May 12, 2008
From a 1957 profile of Pablo Picasso
On the website of The Atlantic, the editors have made available a July 1957 profile of Pablo Picasso written by Carlton Lake, then the Paris art critic for the Christian Science Monitor. It is part of their "Flashbacks" series, and is paired with other engagements with the artist and his work. An excerpt:
We passed into a large salon. The ceiling was well over fifteen feet high. Facing me, on the other side of the room, were floor-to-ceiling glass doors overlooking a terrace and gardens. The room itself and another, somewhat smaller, to my left, were filled with the same kind of overflowing accumulation of Picasso's work that I had encountered as soon as I crossed the threshold into the hall. It seemed a little bit like playing Ali Baba in modern dress. My eyes were racing from one corner to another trying to take it all in at once. Then I heard Jacqueline say, "Et voici Picasso." I turned and, across a distance of perhaps two feet, found myself looking down into Picasso's eyes -- as bright and penetrating as ever. He looked vigorous yet relaxed, and a long way from seventy-five. He was wearing saffron-colored duck slacks and a burgundy woolen shirt with a dark-brown sleeveless sweater over it; on his feet, a pair of canvas espadrilles. He led me into the dining room to our right, pulled up a chair for me near the head of the table, then settled his wiry, rugged little frame into a wicker seat beside me. Jacqueline sat down on the other side of him, facing me and completing a kind of semicircle. Picasso lighted a cigarette and looked over at me.
"Well," he said with a grin, "you've got me. Now what are you going to do with me?"
The profile is a long, informal, engaging read; there are many personal details. To read the rest, click here. To see the other articles in this "Flashback," here.