Exhibition on Picasso the printmaker

cctv.com 03-27-2005 11:45

Some artists are known in history by just one name...and Picasso is one of them. The Cubism master also excelled at printmaking, both in style and technique. And now, the Beijing Art Gallery is hosting Asia's largest-ever exhibition devoted to Picasso's prints.

In morning chill, ticket-holders were queuing outside the Beijing Art Gallery, to get an early view of the works by one of the 20th century's most influential artists.

Thanks to the efforts of the France-based Picasso Fund, two hundred and sixty-five prints made their way to the Chinese capital from European museums and overseas private collections. Ensured at 100 million yuan, or 12.5 million US Dollars, most of the works had rarely been seen in public. And some have gone on display for the first time.

For many, this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. And organizers are hoping to help visitors appreciate his art at full value.

Zeng Yi, curator, said, "Picasso is so famous that his name alone is able to draw a crowd. But his meaning-filled art tends to be too abstract for many Chinese. Here at the museum we have fifty trained volunteers to offer people help in understanding each and every frame."

The exhibition is separated into eight parts chronologically, giving viewers an idea of how Picasso's techniques and favored motifs evolved during half a century.

It begins with "Les Tricornes", or the "Three-cornered Hats" series. The most colorful of the eight, "Les Tricornes" includes costume and stage designs Picasso worked on in the early 1920's for a Spanish ballet.

And not just dancing, but also everything Spanish ignited the passion of the famous Spaniard. "Tauromaquia" was inspired by the legendary bullfighter Toreros who died in the ring. The work shows a wonderful economy of line with a strong oriental influence. Picasso once said that if he were born a Chinese, he would have become a calligrapher.

His rampaging Spanish bull contrasts sharply with the placid domestic bull in "Natural Story", a huge collection of animal prints Picasso created for a book by the French naturalist, Buffon. Many images, including the pigeon, later became well known worldwide.

At the age of 87, Picasso was still making prints. Some pieces show the artist working with nude female models. With a long line of lovers, Picasso's passion for women continued to burn into his twilight years.

But, according to Picasso, "It is your work in life that is the ultimate seduction".

Editor:Chen Zhuo  Source:CCTV.com