Comment by biztos
5 years ago
I mostly agree with you, but I'm not sure Picasso would have.
IIRC he expressed the opinion that his mastery of traditional painting was a burden and had to be unlearned before he could make his best work.
5 years ago
I mostly agree with you, but I'm not sure Picasso would have.
IIRC he expressed the opinion that his mastery of traditional painting was a burden and had to be unlearned before he could make his best work.
I think you're referring to this quote:
It took me four years to paint like Raphael, but a lifetime to paint like a child.
...or this one:
All children are artists. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.
But he also did this:
It always reminds me of the story about the woman who approached Picasso in a restaurant, asked him to scribble something on a napkin, and said she would be happy to pay whatever he felt it was worth. Picasso complied and then said, “That will be $10,000.”
“But you did that in thirty seconds,” the astonished woman replied.
“No,” Picasso said. “It has taken me forty years to do that.”
Ultimately, Picasso made a lot of witty, silly comments. I'm not sure I'd read much into them. Here's one of my favorites, although I can't seem to find an actual source:
Art is the currency of the infinite. I’m rich, I should know.
Ultimately, though, I'm not sure it's quite relevant to what I mean. Today, artists are still "taught" a lot of theory (too much, probably) and the educational goal isn't usually to be childlike.