Art-o-Gram: Picasso – The Artist, Life and Love – Scene 2

Picasso's life and his loves – especially regarding Picasso's relationship with women – is an endless topic on which serious art historians and agitated feminists, outraged petit bourgeois and imaginative cookbook authors, confused social scientists and envious tabloid journalists have expressed themselves exhaustively from virtually every conceivable point of view.

The artist's lifestyle and relationships with women have already been thoroughly dissected, and it's probably not that important who shared which bed with whom, why, and when. Nevertheless, a comprehensive view of Picasso cannot entirely avoid taking a look at his lifestyle and his love life—both are pieces of the puzzle of "Picasso the person ," and both influenced his art.

Therefore, what follows is a sketch in 7 scenes about the private side of the artist – an intensely lived life.

Scene 2: The eventful love life of an artist gives rise to much reflection

Picasso's love life

Those who are gifted are simply gifted, and sensitive people sense this giftedness and want to share in it—sometimes through close proximity. Even the artist's known "muses," marriages, and love affairs make for a considerable list, although this only exists from Picasso's 23rd year onward. Here is a brief overview of the sequence :

From 1905 to 1912, Fernande Olivier, his companion and muse, and later spoke of Picasso's inner fire, "a kind of magnetism" that she could not resist.

In May 1912, the two separated. On May 18th, Picasso with Marcelle Humbert (who had just been the girlfriend of his friend Louis Marcoussis). When fellow painter Braque arrived with his wife Marcelle, there were two Marcelles living in close quarters. Picasso simply renamed "his" Marcelle Eva, with the surname "Gouel," Breton for "party" or "fête."

Eva “Gouel” died of tuberculosis in 1915; Picasso found solace during her illness with his neighbor Gabrielle Depeyre , who, however, married the American artist Herbert Lespinasse in 1916, and then briefly but intensely with the artist Irène Lagut .

While working with Sergei Diaghilev, Picasso met Olga Stepanovna Khokhlova , a ballerina of the Ballets Russes , whom he married on July 12, 1918 in Paris; their son Paolo was born in 1925.

From 1927 onwards, Picasso cheated on his wife with the then underage Marie-Thérèse Walter , who gave birth to their daughter Maya in 1935. His wife found out about this. She wanted a divorce, but Picasso (who under French law would have had to share his fortune with her) did not; they remained married until Olga's death in 1955.

Interludes or not

next love was the French photographer Dora Maar , whom he met in 1936. In the 1940s, she was his constant companion and a popular model. Dora competed with Marie-Thérèse Walter for Picasso's affections, but he remained "discreetly reserved" and left it to the women to settle the rivalry among themselves.

As usual, little came of it, so Picasso solved the problem by turning to 21-year-old Françoise Gilot , whom he met in Paris in 1943. The woman, 40 years his junior, soon became his constant companion; their first child was born in 1947 and their second in 1949. Françoise ended her relationship with Picasso in 1953.

Perhaps because he had already been having an affair with Geneviève Laporte , 45 years his junior, she may have feared that the relationship would devolve entirely into childcare. The direction was indeed right; Geneviève Laporte didn't want to move to Picasso's home on the French Riviera. Françoise Gilot's successor was Jacqueline Roque , 46 years his junior (who married him in 1961 and remained with him until his death).

, 19-year-old Sylvette David , of whom Picasso painted over 50 portraits in 1954, did not have an affair with him. She described Picasso as a true gentleman; she had never met another man in her life who was so kind and respectful to her.

He opened the door to a new life for her, was caring and kind to her, encouraged her and gave her self-confidence and strength (Interview Malte Herwig with Sylvette David/Lydia Corbett, in Süddeutsche Zeitung Magazin 5.2014, sz-magazin.sueddeutsche.de ).

Picasso's women and their influence on his art

The women in Picasso's life, and whether and how they influenced his art, have been and continue to be the subject of much study. Relating Picasso's work to his relationships with his wives is even a task well-suited as a life's work for an art historian.

He can attempt to divide Picasso's creative periods according to his female partners at the time. He can ask whether, ultimately, it was the women who shaped Picasso's work and explore precisely what that shaping effect was. He can investigate whether Picasso's search for a new muse—conscious or unconscious—always coincides with a stylistic shift.

He can try to prove that Picasso was inspired to new perspectives in art by intensively studying the effects of a new medium, or that, conversely, he developed his ideas completely independently of his muses, but that a new idea always seemed to require a new muse for him.

Since even an art historian who dedicates himself to this life's work can ultimately only put assumptions on paper, we leave the influence that women had on Picasso's art to your imagination and your judgment, and from scene 3 of this article onwards simply provide you with a description of the women in Picasso's life, with examples and stories of the artworks that are "attributed" to these women.

You will see that there are not necessarily few women – if you read more about “Picasso and the women” , you will find that there were actually many more women in Picasso’s life , and you will find many accounts that quite clearly express envy.

Here is the appropriate Picasso quote: “The whisper of a beautiful woman can be heard farther than the loudest call of duty.” (found on natune.net/zitate/autor/Pablo%20Picasso/o11 ).

More about Picasso on Kunstplaza : “Art-o-Gram: Picasso – A Long Life for Art”, “Art-o-Gram: Picasso – Born an Artist” , “Art-o-Gram: Picasso – An Artist and Three Wars” , “Art-o-Gram: Picasso – Famous Art and Its Secret”, “Art-o-Gram: “Picasso – A Guarantee for Top Rankings” and “Art-o-Gram: Picasso Today”.

Lina Sahne

Passionate author with a keen interest in art

www.kunstplaza.de