PABLO PICASSO STUDY FOR "THE SALTIMBANQUES," 1905. (23 AND 5 EIGHTHS BY 18 AND A HALF INCHES. WATERCOLOR. THE CONE COLLECTION, MUSEUM OF ART, BALTIMORE, A CITY IN THE STATE OF MARYLAND, U.S.A. A BRIEF WORKING DESCRIPTION: AN UPRIGHT RECTANGULAR PICTURE WITH A FAT MAN-CLOWN WITH HAT SITTING ON A BOX WITH A CHILD WITH BLUE HAIR.
PABLO PICASSO STUDY FOR "THE SALTIMBANQUES," 1905. (23 AND 5 EIGHTHS BY 18 AND A HALF INCHES. WATERCOLOR. THE CONE COLLECTION, MUSEUM OF ART, BALTIMORE, A CITY IN THE STATE OF MARYLAND, U.S.A. BRIEF WORKING DESCRIPTION: AN UPRIGHT RECTANGULAR PICTURE WITH A FAT MAN-CLOWN WITH HAT SITTING ON A BOX WITH A CHILD WITH BLUE HAIR.
PABLO PICASSO STUDY FOR "THE SALTIMBANQUES," 1905. (23 AND 5 EIGHTHS BY 18 AND A HALF INCHES. WATERCOLOR. THE CONE COLLECTION, MUSEUM OF ART, BALTIMORE, A CITY IN THE STATE OF MARYLAND, U.S.A. A BRIEF WORKING DESCRIPTION: AN UPRIGHT RECTANGULAR PICTURE WITH A FAT MAN-CLOWN WITH HAT SITTING ON A BOX WITH A CHILD WITH BLUE HAIR.
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THE PICASSO FANZINE NUMBER 4
THIS IS PABLO PICASSO'S STUDY FOR "THE SALTIMBANQUES," 1905. (23 AND 5 EIGHTHS BY 18 AND A HALF INCHES. WATERCOLOR. THE CONE COLLECTION, MUSEUM OF ART, BALTIMORE, A CITY IN THE STATE OF MARYLAND, U.S.A. THIS IS THE BRIEF WORKING DESCRIPTION: AN UPRIGHT RECTANGULAR PICTURE WITH A FAT MAN-CLOWN WITH HAT SITTING ON A BOX WITH A CHILD WITH BLUE HAIR.
IN FRONT OF ME I HAVE THE BEAUTIFUL LITTLE SQUARE ART BOOK CALLED "PICASSO. THE TASTE OF OUR TIME." A COLLECTION PLANNED AND DIRECTED BY ALBERT SKIRA WITH THE BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL STUDIES BY MAURICE RAYNAL, TRANSLATED BY JAMES EMMONS. IT IS A SKIRA PUBLICATION. COPYRIGHT 1953 BY EDITIONS D'ARTE ALBERT SKIRA, GENEVA (SWITZERLAND). LCCC:53-11066. DISTRIBUTED IN THE UNITED STATES BY THE WORLD PUBLISHING COMPANY. 2231 WEST 110TH STREET, CLEVELAND 2. OHIO. U.S.A. THIS IS A SUPERB 6 INCHES BY 6 INCHES SQUARE BOOK WITH SUPERB PLATES OF PICASSO'S ART WITH IMPORTANT COMMENTARIES. THE BACK PAGE OF THE BOOK STATES "THIS BOOK WAS PRODUCED AND FINISHED ON THE THIRTY-FIRST DAY OF OCTOBER NINTEEN HUNDRED AND FIFTY THREE." PRINTED IN SWITZERLAND PLATES ENGRAVED BY GUEZELLE ET RENUUARD, PARIS. 136 PAGES.
LET US QUOTE FROM THIS BEUTIFUL BOOK...
{PAGE 29} TITLE THE ROSE PERIOD.
IN THE YEARS FROM 1904 TO 1906 PICASSO MOVED ON FROM HIS BLUE TO HIS ROSE PERIOD. SETTLING FOR GOOD IN PARIS IN THE SPRING OF 1904, HE MADE HIS STUDIO IN A TENEMENT BUILDING IN MONTMATRE WHICH MAX JACOB HAD CHRISTENED THE 'BATEAU LAVOIR" - THE BOAT WASH HOUSE. HE FELL IN ALMOST AT ONCE WITH A MERRY CROWD OF ARTISTS, POETS AND WRITERS...{TURNING THE PAGE, 30}... PICASSO'S ROSE PERIOD PROVIDES AN INTERESTING PREVIEW OF WHAT WAS TO COME, AS WE SEE HIM, FIRST OF ALL BREAKING ABRUPTLY WITH THE BLUE MELANCHOLY OF THE PAST FEW YEARS. ONE COLOR DOING DUTY AS WELL AS ANOTHER, HE SWITCHED NOW OVER TO ROSE, A DEEP-VEINED, FULL-BLOWN PINK. HE TURNED TO FRESHLY CONCIEVED FIGURES, DELIVERED FROM THE TACITURN INTROSPECTION OF THE OLD ONES. THEY SEEM TO SAY YES TO LIFE, AND WORE, IF NOT HAPPY SMILES, AT LEAST A SERENE DEMEANOR. OUSTING THE TALL, STOOPING FIGURES OF THE BLUE PERIOD CAME GOOD-LOOKING, WELL-FED MEN AND WOMEN. DRAFTSMANSHIP GAVE WAY TO FORM...FREE OF THE DISTRESS AND MISGIVINGS THAT LAY BEHIND THE BLUE PERIOD, HE GAVE HIMSELF UP TO SUBTLE PLAYS OF COLORED FORMS, NOT MOTIVATED NOW BY HUMAN BUT PLASTIC CONSIDERATIONS.../// END OF QUOTATION.
THIS IS EXCELLENT AND USEFUL INSIGHT TO SPRINGBOARD FROM:AND WE OURSELVES MAY SAY THIS:WHEN GLANCING AT THE PICTURE, NAMELY "THE SALTIMBANQUES," WHICH WE CAN QUICKLY DESCRIBE AS BEING A PICTURE OF A FAT RED JESTER SITTING ON A BLUE BOX WITH A YOUNG MAN WITH BLUE HAIR AND PANTALONS SITTING ON HIS RIGHT LEG, WE SEE AT FIRST THAT THE JESTER IS INDEED FAT, ESPECIALY WHEN COMPARED WITH THE SKINNY BOY. IMMEDIATELY WE SEE THAT PICASSO IS INTRODUCING THE NOTION OF OPPOSITE-AND CONTRASTS:OLD-YOUNG, FAT-THIN, CLOTHED-NAKED, A BULGING MASS OPPOSITE A LITHE AND REFINED FORM, AN UPRIGHT-SITTING IDEA WITH A LOUNGING SLIDE. INTERESTING. THERE IS SOMETHING QUITE INTENTIONAL GOING ON HERE.
BUT LET US ASK A VERY SERIOUS QUESTION:IS THIS PAINTING REALLY APPEALING TO LOOK AT? AND THE ANSWER IS: IT SOMEHOW OR ODDLY SEEMS THAT IT IS. ITS STRUCTURED "CONICAL PYRAMID" COMPOSITION IS EXCELLENT: THERE IS A SINGLE MASS TO LOOK AT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE CANVAS. BUT I THINK THERE MUST BE A DEEPER-GLUE THAT HOLDS THESE TWO CHARACTERS TOGETHER. LET US AMUSE OURSELVES BY A CLOSER INSPECTION: WHAT IS THAT BLUE CUBE OR BOX ABOUT? AND WHY HAS THE BOY GOT BLUE HAIR? SUCH ODDNESS! SURELY WE CAN ASK THIS QUESTION? AND WHY DOES THE ENTIRE IMAGE LOOK FAT, DROSS, BLOATED AND FLOPPY?
THESE ARE SOME INTERESTING QUESTIONS TO ASK. BUT THE IS ONE QUESTION THAT I THINK I CAN ANSWER: IF WE LOOK AT THE CLOWN WE SEE THAT HE IS PAINTED PINK, SO WHY IS HE PAINTED PINK? IT IS OBVIOUS BUT ACTUALLY, IT IS NOT NOTICED, I THINK IT IS A VERY CLEVER MOVE BY PICASSO. IF WE LOOK CLOSELY AT THE CLOWNS COAT OR TUNIC IT LOOKS LIKE WE CAN SEE SOME KIND OF "MUSCLE-TISSUE" LIKE STRUCTURE, AND NOW THE CLOWN BEGINS TO LOOK SOMETHING LIKE A PIECE OF MEAT OR AN ANATAOMY DIAGRAM, AND IN MY OPINION HE NOW BEGINS TO LOOK LIKE A SLAB OF MEAT. IS THIS THE CONNECTING IDEA BETWEEN HAVING A PINK CLOTHED JESTER AND A FAT MAN? IRONICALLY SOMETHIMNG SO SIMPLE TO LOOK AT BECOMES MORE PUZZLING THE LONGER WE LOOK AT IT. I HAVE RAN OUT OF TIME AND SPACE AND SO MY LITTLE ESSAY ENDS. AND I DO RECOMMEND THIS BEAUTIFUL BOOK BY SKIRA PUBLICATIONS.
...///...THIS IS THE END OF THE ORIGINAL CONTRIBUTED REMARKS AND INSIGHTS.
PICASSO FANZINE.
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