Saturday, April 22, 2006

Picasso's Blue Noode



I know how to spell N-ude but I don't want to get blog searched on it...

Quite a painting....

Pablo Picasso Painted “The Blue Noode” in 1902 in Barcelona. He was already established as a talent and an early prodigy. The Blue noode is part of his blue period.

Hans Jaffe in “Picasso” describes it this way. At the end of 1901, when Picasso returned to Barcelona, a deep and significant change took place in his painting. This change strikes us first of all in his choice of colors: the variable range of brilliant tones yields to a single dark and oppressive blue. But this transformation in his painting - the first in a long series - was more than a mere change in color, more than the adoption of a new tone. It was above all the result of a new attitude toward people. Instead of observing them ruthlessly and satirically, he now treated his models with sympathy, with melancholic tenderness. His subjects changed, too. Instead of painting café scenes, Parisian interiors with women in big hats seated at tables and drinking, he began to represent, to imagine enigmatic, emaciated figures standing rigid and silent against a vague or empty background. In this period he painted beggars, street girls, alcoholics, old and sick people, despairing lovers, and mothers and children all fitting the despondent mood of the period

This all fits the painting… vulnerable, blue, certainly not refined and elegant. Ask yourself do you see this as sexual or do you feel like this is a person to shelter and care for? I think it’s the latter. Maybe that’s the change for Picasso..


A lesser talent would have been satisfied with what had been achieved so far and would have continued turning out art that spelled success with the public. Picasso went a little more personal, less arrogant … he went blue….

The painting is interesting... the woman the colours, the style... I like it.... How about you?

2 Comments:

At 1:11 AM, Blogger Miss Kim said...

It's beautiful and very, very sad. Blue is the colour of twilight, when everything begins to fade away and blur into a mysterious haze. Look at her form and then look at the background- they are entirely the same. But Picasso uses a strong dark line to define her body, and in doing so makes her human. There's absolutely nothing sexual about her- she may be naked but she's been stripped of everything she has and hides her face in shame. I love the little bit of white light in front of her and I imagine it is a symbol of hope.

 
At 10:34 AM, Blogger hockeyman said...

Sad..or suffering...I think this is the essence of great painting to be able to express an emotion.. like sad . Its said that Picasso started this period being more empathatic to the less fortunate in lfe during this period.

it took a long time for me to appreciate art like this and not country scenes or perfect forms, but this painting talks to people...

 

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