by Lisa Nystrom
Worth: $11.00
FilmInk rates movies out of $20 — the score indicates the amount we believe a ticket to the movie to be worth
Cast:
Mina Kavani, Gertrude Stein, Marie-Laure Bernadac, Cécile Debray
Intro:
It’s a flowery, at times poetic retelling of the man’s life, unafraid to sing his praises in a not entirely objective manner.
Revolutionary pioneer of the art world, Pablo Picasso is a household name, familiar to even those whose passing knowledge of artists extends barely beyond memorising the names of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
In his pursuit of perfection, the techniques Picasso developed and mastered changed the entire course of modern art, and in commemoration of the 50-year anniversary of his passing, this documentary charts the life of the renowned painter, sculptor and ceramicist, from his birth in Spain to his arrival in France, where he would spend most of his life, and create entire museums’ worth of treasured art.
Set in Musée Picasso in Paris, the film takes us through just a handful of their collection dedicated to the man himself. With tens of thousands of pieces both on display and tucked away safely in the archives, director Simona Risi has more than enough material on hand to illustrate this historic journey.
The foreign language film is made accessible with a somewhat clunky dubbed English voiceover, with snippets of diary entries, letters and even voice recordings of those closest to the artist, including famed poet and modernist writer Gertrude Stein. Museum curator Marie-Laure Bernadac, art historian Cécile Debray, and designer and fashion guru Paul Smith all lend their expertise in stories and interviews, with actress Mina Kavani standing in as ringleader and guide.
It’s a flowery, at times poetic retelling of the man’s life, unafraid to sing his praises in a not entirely objective manner. And yet, given the mark Picasso has already left on not just art lovers but the world at large, one film’s unadulterated celebration of his life and work is hardly likely to turn the tide of public opinion. Whether Picasso does in fact deserve to be styled as the most important artist of the 20th century, as this narrative would have us believe, he is undoubtably a fascinating figure to behold. From his romantic love affair with Paris, to his multitude of physical affairs with women throughout the years; his devoted friendships, idealistic rivalries, and personal eccentricities; witnessing an era of worldwide political upheaval through the framework of one man’s evolution is almost as enthralling as one of the artist’s own fragmented, dreamlike creations.
