Pablo Picasso Man And ART - Part 1

PART 1 THE MAN

In 1949, Pablo Picasso found himself in front a figure whom he admired all his life and shared common Communist ideology. Stalin's legacy was marred by the blood of approximately twenty million victims, as recorded by official statistics, with unofficial estimates suggesting an even higher toll. Stalin, often referred to as the "Sun of the People," was a notorious mass murderer whose actions had left an indelible mark on history. Despite the horrific nature of this figure, Picasso gazed upon him with a sense of admiration. This juxtaposition of artistic reverence and historical horror highlights the complex interplay between art, politics, and the moral dilemmas faced by individuals in the tumultuous landscape of the 20th century.

Preface

It was the first of September in 1952, marking my inaugural day in first grade. All the students gathered for a photo opportunity with the figure known as "the Sun of the People." I was dressed in a grey school uniform skirt, reminiscent of the "Uncle Josip" style. In the portrait behind me, a joyful child embraced "the Sun of the People"; that child was Svetlana Alliluyeva, the daughter of Joseph Stalin. It was understood that no one else could bear the nickname Stalin or his original surname, Dzhugashvili, as those names were reserved for the revered founders of Communism. The once-happy child would later transform into a disillusioned adult, having immigrated from a faltering socialist paradise to the capitalist stronghold of the United States, a society her father had defined as decadent and decaying. I struggled to suppress a smile, recalling how my father, a former prisoner of the Gulag, referred to Stalin as "Mad Dog" in conversations with my mother. Our class teacher insisted that we honor our "Sun of the People" and advised me to "bite my tong and not smile." This was my first lesson in Democracy on uncle Joseph's "Animal Farm". I took this advice to heart, and now, whenever I encounter individuals who embody Woke ideology or engage in what I perceive as a form of witchcraft ideology, I find it difficult to smile. From this vantage point, I observe the complexities of human behavior and the motivations that drive individuals in their pursuits.

Rise of The 20 Century

Picasso traded Spain for Paris long before the Second Republic, Civil war and invasion of Franco. At very begging of 20th century, he established his studio in 1904 in Paris. Paris become a Capital of Art in 19th century and on doorstep of 20th century Paris was a capital of art industry, a concentration of world prominent artists, art salons offering mass art exhibitions. Paris was infested by art dealers, promoters and art collectors.

High concentration of talents created mutual influence in artwork and created deep divisions in understanding trends and directions in developing art. The influence and in particular divisions inspired art collectors an gave fruitful ground for dealers and art promoters essential buzz to explain, quantify and glorify, establishing value in a marketing campaign. Picasso learned fast in and outs of the art environment blending in emerging art industry.

Picasso's true legacy lies in his art itself and his place in art he is among to. Razing it appraisal value, although everything associated with him holds significance and extent of a controversy he generates around his art positioning Picasso as a Rebellion creating pivotal change in art. Even a scrabble sketch has enormous vale as the corner stone in that process. He was known for his refusal to discard any work, no matter how trivial, as even the simplest sketch or note carried a profound value, an understanding that persisted throughout his life.

When a bistro owner in the 1950s requested a small drawing on a napkin as a keepsake, Picasso in cynically humorously manner that holds a grain of truth about the scale of value in the Beholder eyes. Picasso remarked that “...he was only interested in settling his bill, not in acquiring the establishment...”

Despite being celebrated as the most prominent communist artist and receiving the Order of Lenin from the Soviet Polit Bureau, Picasso remained resolute in his refusal to adhere to the dictates of socialist realism. He embraced his identity as a decadent formalist, much to the chagrin of Soviet critics, who struggled to reconcile his artistic vision with their ideological expectations. After all, one might ponder the rationale behind killing decadent, decaying, capitalist society “Goose” that continues to produce wealth, akin to a goose that lays golden eggs.

Duplicity - Choice Between two Evils Which are Essentially Same

Duplicity involves making a choice between two evils that are fundamentally similar. This situation often presents a moral dilemma, where the options available may appear distinct on the surface but ultimately lead to the same outcome. The challenge lies in recognizing that both choices, despite their apparent differences, share a common essence. Courage is required to resolve the moral problem in pursuit of truth rejecting evil as it is in any form or shape. Failure to do so reflects on the other choices and pursuits not only as a person but also as a creator.

"...Even a casserole can scream!..." Picasso said of The Charnel House. "...Everything can scream!..."

POUM, or the Workers Party of Marxist Unification, was a minor Trotskyist Marxist party that operated within the Republican fraction during the Second Republic and Spanish Civil War. Despite its limited size, POUM exerted a notable influence, especially in Catalonia.

Picasso's Casserole went silent! When Andreu Nin, in 1937, a leader of POUM was arrested in Valencia brought to Madrid governed by second Spanish Republic, Popular Front. Put on the table in prison, tortured, skinned, mutilated while a live and eventually died under torture.

Picasso's Casserole went silent again when the remnants of the POUM leadership were put on Stalinist showcase trial in Barcelona on 11 October 1938. Referring to the arraignments, Dolores Ibárruri, (Pseudonym La Pasionaria, the passionflower) in opening of the trial

said: "...If there is an adage that says in normal times it is preferable to acquit a hundred guilty ones rather than punish a single innocent one, when the life of a people is in danger, it is better to convict a hundred innocent ones than to acquit a single guilty one..."

The silence was deafening when Picasso's ideological allies in the Spanish Second Republic embraced the Nazi-Soviet Pact, as the "Sun of the People" shook hands with a Nazi criminal.

A sable scream is absent, replaced instead by the relentless sound of heavily laden trains transporting coal, oil, iron ore, and aluminum ingots. These trains, follow von Ribbentrop, from the Soviet Union to Nazi Germany. Trains weaseling loudly "New Guernica", "More Guernica". Soviets delivering vital resources to factories that produce Stukas. These aircraft have recently unleashed devastation upon Guernica, that shocked Picasso to a depth of a "screaming casserole"."

These trains will soon transport a different kind of cargo: living human beings—toddlers, children, women, men, and the elderly—who are destined for selection. Their fate is a slow, agonizing death in gas chambers, eventually they will be reduced to ashes, transformed into soap, or turned into grotesque souvenirs of a monstrous reality.

Pablo Picasso did not depict Holocaust victims or death camps or the systematic extermination of Jews and Gypsies in his artwork; his work reflected the suffering of war and humanity in general.

"Generalization" is adherence to Soviet communist party line. In Communist language there is no Holocaust, there are only faceless victims of Fascisms, faceless victims of War.

Tide is Reversing 1944

The tide was changeling 1944 when Communist party occurred new member Pablo Picasso. Nearly half of Europe was occupied by Red Army and "Communism", where Uncle Joe (President's Roosevelt nickname for Stalin) steps new Socialist countries emerged soon become known as Soviet Block. Communism seemingly spreading again and takes hold in Europe, Asia and South America. The "Cold War broke" out in 1950 after Soviet Union successfully tested in 1949 Soviet atomic bomb. Tension grew and local hostilities broke In Berlin, and in Asia Where where Korean war started.

"Massacre in Korea" is the third in a series of three anti war paintings created by Picasso.

The Korean War was instigated by Stalin's communist regime as part of a strategy devised by him and the Soviet Politburo to entangle the West in perpetual regional conflicts. This Soviet intervention led to the establishment of a despotic communist regime in North Korea, which has persisted to this day, evolving into a nuclear power under the control of unpredictable dictators.

As usual with Picasso his generalized approach to depict horror's of war through ambiguous

in detail and choice of insignificant in weight events is more than surprising.

Holocaust industrial extermination of 6,000,000 million people, Extermination of more then 20,000 Polish prisoners of war in Katin forest by Stalin's order, Dropping two atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki left 1,0000,000 killed and injured by a terrible radiation impact Hungary uprising against Soviet occupation, Soviet tanks in Prague uprising against Soviet dictatorship. Picasso's picks served his ideological partners and kept Picasso as a mighty figure of a man fighting his war against "oppression" , "war brutality".

Epilogue

Death of Dictator, Mass Murderer 1953

The artist's work had far-reaching implications, provoking a strong backlash from the Communist Party, which issued a clear condemnation of the portrait's publication in the newspaper. French communist outlets featured letters from outraged readers who argued that Picasso's depiction of Stalin was entirely disconnected from reality, viewing his interpretation as a direct affront to the principles of communism.

When facing critics with regards to Picasso's portents the artist had different replies.

Portrait of Gertrude Stein, 1906, now Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City. Gertrude Stein was one of the first and more persistent art collectors of Picasso’s artworks in USA. When someone of the art critics commented that Stein did not look like her portrait, Picasso replied, "She will"!

Facing critics of his communist community Picasso turns to his usual argument "...But if I were a shoemaker, Royalist or Communist or anything else, I would not necessarily hammer my shoes in a special way to show my politics..." The "hammering shoes" was always designated to collectors, art dealers and market promoters, while the staging behind was dedicated to comrades. Picasso becomes a front model of communist party; Congresses, Peace Conferences, Special party events and awards. He got Stalin's Peace Price in 1950, in 1962 Picasso received Lenin Pease Price.

Picasso's moral integrity as a Man rises question can we trust his sincerity as the Artist.