PICASSO and CHICAGO
Temporary Exhibit : February 20, 2013 – May 12, 2013
At Regenstein Hall [The Art Institute of Chicago]
Curator: Stephanie D’Alessandro.
The Exhibition marks the centennial anniversary of the Armory Show in 1913.
at the Art Institute of Chicago [AIC]
which became the first American museum to exhibit works of Pablo Picasso [1881-1973]
TOP TEN REASONS why I LOVE the Exhibiton: Picasso and Chicago
The exhibition brings out…
[1] The various women is his life. Picasso’s art cannot be separated from the women in his life.
[2] The mythological beasts Picasso inserted in his art [Minotaur, Centaur and Faun].
[3] Some of his early masterpieces, which provide glimpses of his genius even as a young artist
[4] How the famous sculpture, “Head of a Woman” [Fernande Olivier] evolved from simple to complex form!
[5] Picasso’s monumental figures.
[6] “Weeping Woman” series [ Dora Maar, who for Picasso “was always a weeping woman”]
[7] Abstraction of “The Bull”.
[8] Cubism.
[9] Ceramics.
[10] Picasso’s sketches, which can be construed as his early version of his monumental sculpture at Daley Plaza.
[I] PICASSO’s WOMEN
Picasso is famous [or infamous] for the many women in his life. They found a place in his canvases. In this exhibition, we see his painting of his various muses, from one of the earliest models named Madeline to his muse-&-second wife, Jacqueline Roque, who stood by him at the end of his life. Their faces can be seen, throughout the exhibition, as we pass through the various galleries exploring the different styles and techniques Picasso mastered in his long and very productive life as an artist!
It is well known that Picasso had numerous relationships; but seven women are identified as the most important in his life.. Fernande Olivier, Eva Gouel, Olga Koklova [first wife], Marie-Therese Walter, Dora Maar, Francoise Gilot and Jacqueline Roque [second wife]. Picasso had two wives, Olga Koklova and Jacqueline Roque and four children with three women. Olga gave birth to their son Paul in 1921, Marie had a daughter Maya in 1935 and Francoise had a son Claude in 1947, and daughter Paloma in 1949.
- Woman with a Helmet of Hair [Madeleine/ 1906]
- Head of a Woman [Fernande Olivier / 1909]
- Head of A Woman [Olga Koklova / 1922]
- Head of a Woman with Straw Hat on a Pink Background [ Marie-Therese Walter / 1938
- Head of A Woman [Dora Maar/ 1939]
- Francoise [1946]
- Portrait of Sylvette David [1954]
- Jacqueline in profile to the Right [Jacqueline Roque/ 1958]
- Portrait of Jacqueline [Jacqueline Roque/ 1962]
[II] Picasso’s MYTHOLOGICAL BEASTS
Picasso inserted many mythological characters in his works, like Minotaur, Centaur and Faun. Especially since 1930s, these mythological characters can be seen in his watercolors, lithographs or etchings. The exhibition showcases many of the mythological beasts in Picasso’s art!
- The Minotaur – by Pablo Picasso [1933]
- Combat of Centaurs – by Pablo Picasso [1959]
- The Faun Musician – by Pablo Picasso [1947]
[III ] EARLY PERIOD
The exhibition has many of Picasso’s early works, especially from his Blue Period..
- Young Woman with A Hat / 1900
- At the Cabaret / 1901
- Crazy Woman with Cats / 1901
- Beggar with Crutch, 1904
- The Frugal Meal / 1904
- Woman in Profile /1904
[IV] HEAD OF A WOMAN [Fernande Olivier]
How Picasso’s depiction of Fernande Olivier evolved from simple to complex form in his Head of a Woman series!
- Portrait of Fernande Olivier / 1906
- Head of A Woman [ Fernande Olivier /1906]
- Fernande Olivier /1906
- Head of a Woman [Fernande Olivier/ 1909]
- Head of a Woman [Fernande Olivier/ 1909]
- Head of a Woman [Fernande Olivier / 1909]
[V] Picasso’s MONUMENTAL FIGURES
- Mother and Child [Olga Koklova / 1921] AIC
- Seated Nude II [1967]
- Rooster, Woman and Young Man [Mougin, 1967]
- Nude [ Believed to be Jacqueline Roque / 1969]
- Nude under a Pine Tree.. [Jacqueline Roque /1959] AIC
[VI] Picasso’s WEEPING WOMAN series
I always wanted to see anything from Picasso’s Weeping Woman series, which have now become universal symbols of suffering. This exhibition has four prints from the series. The Weeping Woman series is regarded as a thematic continuation of the war tragedy depicted in Picasso’s epic painting Guernica. After completion of Guernica, he kept on exploring the subject of agonizing grief. But rather than depicting the Spanish Civil War, Picasso depicts a single woman, which makes them transcend to the level of universal symbol of suffering.
- Weeping Woman II [Dora Maar / 1937] Exhibition: Picasso and Chicago
- Weeping Woman III [Dora Maar / 1937] Exhibition: Picasso and Chicago
- Weeping Woman IV [Dora Maar / 1937] Exhibition: Picasso and Chicago
[VII] The Bull – Pablo Picasso
For more.. click here..
- The Bull [1945/ Lithography]
- The Bull [1945/ Lithography]
- The Bull [1945/ Lithography]
[VIII] CUBISM
[IX ] CERAMICS
- Woman’s Head [Jacqueline/ 1964]
[x] Making of Monumental Sculpture at Daley Center Plaza
I have covered this elaborately in a separate post, click here..
VOLLARD SUITE
I always wanted to see illustrations from Picasso’s Vollard Suite! This exhibition has 22 of the 100 etchings produced between 1930 and 1937 [published 1950] , collectively known as the Vollard Suite. It is named after the publisher Ambroise Vollard. In many of these etchings, Picasso inserted himself as the mythical half-man, half-beast Minotaur .
I was struck with the intensity of some of the etchings… Like..
Coupling I [Plate 29 from the Suite Vollard
Embrace III [Plate 49 from the Suite Vollard]
Amorous Minotaur with a Female Centaur [Plate 87 from the Suite Vollard]
- Coupling I [Plate 29 from the Suite Vollard]
- The Embrace. III [Plate 49 from the Suite Vollard]
- Amorous Minotaur with a Female Centaur [Plate 87 from the Suite Vollard]
- Blind Minotaur Led by Little Girl with Flowers [Plate 94 from the Suite Vollard, September 22, 1934, printed 1939
- Blind Minotaur Led by a Little Girl with a Pigeon [Plate 95 from the Suite Vollard, November 4, 1934
- Blind Minotaur Led in the Night by a Little Girl with a Pigeon, [Plate 96 from the Suite Vollard, October 23, 1934
Chicago Art Blogger