readers. This is a great series for adults, like myself, trying to help children understand why an artist was so great.