Book Description
The love story unfolds through Maars striking photographs of Picasso and their brilliant friends, most of them artists and writers; in his famous weeping woman portraits of her; and in Mary Ann Caws revealing text. The book is an enthralling revelation of the lives of a wholly exceptional circle of friends.
Customer Reviews:
More than just an inspiration for the art of another .......2006-05-01
Dora Maar was according to most observers the woman in Picasso's life , closest to being at his own level of artistic perception and understanding. As this volume makes clear she was an outstanding photographer . The story of her relationship with Picasso, the part she played as inspiration and model for his work, her special role in regard to Guernica, her being the weeping woman of the famous painting, his abandoning her when he sensed ( or so he claimed) her impending madness, her passionate clinging to his memory, her breakdown, her turning to a reclusive life and one of deep religious devotion- are all presented in this excellent and clearly written volume.
There are also representations of much of her work, and of Picasso's in which she is subject.
Maar was clearly a considerable personality and artist in her own right, and not simply the inspiration for another.
Beautiful and insightful book........2003-04-11
This is a wonderful book, full of beautiful b/w images of dora, her photography/art and Picasso's work of her and more! It is really worth getting for your book collection, especially at this price, and it gives you an insight to Dora's life, I think she is fascinating woman living in a time when most photographer's were men. She is truely a pioneer and deserves more credit than being known as Picasso's muse. Very inspiring book.
Historical collections.......2003-03-05
Of some of Dora's photographs, and self portraits are a must have for any Dora fan. It shows her in her later years, it shows her paintings, it goes into detail about her love affair with Picasso as well. This is easily my favorite Dora book.
Dora mysterious, dramatic, definitely not only weeping.......2001-11-09
I would recommend this book to everybody. I am so delighted I purchased this book. It includes everything you need to know about Dora - her personal life before, during and after Picasso. I have always been interested in Picasso and by studying his life, I noticed all the fascinating women in his life. In my opinion, Dora was the one who made a big difference and who had a huge influence on him. Although it was Francoise Gilot, another woman in Picasso's life who gave him two children. Dora's own career and life as an artist (photographer, model, painter) is described in this book from the time she moved to Paris and tried to establish herself as a photographer.
You will not only find Picasso's portraits and drawings of Dora but Dora's own work (a lot of black & white photos taken by her that remind me of Man Ray's work). She truly was a talented artist. This is not often mentioned. Most of the people saw her mainly as Picasso's model and Muse. Dora was a very complex person full of emotions. She could be very dramatic in the way she looked and dressed. This all is revealed in this book. As I said, it has it all: Dora as a private person (Theodora M.) and Dora as an artist, the famous and remarkable Dora Maar. Trust me, with this book, you will get all the information you need. I consider this book a piece of art.
Insightful.......2001-01-08
Picasso's Weeping Woman: The Life and Art of Dora Maar
I am grateful for this book. It is insightful but not definitive. It is not an in depth biography of Dora Maar. A better perception of the psyche of Dora Maar is contained in James Lord's personal memoir "Picasso and Dora". And a better understanding of the cruelty of Picasso is presented in Arianna S. Huffington's "Picasso: Creator and Destroyer". Both I think are necessary to truly appreciate this book as I do.
Since Dora Maar's death in 1997, little has yet been published of her work. She is primarily known as one of the mistresses of Picasso but there was a world of complexity to this woman. She was deeply involved with the surrealists before she ever met Picasso. She knew them all, Breton, Tanguy, Man Ray, Hugnet, Crevel. She was a noted photographer, an exhibited painter, a poet and Picasso's muse and inspiration for seven stormy years culminating in a breakdown that left her a changed woman, a recluse and a religious devotee.
Mary Ann Caws book presents a dazzling panorama of works by both Dora Maar and Picasso including some wonderful comparative paintings of both artists. Dora Maar assisted and photographically chronicled Picasso as he created his masterpiece Guernica. That chronicle is beautifully presented in Caws book.
This book is an easy read with gorgeous reproductions of photographs, painting, sculpture, and poetry throughout not only from Dora Maar but also from Paul Eluard, André du Bouchet and others. It is a great visual companion piece to books on Picasso's works, photography and surrealism. It will occupy that regrettably tiny portion of my bookshelf devoted to Dora Maar. Thank you Mary Ann Caws for this delightful book
Amazon.com
If you had to choose just one book about Pablo Picasso, the most protean artist of the 20th century, what would you look for? Copious, good-quality reproductions. An authoritative account of the way his approach to painting was influenced by his personality, the women in his life, and his awareness of art made by others. An in-depth treatment of key works like Les Demoiselles d'Avignon (which Picasso memorably called his "first exorcism painting") and signature themes, like the half-man, half-animal Minotaur. Then there's the question of tone. Some books cast Picasso as a demigod or a destroyer. Others, like art historian John Richardson's A Life of Picasso, offer a more balanced, psychologically penetrating portrait of the artist.
Hefty, elegant, and inclusive, The Ultimate Picasso hits most, though not all, of these marks. It offers more than 1,200 reproductions (nearly 800 in color) spanning the artist's entire career. Smoothly translated from the French, the book weaves biographical detail and discussions of the art into a concise narrative. ("Olga became pregnant in the summer of 1920, and in Picasso's work forms blossomed and flesh took on the massive quality of stone.") The three authors are all experts--Léal and Bernadac are (respectively) present and former curators of the Musée Picasso in Paris, and Piot coauthored the catalogue raisonné of Picasso's sculpture. They clearly explain visual sources, duly acknowledge leading art historians' interpretations, and choose good quotes from contemporaries. Yet the text can be surprisingly skimpy. The 16-page section on Guernica, for example, has barely two pages of discussion about the painting and its genesis. The authors keep an extremely tight focus on their subject, with only as much mention of Picasso's contemporaries or the outside world as is absolutely necessary.
The major flaws, however, are the authors' hyperbolic view of their subject ("Picasso did not paint nature, but the suffering of the men and women of his time, creating from it beauty and truth") and the lack of any psychological insight about the repeated devastation Picasso wreaks on the female form. In this old-fashioned portrait of the male artist as genius, human failings do not exist, unless they belong to somebody else. --Cathy Curtis
Book Description
Of all the books on the man many consider the greatest genius of 20th-century art, the sumptuous hardcover volume published by Abrams in 2000 stands out as truly the "ultimate" Picasso. This new paperback edition includes everything in the previous book, in a smaller, reader-friendly format. It covers in one volume all the periods of Picasso's long, incredibly versatile career, with exquisite reproductions of nearly every significant work he ever created and texts by leading authorities on particular periods of Picasso's artistic evolution.
Brigitte Léal covers Picasso's formative years from 1881 through 1916, a period that includes his invention of Cubism with Georges Braque. Christine Piot explores the astonishingly fertile period from 1917 through 1952. Marie-Laure Bernadac discusses the unabashed vigor of Picasso's later years, from 1953 until his death in 1973. More than 1,200 magnificent reproductions, almost 800 in full color, illustrate Picasso's breathtaking range of artistic expression, including paintings, drawings, lithographs, ceramics, and sculpture. Picasso once boasted that a book would have to be written every day to keep up with his creative output. Perhaps. But for art lovers and students seeking just one book, The Ultimate Picasso is unsurpassed.
Customer Reviews:
The ultimate Picasso artwork reference........2006-07-13
I took this book out of our university library to have on hand while reading Françoise Gilot's "Living with Picasso", in order to see representations of the artwork to which she refers throughout the book. "The Ultimate Picasso" proved invaluable. Not only does it contain Picasso's complete major works, they are also presented in chronological order which made look-up easy despite Gilot's often describing an artwork and the process used to create it but not always giving its title (she always gives dates). I ordered "The Ultimate Picasso" before the library due date because I couldn't bear to not have the book in my house!
The photos of the artwork are brilliant and crisp, and the accompanying text is informative.
You will not be disappointed by this book.
the best picasso book ever!!.......2005-03-06
this book rocks so much it breaks the very laws that govern physics!! so much information, so many beautiful pictures, so dense. it seems to capture the very spirit of pablo picasso. it was give to me as a valentine's day gift, and it is one of my most prized books. this is a MUST purchase for any picasso fan.
nothing much to say but incredible.......2004-11-13
To see tons of Picasso works in one book is nothing short of breathtaking. This is easily the best Picasso book that focuses on his paintings. What's incredible is to see the prolific amount of work he was capable of, and just what a inventive genius he was. Without a doubt the greatest Artist of the 20th century. Not all the works make sense, or are even recognizable as anything, but that was Picasso; his art was how he viewed the world, and how his own heart felt inside:confused, and out of place. His Cubism is nearly mathmatical, and very intriguing. IF you're interested in Picasso as more than that weird guy who made all those paintings i just don't get, come and check out this book to see all of what he was made of. You'll be amazed and inspired.
Plastic surgeons probably shouldnýt use these for murals........2002-09-28
The Ultimate Picasso could easily defeat The Fabulous Braque and The Superlative Cézanne in an arena style cubist grand melee. It would be no contest, really. The Ultimate Picasso would open up with his patented synthetic slammer sending Cézanne right back through the analytical period. Braque would try to stun him with some multi-viewed complex patterns, but nothing can neutralize The Ultimate Picasso.
Braque might try a new tactic then: swinging wildly with his blinding colors. The Ultimate Picasso would roll towards the canvas, ducking under the swing that hits the helpless Cézanne full on. Then BAM! Right out of nowhere, The Ultimate Picasso lays the smackdown on both of them with his ball-buster blue period. Down for the count: The Ultimate Picasso is once again champion of the art world.
the ultimate picasso book for art enthusiasts........2001-08-14
The greatest part of this huge and informative art book is the literally hundreds of pictures that it contains. A very colorful book, which is a must for anyone interested in this highly acclaimed artist, whose Cubist style signified a new era for the art world. Picasso is one of the best artists, in my opinion, and this book gives an in-depth account of his life and his extraordinary career on canvas.
Average customer rating:
- The Best
- excellent on picasso's early years
- Brings to life the great artist's first 25 years
- Classic Biography
- Monumental but readable too
|
A Life of Picasso, Volume I: 1881-1906
John Richardson
Manufacturer: Random House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 General
| History & Criticism
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Schools, Periods & Styles
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
| Abstract Expressionism
| Ancient & Classical
| Art Deco
| Art Nouveau
| Baroque
| Byzantine
| Constructivism
| Contemporary Art
| Cubism
| Dadaism
| Expressionism
| Fauvism
| Folk Art
| Futurism
| German Expressionism
| Gothic
| Impressionism
| Mannerism
| Medieval
| Modern
| Neoclassical
| Pop
| Post-Impressionism
| Pre-Raphaelite
| Prehistoric & Primitive
| Realism
| Renaissance
| Rococo
| Romanesque
| Romantic
| Surrealism
Picasso, Pablo
| ( P-R )
| Artists, A-Z
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
General
| France
| Europe
| History
| Subjects
| Books
Similar Items:
-
A Life of Picasso, Volume II: 1907-1917 - The Painter of Modern Life
-
A Life of Picasso: The Triumphant Years, 1917-1932
-
Picasso
-
Picasso: His Life and Work, Third edition
-
The Unknown Matisse
ASIN: 0394531922
Release Date: 1991-02-20 |
Customer Reviews:
The Best.......2006-11-22
I'll leave the details to others. For me, Richardson's two (so far) volumes on Picasso are the Best, thoroughly researched, and most enjoyable artist biography I've read. While many other artist bios have nearly put me to sleep (useful - if you ever WANT to go to sleep... just reach for the typical long dry artist bio..) Richardson's two volumes on the life of Picasso I've read through twice. (Allright John, where's that third book already?..)
excellent on picasso's early years.......2006-04-16
of course some elements are lost forever, but it's worth contemplating these early years of picasso and to realize how much he had accomplished by say, 1905. my own image of him has tended to dwell on him as an old man doing a certain style of work... but he was (to put it crudely) young a long time.
Brings to life the great artist's first 25 years.......2002-04-01
I respond as a general reader and can attest that reading this work was very much like engaging in a talk with an erudite and witty and sympathic art loving friend. I say engaging as Mr Richardsom anticipates questions and provides explanations. He is also revealing, at least to my mind, about many of the important figures of the early 20th century, such as Gertrude Stein, but as well, the social and artistic revolutions that were occuring. Picasso himself, however, is determinedly apolitical.The illustrations are useful, plentiful and conveniently located adjacent to the text. Chapters may stand on their own - for example Chapter 28 "Summer at Gosol" has many interesting features that show the artist's creative energy and source of inspiration at the time, the relationship with Ferdinande contrasted with his admiration for a ninety year old patriarch of the tiny mountain village, there perilous journey by mule in and out of Gosol, the atmosphere and the creative joy that Picasso experiences, not to mention the breakthough in his work that occurs at this time. The paperback is sturdily bound and overall, as a read, I found the "story", if you will, a most engaging read.
Classic Biography.......2000-03-30
There should be no doubt that the first two volumes of Richardson's Picasso can be ranked alongside Ellman on both Wilde and Joyce or with Michael Holroyd's bio of Lytton Strachey. If a biographer loves his subject then that is no bad thing. Richard Ellman wrote his bios quite clearly in the style of his subjects and by so doing brought us closer to them.Ellman was obviously completely mesmerised by Oscar Wilde thus the greater the tragedy.
Picasso was no such doomed figure. If a ever a man was blessed with talent, opportunity, lovers sycophants,wealth and long life to enjoy them then this little Iberian colossus had it all. Richardson dotes on his client in obvious awe and why not? The book is painstakingly researched and pulls up from being pedantic by the author's ability to describe the historical firmament in which Picasso's star shone. These bit players (Max Jacob, Apollinaire, Braque, etc.) are giants in their own right and yet it is only Matisse who comes out ultimately unscathed. Mr. Richardson has his own favourites and these are evidently Picasso's too.
It is made plain that despite the comet of Picasso's life and times and all the bright shining lights his work remained inviolate and the unquestionable raison d'etre of his existence . Picasso takes obvious liberties with his friendships and lovers. If this is how a hugely successful personality can behave then Picasso can obviously be a complete swine. Mr.Richardson paints a picture of a man who, for good or evil, is able to absorb the passed and present literate and plastic art talents and synthesise them into his own staggering vision.
It is the unmitigated audacity of Picasso to compare his work on a par with El Greco, Zurbaran, Velazquez, etc. He does though concede their greatness. Nevertheless he has not the slightest doubt that he belongs in that realm. Such nerve!
Picasso was no monk (as the elderly Braque has sometimes been described) and evidently had an ego to match his talents. As a biography Richardson's work has to be amazing to read and leave us hungry for more. It also has to leave a bitter residue as evidence of Picasso's sometimes shabby behaviour.
How would any of us behave if such greatness were thrust upon us? That is simply one of the unanswerable questions a great biography poses.
Now, where are vols. III and IV?
Monumental but readable too.......2000-01-10
Richardson in his landmark biography of Picasso gingerly walks through the minefields that have been laid in the 100+ years that Picasso has been on the art scene. Picasso is near enough to being our contemporary that it would have been nearly impossible for Richardson to have treated him fairly in the minds of many. One of the foremost issues recently raised, is his attitude towards women and his treatment of his lovers and wives. As for what can be gleaned from this and Vol II, Picasso was probably about average in this respect for a man of his time. Richardson seems to have intelligently not taken the bait and endulged in defending the past against the present.
Since Richardson knew Picasso as an intimate friend, there is an air of familiarity that pervades the work. I really enjoyed the feeling of immediacy and of being there when it happened that Richardson has so skillfully woven into the book. In comparison, Simon Schama's monumental biography of Rembrandt (and Rubens) reads more like a peek at the past. Schama can be excused since the passing of nearly 400 years makes writing in the immediate mode difficult and maybe even a little pretentious.
Though definitely not hagiaography, Richardson does treat his subject almost like a doting father, but loving his child warts and all. As to the work being a defense of Picasso in his rivalry with Matisse, one could only read that into the work if one was a rabid Matisse fan. I'm sorry but, Matisse being the giant that he was, was no Picasso.
The book flows like a river. I was truly transported back into Picasso's life and social scene. I found the artistic analysis of his work to be on target and written without much academic showing off or mumbo-jumbo. If you are looking for a Post-Modernist deconstruction of Picasso, it (thankfully!) isn't here. The historical coverage of Picasso's social circle is excellent and made me want to have been able to attend some of the Picasso's tertulias at Lapin Agile. What an exciting time it must have been.
I flashed on Roger Shattuck's book The Banquet Years, which also transports the reader back to Paris in the years 1895 to WW I. Shattuck's book would be a good companion piece or primer for the Richardson series.
I saw Richardson give a lecture in 1998 at the College of Santa Fe. He does appear to be along in years and is definitely no Lapin Agile himself. From the gleanings of an after lecture discussion in the hallway with Richardson, it appears that Marylin McCauley, his collaborator on the project, is equally a writer and Picasso scholar and will be the torchbearer for the future editions. My own suspicions are that she may have been the major writer on Vol II. Since Vol II ends only in 1917, there appears to be at least 2 and possibly 3 more volumes to come. This is truly a monumental work and one that reads well. It could have easily turned out to be a "reference" biography reading like a bushel of note cards strung together.
I highly recommend it and the whole series. (I am confident enough that the ones to come will be as exciting.) Not only good brain medicine for a Modern Art enthusiast but fun reading too.
Book Description
Already published in France, Spain and Germany to wide acclaim, this book presents an insider's portrait of Pablo Picasso, the women in his life and the Picasso family. The author, Picasso's grandson Olivier Widmaier-Picasso spoke extensively with relatives, friends, and contemporaries of the artist and discovered unknown information about Picasso's life. Correcting previous portrayals of the artist which have been highly critical of his personal relationships and treatment of women, this book offers a balanced and sensitive account of his life. Olivier Widmaier-Picasso—whose grandmother was the artist's muse and lover Marie-Thérèse—answers allegations about everything from the artist's sexuality and relation to money and politics to the feuding over his estate and the author's own handling of the artist's legacy. This compassionate, penetrating biography, which includes never before published family photographs, offers a unique perspective as it explores the double-edged sword that is fame and talent.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent Read About Picasso Family and Heirs.......2006-10-01
Finally, a book about Picasso that tells a coherent biographical history and backs up information with references, and all by a family member who evidently did his research (the son of Maya, Marie-Therese's daughter).
The author never knew his grandfather so he had to do his research in order to write such a consice history. My favorite read on Picasso is still Francoise Gilot's "Life with Picasso" but this one is a close second. The Real Family Story is an excellent read on the artist's myriad families and the heirs of Picasso, though none of the other books by family members can be discounted.
The only real slant is that Olivier Widmaier Picasso appears to be closer to the Francoise side of the family than the Olga side of the family (which may be an understatement) but in such an expansive family there are naturally divides.
Importantly, delves into the troublesome estate matters left behind by Picasso, which all heirs seemed to have benefitted after a lot of legal process.
The logical, real deal about the painter.......2005-10-02
Finally, a biography about Picasso written by a family member (his grandson by Marie-Therese Walter)that puts right all the ogre mythology. Yes, Picasso was not an ideal family man. But so much written about him in other biographies deem him almost inhuman. This bio is good because it puts all the facts out there. Good and bad. Widmaier refutes many of the "evil man myths" and gives you a straight view of what the man was really made of. I felt after reading this, a real grasp on this man/legend. A good job, that maybe his Grandfather would have appreciated, even though he was such a private person.
A Love of The Artist For His Mother........2005-08-15
Throughout the ages, poets and philosophers have extolled the virtues of womanhood and motherhood. Pablo Picasso is quoted: "My mother said to me, 'If you become a soldier you'll be a general; if you become a monk you'll end up as the pope.' Instead, I became a painter and wound up as Picasso.
Book Description
Here is the fascinating story -- based on true fact -- of a world-famous artist and a little girl who became one of his models. Sylvette first met Picasso in 1954, when she was a girl in the southern French town of Vallauris. At that time, she was the shyest and dreamiest girl among her friends, though today, she is a respected artist in her own right. When Picasso set up his studio in a nearby house, he spotted young Sylvette and was taken immediately by her classical profile and her lovely ponytail. When at last he convinced her to pose for what became the first of more than forty works of art, the two gradually became good friends. Before long, Picasso's portraits of Sylvette became famous around the world.
Customer Reviews:
Lovely story and intro. to the artist.......2007-05-11
My 4-year old daughter and I love all of the books in this series. The illustrations and reproductions of Picasso's work are lovely. I like to be able to introduce her to artists, and these books, unlike most others, have a story. It is about a 15 minute read aloud, not too long for one on one. Very enjoyable.
Interesting, but some deep subject matter.......2006-06-25
While this is a beautifully illustrated book, looking to be ment for children, there are some awefully deep emotional parts in it that I skip over when reading to my 4 year old. It is a longer picture book and geared towards 2-4th graders. It's interesting and tells a lot about Picasso and his works, but could do without his subject's tormented and emotionally disturbing past.
NOT for a PreK classroom!.......2006-04-05
There are an average of 100 words on each page.
Picasso book review.......2006-02-23
Nicely illustrated, as expected however, not as exciting as Camille and the Sunflowers: A story about VanGogh. Character development should have been 5 stars. My kids liked it.
Cute for kids and adults.......2005-09-21
I would definitely recommend this book and others from the author for introducing art and artists in a fun, low pressure way. I couldn't wait to get to the end of this one to see how it turned out.
Book Description
Dora Maar, born Henriette Théodora Markovitch in 1907, was a talented artist in her own right. While studying painting, she soon found a passion and gift for photography, and became a prominent member of the Surrealist movement. This catalogue traces her relationship with Picasso, from the time of their first meeting in late 1935 through 1937. Picasso expert Anne Baldassari demonstrates how those years were critical for both artists, and how their interaction provided mutual inspiration through the mid-1940s. The relationship is set within the context of major historical events, from the Spanish Civil War and the Popular Front, to the rise of fascism and World War II.
This chronological account brings a legend to life, allowing the reader unique access to two artistic minds. Maar s photographs, alongside Picasso's drawings, paintings, and poems, serve as a guide through the critical period in which these two figures influenced one another. Preserved in her studio archives, Maar's negatives and contact prints allow us to analyze in detail the intimacy of the life she shared with Picasso in all of its states, as well as the evolution of his art, including the colossal Guernica.
This exquisite volume features green-gilded pages and personal mementosâincluding notes scrawled on matchboxes and small sketches, which are produced on onion skin paper throughout. This book sheds light on the profound mark left upon Picasso and his work by their dynamic relationship.
Average customer rating:
- Deeply inspiring for an artist
- Going over Boundaries between Disciplines
- Great minds think alike.
- strains to equate two rather different lives
- Creativity and the Mind
|
Einstein, Picasso: Space, Time, and the Beauty That Causes Havoc
Arthur I. Miller
Manufacturer: Basic Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Picasso, Pablo
| ( P-R )
| Artists, A-Z
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Painting
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Artists, Architects & Photographers
| Arts & Literature
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Historical
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
Scientists
| Professionals & Academics
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
Memoirs
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
20th Century
| World
| History
| Subjects
| Books
General
| History & Philosophy
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
Relativity
| Physics
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
Similar Items:
-
Art and Physics: Parallel Visions in Space, Time, and Light
-
Insights of Genius: Imagery and Creativity in Science and Art
-
Einstein's Clocks, Poincare's Maps: Empires of Time
-
The Culture of Time and Space, 1880-1918: With a New Preface
-
Art & Physics: Parallel Visions in Space, Time, and Light (P.S.)
ASIN: 0465018602
Release Date: 2002-03-05 |
Book Description
"Miller is an excellent historian...and a fine biographer.... [His] artful arrangement of his conclusions...makes the book something of an intellectual thriller."-- New York Times Book Review.
The most important scientist of the twentieth century and the most important artist had their periods of greatest creativity almost simultaneously and in remarkably similar circumstances.
This fascinating parallel biography of Albert Einstein and Pablo Picasso as young men examines their greatest creations--Picasso's Les Demoiselles d'Avignon and Einstein's special theory of relativity. Miller shows how these breakthroughs arose not only from within their respective fields but from larger currents in the intellectual culture of the times. Ultimately, Miller shows how Einstein and Picasso, in a deep and important sense, were both working on the same problem.
Customer Reviews:
Deeply inspiring for an artist.......2006-01-19
After reading several books and essays on Picasso in the context of modern art movements, it was refreshing to read such a thoughtful and detailed review of Picasso's achievements from the perspective of how science, and the scientific achievements of his time, affected him and drove him to seek 'new dimensions' in his art. I admit as an art enthusiast I took greater interest in the Picasso chapters than the Einstein chapters, but was truly impressed by Miller's ability to dive so deeply into each of these worlds.
Going over Boundaries between Disciplines.......2002-07-19
What factors can be motivations of a genius's reformative work? Is it possible that the same notions affect geniuses in science and art? What is the daily life of geniuses? What processes are going on when a genius does a monumental work? We often have such questions as above. Arthur I. Miller, Professor of History and Philosophy of Science at University College London, wrote a wonderful book to answer all of those questions and to tell us more about creative activity by the example of the two giants of the twentieth century, Albert Einstein and Pablo Picasso.
This dual biography centers on the special relativity theory discovered by Einstein in 1905 and the Cubism painting "Les Demoiselles d'Avignon" produced by Picasso in 1907. In the first chapter, the author mentions that Poincare's book "La Science et l'hypothese" gave a spur to both of the two geniuses and led them to explore new notions of space and time. Tracing their respective lives in later chapters, the author clarifies how both men sought representations of nature that transcend those of classical thought and reach beyond appearances. The reader would be convinced of the fact that the effect of Poincare's book is not a superficial similarity between the works of Einstein and Picasso but a common denominator deeply rooted in the culture and science of the early twentieth century.
In the last chapter the author insists that at the creative moment boundaries between disciplines dissolve. Namely, aesthetics becomes paramount also in science; on the other hand, artists solve problems just like scientists. So, if you are a scientist, you would find direct interest in the chapters on Einstein and also find it profitable to read the chapters on Picasso; and if you are an artist, the reverse would be true. Laypersons would also get a lot of stimuli to a productive life from this book.
Great minds think alike........2002-05-12
Arthur Miller is a Professor of History and Philosophy of Science at London's University College. Equal parts biography and art-science history, his interesting book follows the parallel lives of physicist Albert Einstein (1879-1955) and painter Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) into the 20th Century. Although the two lives never actually intersected, Miller demonstrates that as a result of the intellectual atmosphere of 1905, Einstein and Picasso "began exploring new notions of space and time almost coincidentally" (p. 4). "I wrote EINSTEIN, PICASSO," Miller tells us, "for lovers of art and science practiced at their most fundamental and exciting level, for aficionados of thinking across disciplines and generally for readers interested in the drama of high creativity. We wonder about the moment when everything comes together to produce incredible insights. How does this happen? How do thoughts emerge that go beyond the information at hand?" (p. 8).
While it does not ultimately succeed as a biography in bringing either Einstein or Picasso to life in its 357 pages, Miller's book shows that his subjects were able to achieve "enormous successes under conditions that would have defeated most people" (p. 266), and to this limited extent, Miller gives us insight into what made both men tick. However, Miller's real strength is in exploring how Einstein and Picasso "processed information in order to make their momentous breakthroughs" (p. 245) resulting in Einstein's 1905 theory of relativity, and the cubism of Picasso's 1907 painting, "Les Desmoiselles d'Avignon." The theory of relativity, like cubism, Miller shows, represents "a profound response to changes in the philosophical and scientific climate as well as to dramatic technological innovations" (p. 174). While his book demonstrates time and again how Einstein and Picasso were equally fond of work and women, it only really soars when it reveals how these two men were able to simultaneously move the world into modernity through science and art.
G. Merritt
strains to equate two rather different lives.......2002-02-18
The idea that there may be a connection between the appearance of relativity and cubism at the beginning of the twentieth century is not a new one. Though it has been shown quite convincingly that Picasso was not aware of Einstein's work when he and Braque invented cubism, it is still possible to say that BOTH Einstein and Picasso were influenced by some common elements that had appeared in western culture at that time. This, in itself, would be unremarkable; Both Einstein and Picasso lived in the same continent at the same time, it would be very surprising if they did NOT have some common influences. But professor Miller tries to stretch this comparison to the breaking point and well beyond. The result is a book in which excellent summaries of their early life and careers are marred by clichéd and overblown psychobabble and cultural theorizing.
The book is still interesting because it deals in detail with the lives of two such gifted and unique individuals. But the comparisons are frequently forced, and the author seems to have failed to take the advice of either of the masters. Picasso was dismissive of most attempts to retrospectively slot his art into some art historian's version of "influences and phases" and he would certainly have resisted any attempt to "explain" his genius in this manner. Einstein, too, was willing to leave the mystery of creativity unsolved. Mr. Miller would have done well to present us with two separate books about Einstein and Picasso, or one bigger book on the cultural ferment of the early nineteen hundreds. This attempt to find "the secret of creativity" fails to rise above the level of the self-help manuals that crowd our bookshops. Einstein loved music, so music is listed as one of the routes to creative "non-verbal" thought. But the fact that Picasso was never interested in music does not constitute a counter-example for Mr. Miller. Meanwhile, Picasso smoked hashish and took opium with great regularity through this period, but while the slightest hint that he might have heard of geometry is inflated beyond belief, this significant aspect of his life gets only two lines in the book.
Last, but not the least, while science and art are both human products, their natures are very different. Much of Modern art has moved beyond mere representation and become more like music (an esthetic experience which may or may not represent a particular "story") but science is nothing if it's not a coherent story. Einstein rebuilt the foundations of modern science by systematically and LOGICALLY questioning the basic assumptions of Newtonian physics and the discoveries of electro-magnetism. This achievement may have involved intuition and unconscious influences, but it would be useless if scientists could not eventually understand and agree on its meaning. Modern art may well deal with matters even more important than the physical structure of the universe (love, sex, death, loss, meaning, values, rebellion, rage...) but it would not be art if all artists were to agree on its significance and meaning.
Creativity and the Mind.......2001-12-04
A brilliant book for a discussion between the relationship between the art and science.
Maybe we can not be an Einstein or Picasso, but there is a lot to learn about their creative spirit.
Book Description
Simon Packard didn't always want to do his artist report on Pablo Picasso, but after his twin brother Stephen does a report on Monet-Simon's favorite artist-Simon chooses Picasso by default! Throughout, there are reproductions of Pablo Picasso's masterpieces as well as Simon's own drawings, and wonderful nuggets of info that will appeal to kids.
Customer Reviews:
Making art fun for children.......2007-07-19
This book is great for an adult trying to understand Picasso's art from a child's perspective. It does not try to be esoteric but instead keeps things simple which was helpful to me as I prepared for a discussion on Picasso with elementary school students.
Interesting facts but some inappropriate content for childre.......2003-11-13
This book was a great resource - I had to do an Exploring Arts project on Picasso for both a 3rd grade class and a 1st grade class. I was able to read this book to the 3rd grade class with omitting 4 - 5 pages, but it was definitely not appropriate for 1st graders. During the blue period section, it says that Picasso was depressed because his best friend committed suicide and that Picasso had used (and I quote) "tramps and drunks" as his subjects! It also has a few too many visuals that are better left to older eyes. That being said, it did have some great facts that I hadn't seen anywhere else and the Children REALLY liked this book.
Amazon.com
This second volume in Richardson's exhaustive and intense biography of the twentieth century's greatest artist covers the ten years from 1907, where volume one ended its epic story of youthful Bohemian struggle. Picasso was then 26; the decade covered here displays a journey to adulthood through astonishing artistic innovation, a growing renown, and the artist's turbulent sexual relations. Richardson details Picasso's public career, including the impact of Cubism, and his complex personal life, notably the artist's passionate and callous treatment of his wives and mistresses ("deification followed by a degrading process of psychosexual dissection"). Through perceptive analysis of Picasso's paintings, Richardson also offers a deep understanding of the inner demons that shaped his remarkable outer life.
Book Description
In the second volume of his definitive biography of Pablo Picasso, John Richardson draws on the same combination of lively writing, critical astuteness, exhaustive research and personal experience that made a bestseller out of the first volume and vividly re-creates the artist's life and work during the crucial decade of 1907-1917--a period during which Picasso and Georges Braque invented cubism and to that extent engendered modernism. Thanks to his friendship with Picasso and his family, mistresses, friends, dealers and other associates, Richardson has had unique access to untapped sources and unpublished material. By harnessing biography to art history, he has managed to crack the code of cubism more successfully than any of his predecessors. And by bringing fresh light to bear on the artist's too often sensationalized private life, he has succeeded in coming up with a totally new view of this paradoxical man and of his paradoxical work. Never before has Picasso's prodigious technique, his incisive vision and, not least, his sardonic humor been analyzed with such clarity.
Richardson reveals that the young Picasso saw himself in the Baudelairean role of "the painter of modern life"--a role that stipulated the brothel as the noblest subject for a modern artist. Hence his great innovative painting Les Demoiselles d'Avignon, with which this book opens. As well as portraying Picasso as a revolutionary, the author analyzes the more compassionate side of his genius. The misogynist of posthumous legend turns out to have been surprisingly vulnerable--more often sinned against than sinning. Heartbroken at the death of his mistress Eva, the artist tried desperately to find a wife. Richardson recounts the untold story of how his two great loves of 1915-1917 successively turned him down; and how these disappointments, as well as his horror at the outbreak of World War I and the wounds it inflicted on his closest friends, Braque and Apollinaire, shadowed his painting and drove him off to Rome--back to the ancient world.
For Picasso, art would always have a magic function. As Richardson reveals, the artist saw himself as a shaman who could use his art to cast spells, both good and bad, and play all manner of ingenious and sardonic games. This greatest of modern artists knew better than anyone how to outrage us, also how to fascinate, puzzle and disturb us. Above all, he makes us perceive reality afresh by re-energizing our minds as well as our eyes.
Customer Reviews:
The Best Picasso.......2007-10-02
I've read several books on Picasso and this is easily the best. I think that's because it focuses on a specific finite period of 10 years. I wish the other books had taken this tact.
If you're a fan of Pablo's, or a lover of fine art, this is a must read.
Richardson Deserves Praise.......2001-02-23
This is the best biography I have ever read. It was absolutely brilliant. If you have ever wondered what it was like to live in Paris in the early twentieth century, as an emerging artist (what a cool daydream, right?) this is the book for you. All of those tales of Hemingway and Fitzgerald on the French Riviera, the women, the cafes; Richardson captures it here: the life of an artist realizing his potential as an artist -- it is truly amazing. His explanations accompanying each painting, the way they came to fruition, the stories behind the early masterworks, the market (Les Demoiselles [i.e., the 'most studied painting of the 20th Century' Richardson opines, and arguably the first cubist painting, so upset Picasso and unsettled his friends that he kept it virtually hidden for a decade [this was a young Picasso before his artwork {and ego} commanded millions] and it was touching to read and see this side of young Pablo). Sure, recent trends have tended to treat Picasso with great disdain, and while this IS only a biography, it is the most incisive biography into one of the most celebrated creative minds of the twentieth century that I have ever read. Honestly. The biography itself is an intense revelation -- thoroughly, exhaustively researched and written, and a credit to John Richardson as a human being, a researcher, and a biographical author -- an artist in his own right.
A Perfect Biography.......2000-02-04
I agree largely with the other review. One of the things worth mentioning is that this book is also one of the best descriptions of cultural life in France in the first and second decades of the 20 th century I have ever read. You meet people like Appolinaire, Gide, Max Jacob, Kahnweiler, Vollard, Gris, Matisse and Bracque and begin to understand the particular, immensely productive environment of pre-war France. It was also of huge interest to read about the real friendship between Bracque and Picasso and how this lead to such wonderful, very similar pictures like "Le Portugais" (Bracque) and "Man with Mandolin" (Picasso). I look forward indeed to the next volume and aim to read the first one immediately.
I inhaled the book.......1998-12-06
Please allow me to gush. I usually labor through biographies, but the two Richardson volumes are so well written and thoroughly researched that I was done before I knew it. The illustrations are black and white, but it was little trouble to go to my Picasso catalogs to see the things in color. I was quite disappointed when I was through with each volume. I enjoyed the second even though I'm not thrilled with Cubism. I can hardly wait for the third volume. I'm also interested in Richardson himself showing up in the biography. At the risk of sounding morbid, I pray to God John Richardson is in good health. I'm looking forward to the volumes dealing with Picasso in the 1920's and 1950's.
Customer Reviews:
Picasso Rocks.......2006-07-21
This author's approach makes artists interesting for ages 8-80. A combination of comic strip style illustrations and copies of the artists work is entertaining and informative. This book makes cubism comprehensible. The series of books is an obvious "must" for art teachers (3rd-12th gr) but kids will enjoy it as part of a classroom library or in a personal collection as well. If you have a kid who likes to draw but hates to read, introduce him/her to this author's series.
This book is about..........2001-07-19
This book was about a painter. The book is non-fiction. Picasso was in his teens when he started painting. He painted lots of famous pictures. One of his paintings was 12 feet high and 25 feet wide. He painted it because he was mad about people dying in the civil war in Spain. He likes to move noses and body parts around in his paintings. I liked learning about Picasso.
A huge hit with grades K-3.......2001-07-02
I use this whole series in my elementary art class - and my students absolutely love it. Venezia highlights what is interesting to K-3 students while avoiding aspects of artists' lives that may not be appropriate for a young audience. Students love the cartoons Venezia includes along with the color images of the artist's work.
Tells the story of Picasso's life.......1999-10-01
It was a very readable historical biography of Picasso's life and the evolution of his painting styles.
A great way to introduce your child to modern art!.......1998-10-27
Mike Venezia shows paintings from Picasso's various "periods" and explains them in terms a child can understand.("...Picasso felt alone and sad.") He compares the realistic portraits of Picasso's youth to the cubist portraits of his later career, asking the child questions and providing terminology to help him appreciate the difference. ("The man...looks like he's been broken up into little cubes....Can you see the man's face...hands...cat?)
Venezia's humorous cartoon comments highlight the controversies that surrounded Picasso's work and give the adult reader a chuckle, too.
After reading the book with him, my six-year-old grandson had fun trying to imitate, with his own body, the movement that Picasso was trying to portray with his "displaced" body parts.
Books:
- Places of Worship (Architecture 3s) Sir Christopher Wren, Joze Plecnik, Tadao Ando
- Quantitative Conservation Biology: Theory and Practice of Population Viability Analysis
- Refuge of the Apocalypse: Doorway into other Dimensions
- Rescuing Da Vinci: Hitler and the Nazis Stole Europe's Great Art - America and Her Allies Recovered It
- Robinson Crusoe (Modern Library Classics)
- Saint Benedict on the Freeway: A Rule of Life for the 21st Century
- Saint Joan (Penguin Classics)
- Silent Gesture: The Autobiography of Tommie Smith (Sporting)
- Simon Kenton: His Life and Period, 1755-1836 (The First American Frontier)
- Snow Flower and the Secret Fan: A Novel
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Stolen Lives: Twenty Years in a Desert Jail
- History: Fiction or Science
- White Teeth: A Novel
- An Artist In Nature
- Berlin Gay Mates
- Geosystems: An Introduction to Physical Geography
- Fundamentals of Photonics
- Untitled
- American Empress:: The Life and Times of Marjorie Merriweather Post
- Retirement Communities in Florida: A Consumer's Guide and Directory to Service-Oriented Facilities
Picasso and Dora: A Memoir
Life with Picasso
Loving Picasso: The Private Journal of Fernande Olivier
Uncommon Arrangements: Seven Portraits of Married Life in London Literary Circles 1910-1939
