In spite of his misogyny, Picasso has always fascinated me. I love his boldness, his use of color, his departure from the every day way of looking at things. Put a breast on a back, distort the ice cream on top of a cone into a triangle, make a foot come out of a head; all with a genius balance that captures attention.
Kevin and I decided to make a quick trip to Nashville this past week to see the exhibit before it closes early in May. Pandemic precautions are still in use and we have each had one shot, which made us feel a bit safer. Entry is timed and the exhibit, which is quite large, well attended. The old downtown post office was remodeled to make the Frist Museum and I can remember using the post office a few times back in 1985 when I first moved to the city. The building has beautiful old marble and art deco fittings, black and silver.
Woman in Beret and Checked Dress
It can be hard to come to terms with your favorite artist, writer, musician or actor being an asshole of a human being. Their works take your breath away, make your mind sail, bring you to tears and yet you find out that they liked to kick their dogs. Or worse. To say that Picasso had a complicated relationship with women is like asking if the Pope is Catholic.
The Supplicant
This painting of a woman is full of anger but still intriguing. Her mouth snarls, her teeth are animal-like. Her nails are manicured but claw-like. Her breast hangs out of her dress as if she wants to be suckled, but given the ugly pacifier of a nipple he has painted for her, he is obviously finished with her, no longer attracted. To top things off he appears to have painted her anus on her chin. I could paint an ugly picture of the worst of my exes but I wouldn't dare. Picasso dared.
Many of the paintings are sexual in nature, like Figure at the Seaside.
Some of the others are less provocative in nature. All of them make for a stellar exhibit which I would highly recommend. I may not “love” Picasso but his art is something I can't stop looking at and I am sure that is exactly what he wanted.