Theatre Picasso

Theatre Picasso

at Tate Modern, London.

In this exhibition artists Wu Tsan and Enrique Fuenteblanca have 'staged' Tate's entire Picasso collection asking us to consider the meaning of performance through Picasso: 'how he created a public persona and transformed the way we look at art, profoundly influencing how artworks are collected and encountered today...'

We were told that 'Picasso cultivated and performed a public persona that was part 'genius' and part 'outsider'. This persona helped to shape our idea of the Artist as a solo creative, a prolific master and a mysterious marginal figure in society.'

Tsang and Fuenteblanca see theatrical techniques incorporated into Picasso's persona.  It is apparently evident 'in the way he performed his dramatic brush strokes for the camera, and in the way he crafted his own image through appearances in magazines and films. To grasp Picasso beyond his mythology, it is important to understand how he used these tools for performance.

Performance has traditionally given us permission to play with topics and behaviours otherwise considered taboo. Picasso frequetly worked with the obscene in both intimate and overtly political ways. Picasso performed the role of a tragicomic artist by bringing onto the stage things that some may not wish to see'.

So, the George Economou gallery was transformed

part of it was turned into a stage

where people could see

Projections of some of Picasso's works.

Confused? Well, so was I. I could not quite get the point they were making, I could not see its relevance to Picasso's work. I just think it was an attempt to 'create' something, to make an impact. So, I just concentrated on treating this as yet another exhibition where I looked at the works on the walls, which I really enjoyed, and this is what this post is about.

Dish of Pears, 1936, (oil on canvas)

Seated Woman in a Chemise, 1923, (oil on canvas)

Flowers, 1901, (oil on canvas)

Girl in a Chemise, 1905, (oil on canvas)

Nude Woman with Necklace, 1968, (oil on canvas)

Nude Woman in a Red Armchair, 1932, (oil on canvas)

Dora Maar Seated, 1938, (ink, gouache and oil on paper on canvas)

Woman at the Window, 1962, (aquatint and drypoint on paper)

Portrait of a Woman after Cranach the Younger, 1958, (linocut on paper)

Weeping Woman, 1937, (oil on canvas)

Goat's Skull, Bottle and Candle, 1952, (oil on canvas)

Head of a Young Boy, 1945, (lithograph on paper)

Fruit Dish, Bottle and Violin, 1914, (oil on canvas)

Bottle of Vieux Marc, Glass, Guitar and Newspaper, 1913, (printed papers and ink on paper)

The Three Dancers, 1925, (oil on canvas)

The dancers evoke both joy and deep longing. It is often read as an allegory of a tragic love triangle entangling friends and lovers of Picasso's youth.

Minotaur, 1935, (tapestry, wool and silk)

The Acrobat, 1930, (oil on canvas)