Pablo Picasso

I have just finished reading "Picasso My Grandfather" by Marina Picasso. It confirmed for me what I have always felt about Picasso. I see the genuis in his work, but I have never been a great fan of his because the emotion aroused in me when I viewed his work was that of discomfort. Something about his visual style always makes me feel uneasy.

Having read his Grand-daughter Marina's account of her life, I feel a little justified in how I react to Picasso's paintings.The story of a man completely obsessed by his own greatness, and a man who had no regard for the feelings of others. Picasso's eyes stare at the world full of anger, cruelty and arrogance.

The man behind the art was, for me, despicable in every way. His only loyalty was to himself.  He had no regard for his family. His son, Pablo, seemingly spent this whole life seeking approval from his father, which he never received. His grandchildren waited for him to show them a crumb of affection, which was never forthcomig . His wife Olga, was thrown aside, once Picasso had finished with her, though she never appeared to her grandchildren to resent this.

If this is a true account of Marina's childhood, and that of the people around her, it is a harrowing tale of emotional cruelty.

Marina with her mother, and her brother Pablito, lived in poverty, while her father Pablo, who worked for Picasso, had to beg for money owed to him. Picasso begrudgingly parted with it. Picasso seemed to delight in the power he inflicted on his family, and to whom he undeservedly treated with contempt. The only time he would do anything to help his family was if his own reputation was in question.

The world revered Picasso as a genuis, but having read Marina's story, I have no respect for this man who used his gift to inflict such pain and suffering on those he should have cared for and who, even though they suffered at his hand, still desperately desired his love.

The name Picasso became a curse on the family; Pablito while still a very young man, committed suicide so that his sister who he adored, could have a better life. Pablito wanted the world to understand the true nature of his grandfather Picasso. Or to shame Picasso into helping his family out of poverty and misery. Pablito wanted his family to be freed from the poison that Picasso inflicted on them.

I know that when I read accounts such as this, that I have to question the motives of the writer, to understand their perspective and to not accept all of what is written without questioning it. But reading Marina's story saddened me and I cant help feeling empathy towards her, and I mourn the loss of her brother, a young man who in desperation took his own life, and who did nothing to deserve such a fate.