A new study on the great 20th-century master: a modern look at Picasso's work in terms of his relationship with modernity and the dynamic innovative force of the Spanish painter.
Going beyond a purely biographical remit, the life and work of the most famous artist of his time, a man who was able to give new life to the artistic language of a whole century and lay the foundations of the historical Avant-garde movement, are examined here from a broader perspective. What did it mean to be artists in the 20th century? What had changed compared to the previous centuries? Could the difference possibly be the result of civilization itself, which drives the artist towards new attitudes and imposes a social role? “Art,” as Picasso said at the time of Guernica, “is not made for decorating apartments, but is a weapon of offence and defence against the enemy.” A clear objective that stood out against the painting that had preceded him, still flavoured with that too-sweet ‘sitting-room aura’, even when he wanted to investigate and denounce. Pablo Picasso, from the point of view of this weighty tome, thus becomes the subject of an in-depth investigation relating to the time in which he lived, and the painter’s constant confrontation with modernity. He felt greatly involved in everything that was happening in the world – archaeological discoveries, inventions, new literary works – and such events appear in his work in the form of materials, images and techniques. From the first paintings of the blue and pink period, a brief pause to acknowledge his Cubism period and his splendid etchings, to the sculptures and paintings of the later period, the book covers Picasso’s entire output, searching ever deeper and in ever greater detail in an attempt to comprehend the language of his art. This precious work includes a slipcase and is packed in an individual box.