Life with Picasso by Francoise Gilot Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Life with Picasso
Book Review: Intimate portrait of artistic genius as moral monster
Summary: 4 Stars
I read this book with a certain guilt as if prying into the intimate world of others I had no business looking into. But the fascination with the life of the great artist, and the whole subject of creativity kept me reading on even when I felt a bit disgusted in doing so.
I don't think it is my prudery that led to these feelings. The Picasso of this work is an egomaniac, a moral monster, who shows absolutely no consideration whatever for those closest to him. The people who have helped him in the past do not count for him. The people who are involved with him in the present are manipulated by him for his own purposes. He is tremendously ambitious, greedy financially, stingy, sexually driven and demanding without necessarily being interested in the feelings of the woman he is with . Gilot is no innocent, and her relation with Picasso comes not only one feels out of her own ambition as an artist but her desire to be next to the big- deal the big- name the great genius of art. It is instructive how she cans the two aunts who raise her when the great Pablo demands exclusive attention. This is not to deny her genuine love for him or his passion for her, though no doubt this was never particularly exclusive. Picasso was a great user, user of materials and situations for his art, and user of people for his life. His work has a cruelty his life shares. And it seems to me that that cruelty means his work in the deepest sense does not reach the highest level, the level where Rembrandt and Michangelo and Raphael are. And this because the great draughtsman is not a great reader of the human soul . He is rather a twenty- second technical man a supreme master of means who knows how to put the machine in himself to use to cut up and recombine the world for his purposes. Gilot goes too as do all the previous wives and mistresses, the agents and friends. And Pablo takes and takes to the end .
Gilot is a tough character and in a way her presentation of herself as one who stands up to him at points gives the work a certain dramatic power. But in the end the feeling is that the greatest art cannot come of or dwell in the kind of sordidness of spirit which Picasso so often displayed. And thus the reading of this work gave me the sense that generations hence though they may admire the work of Picasso will not be inspired by and love it as we do with the work of the very greatest artists.
Book Review: Knowing the woman behind the man
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm a huge fan of biographies and art. Given this book as a present from a friend, I LOVED it. It makes one wonder - how do biographers DARE write about people they never knew?! This is such an intimate portrait of a man - by a woman with an insight into what made him tick and an appreciation of his talents both artistic and human. Although Picasso is portrayed as an egomaniac, abusive and unapproachable - which no doubt was a part of him - the general public tends to overlook the intricacy of his personality and the reasons behind his behavior. Francois Gilot gave such a beautiful portrait of their relationship - and although it may just be the romantic side of me - I believe their love was true and she understood him and related on a somewhat more equal plane than any of his other lovers. Read the book - it's not the average Picasso's a jerk book.Book Review: Picasso
Summary: 5 Stars
This is truly a wonderful, insightful book. It reads like a novel; one that is difficult to put down.Book Review: So good
Summary: 5 Stars
It is written in a very entertaining way,just like a novel. Geniuses are always nuts, and Picasso it's not an exception. The book is fool with gossip (good) but the author also explains VERY VERY WELL the way the Picasso painted, you can understand Picasso's painting a lot better after reading this book. Besides, you will realize he is UNIQUE, no one else like him.Book Review: You've seen the move, now read the book for a better picture
Summary: 4 Stars
Picasso. The word is more than a name, and signifies Artist with a capital "A".
Picasso: Modern, Masculine, Procreative. And completely wrapped up in himself.
Gilot, like anyone who was part of Picasso's circle, has tended to disappear in the shadow he cast. Small wonder, as you see, when you read this book, how hungrily he devoured the energies and attention of all at hand. Gilot paid attention, though, and reports faithfully, quoting fascinating extended and insightful monologues of Picasso's on his thinking and painting -- his own and that of others -- some of which have been quoted so often as to lose sight of this source.
She also cites numerous instances of Picasso's devious double-think and manipulative behavior.
She doesn't hesitate to settle a few old scores, either, for Life with Picasso meant at some point Leaving Picasso, and she had clearly suffered her share of war wounds by then. She knew the extent of her devotion and the measure its worth - and she would not allow that to be violated.
Some parenthetical notes:
1. Charlie Rose produced a program of a one (TV) hour walk through of the Picasso Portraits exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art. His guide (I forget his name) relates that Picasso, when the book was published in the early 60's, said repeatedly, "It's just not done." He was perhaps The Modern Artist, but the modern world had gotten away from him. In the world he came from, outrageous behavior was an artistic attitude - a professional technique. One did not discuss private relations before the entire world. The illustration of his psychological profile must have left Picasso feeling truly naked, for it was the meat of his work.
In its time, this book surely appeared highly intimate, unabashedly discussing many then-taboo subjects. Picasso took pride in his openness in flouting just those conventions. It now seems almost quaint that none of what we today consider intimate is ever more than hinted at. The word "lovemaking" appears only once in passing reference. Gilot kept mainly to the path the relationship took and marking some of the turns in the road. Kiss-and-tell had not yet become the lifeblood of publishing and path to personal fame and fortune. Then again, Picasso wasn't exactly forthcoming with much in the way of financial support, I'll wager.
2. Long after this book's publication, in the years that followed Picasso's death, his grandson Pablito, his last (second legal) wife Jacqueline Roc, and Marie-Therese Walter all committed suicide.
Why, I don't know. But, apparently, surviving Picasso takes considerable character, and if you read the book with a bit of impartiality, glimpses of Francoise Gilot's strength of character do come through. One can readily picture (in black and white, it just seems to fit) the two of them glowering at each other across a room, sparks flying; or on the streets of Paris, having what would in its day have been called a lovers' quarrel.
Gilot stood up for herself and showed us something about what it was like, romantic, tender and passionate - and impossibly difficult.
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