Edited by Carmen Giménez, Josef Helfenstein. Text by Gabriel Dette, Carmen Giménez, Olga Osadtschy, Javier Portús, Richard Shiff.
Tracing the contours of Picasso’s evolving dialogue with the master of phantasmagorical figuration
In his youth, Pablo Picasso (1881–1973) frequented the Prado Museum, rejecting a formal education in favor of studying the works of the old masters himself. El Greco (1541–1614) particularly captivated his attention, and his admiration soon bloomed into inspiration. Signature features of El Greco’s style were regenerated by Picasso’s reverent, if also subversive, hand. During his Blue Period (1901–04), the artist incorporated El Greco’s penchant for elongated figures, sober backgrounds and a touch of mysticism and mannerism; during his late career, he more explicitly embraced his fascination with the Spanish Golden Age, evoking El Greco’s palette of warm browns and ochers. Indeed, Picasso helped spearhead a resurgence of interest in El Greco, whose work—while acclaimed by his contemporaries in the 16th century for its undeniable ingenuity—was largely forgotten following his death, until the early 1900s. By engaging in a dialogue with his predecessor, Picasso established a point of historical continuity in his work—a grounding presence in the midst of his radical formal interventions. This volume juxtaposes 40 masterpieces by the artists, underscoring the depth and longevity of this engagement.
PRAISE AND REVIEWS
Financial Times
Kristina Foster
Revisits Picasso’s admiration for the great painters of the Renaissance, in particular his life-long obsession with one of the most idiosyncratic, through 30 pairs of paintings [...] Shows not only how the mature artist was eager to cement his place among them, but also that he never stopped drawing from art history in order to stay original.
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FORMAT: Hbk, 9 x 11.5 in. / 192 pgs / 150 color. LIST PRICE: U.S. $65.00 LIST PRICE: CANADA $88 ISBN: 9783775752138 PUBLISHER: Hatje Cantz AVAILABLE: 8/30/2022 DISTRIBUTION: D.A.P. RETAILER DISC: TRADE PUBLISHING STATUS: Active AVAILABILITY: In stock TERRITORY: NA LA
Published by Hatje Cantz. Edited by Carmen Giménez, Josef Helfenstein. Text by Gabriel Dette, Carmen Giménez, Olga Osadtschy, Javier Portús, Richard Shiff.
Tracing the contours of Picasso’s evolving dialogue with the master of phantasmagorical figuration
In his youth, Pablo Picasso (1881–1973) frequented the Prado Museum, rejecting a formal education in favor of studying the works of the old masters himself. El Greco (1541–1614) particularly captivated his attention, and his admiration soon bloomed into inspiration. Signature features of El Greco’s style were regenerated by Picasso’s reverent, if also subversive, hand. During his Blue Period (1901–04), the artist incorporated El Greco’s penchant for elongated figures, sober backgrounds and a touch of mysticism and mannerism; during his late career, he more explicitly embraced his fascination with the Spanish Golden Age, evoking El Greco’s palette of warm browns and ochers. Indeed, Picasso helped spearhead a resurgence of interest in El Greco, whose work—while acclaimed by his contemporaries in the 16th century for its undeniable ingenuity—was largely forgotten following his death, until the early 1900s. By engaging in a dialogue with his predecessor, Picasso established a point of historical continuity in his work—a grounding presence in the midst of his radical formal interventions.
This volume juxtaposes 40 masterpieces by the artists, underscoring the depth and longevity of this engagement.
