“What I’ve come to realize after 30 years of research is that the pictorial output of Picasso basically consists of drawings rendered in paint. His entire oeuvre is conceived, anticipated and elaborated through drawing.”
(Anne Baldassari)
Give my my pencil, madre, I must be about my drawing. Those joshing words are mine. The anecdote introducing the article is that baby Picasso’s first word was “piz,” which is the last syllable of “lápiz,” the Spanish word for “pencil.” It’s put forward as part of the great man’s legend that he drew, practically, from the cradle.
An experienced artist introduced me to the exercise of drawing without lifting point from paper. I was charmed at how the practice took me out of my head’s visual waxworks. I detect Picasso doing it in the drawing below, but of course <sigh>, with his storied finesse.
Pablo Picasso’s “Cheval et son dresseur” (1920), showing his sense of whimsy and his finesse with pencil on paper. Credit… Succession Picasso/RMN-Grand Palais (Musée national Picasso-Paris); Adrien Didierjean. [New York Times caption and illustration]
… Drawing was not just a quick preparatory pursuit for Picasso; it was an end in itself, and at the very core of his art, a discipline that came before all else… Picasso would draw with whatever he laid his hands on: pencil, crayon, charcoal, red chalk. He would cut pieces of wood and dip them in ink, paint, coffee, grease, anything he could find, when he had the urge to draw.
Picasso’s industry and improvisation inspire. Perhaps because they camouflage muddle I’m a fool for brush and pigment, ever spanking myself for not doing more line. A childhood of coloring books, paint-by-number kits and jigsaw puzzles weighs heavily. But this isn’t about me.
Ms. Baldassari said she sees Picasso’s pictures as “drawings rendered in paint.” Here, a 1937 drawing in pencil and crayon, “Tête de faune.” Credit… Succession Picasso/BPK, Berlin, Dist. RMN-Grand Palais; Jens Ziehe. [New York Times caption and illustration]
There’s interesting mention of an “ancient studio technique, which Pablo mastered from childhood,” though promoting it to “the basis of the Cubist revolution” sounds inflationary:
… Young Pablo was in charge of making paper cutouts, painting them in different shades and tones, and pinning them to his father’s canvases so that his father could see what effect the different tones would have on the final work. This… would go on to form the basis of the Cubist revolution.
Picasso’s “Baigneuses (Projet pour un monument)” (1928). Credit… Succession Picasso/RMN-Grand Palais (Musée national Picasso-Paris); Rachel Prat. [New York Times caption and illustration]
Anne Baldassari, the Picasso scholar interviewed for the article, says the following about a painting titled “The Weeping Woman” (not illustrated in the article):
People say [it] represents his lover Dora Maar, who has been mistreated by him. The reality is that at this time, the Spanish Civil War has just broken out, and Dora Maar is the face and representation of pain: a mask that is crying out with hurt. What Picasso is seeking to do is to mourn the dead of the Spanish Civil War.
Consistent with Susan Sontag’s position Against Interpretation, I like to dwell on the painting as an innovative treatment of a woman weeping. The last two drawings featured in the article (shown above) are exciting. Perhaps because I forget they’re by Picasso.
(Farah Nayeri, “Exploring the ‘Epicenter’ of Pablo Picasso in His Drawings,” New York Times, 10-17-23)
I live in Texas and devote much of my time to easel painting on an amateur basis. I stream a lot of music, mostly jazz, throughout the day. I like to read and memorize poetry.
EthicalDative 
His First Word Was ‘Pencil’
Give my my pencil, madre, I must be about my drawing. Those joshing words are mine. The anecdote introducing the article is that baby Picasso’s first word was “piz,” which is the last syllable of “lápiz,” the Spanish word for “pencil.” It’s put forward as part of the great man’s legend that he drew, practically, from the cradle.
An experienced artist introduced me to the exercise of drawing without lifting point from paper. I was charmed at how the practice took me out of my head’s visual waxworks. I detect Picasso doing it in the drawing below, but of course <sigh>, with his storied finesse.
… Drawing was not just a quick preparatory pursuit for Picasso; it was an end in itself, and at the very core of his art, a discipline that came before all else… Picasso would draw with whatever he laid his hands on: pencil, crayon, charcoal, red chalk. He would cut pieces of wood and dip them in ink, paint, coffee, grease, anything he could find, when he had the urge to draw.
Picasso’s industry and improvisation inspire. Perhaps because they camouflage muddle I’m a fool for brush and pigment, ever spanking myself for not doing more line. A childhood of coloring books, paint-by-number kits and jigsaw puzzles weighs heavily. But this isn’t about me.
There’s interesting mention of an “ancient studio technique, which Pablo mastered from childhood,” though promoting it to “the basis of the Cubist revolution” sounds inflationary:
… Young Pablo was in charge of making paper cutouts, painting them in different shades and tones, and pinning them to his father’s canvases so that his father could see what effect the different tones would have on the final work. This… would go on to form the basis of the Cubist revolution.
Anne Baldassari, the Picasso scholar interviewed for the article, says the following about a painting titled “The Weeping Woman” (not illustrated in the article):
People say [it] represents his lover Dora Maar, who has been mistreated by him. The reality is that at this time, the Spanish Civil War has just broken out, and Dora Maar is the face and representation of pain: a mask that is crying out with hurt. What Picasso is seeking to do is to mourn the dead of the Spanish Civil War.
Consistent with Susan Sontag’s position Against Interpretation, I like to dwell on the painting as an innovative treatment of a woman weeping. The last two drawings featured in the article (shown above) are exciting. Perhaps because I forget they’re by Picasso.
(Farah Nayeri, “Exploring the ‘Epicenter’ of Pablo Picasso in His Drawings,” New York Times, 10-17-23)
(c) 2023 JMN — EthicalDative. All rights reserved
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About JMN
I live in Texas and devote much of my time to easel painting on an amateur basis. I stream a lot of music, mostly jazz, throughout the day. I like to read and memorize poetry.