See the picture as it is. What is it like to travel back in time and space to see an authentic painting by the great artist Picasso? At the Yunnan Provincial Museum, you will find your own answer. On July 13th, the Yunnan Provincial Museum ushered in an unprecedented art feast, co-sponsored by the Yunnan Provincial Museum and Beijing Shengxuan Culture Group Co., Ltd., and co-organized by the Mobius Art Foundation of Austria, Hong Kong, Thailand International Art Foundation, Xi'an Qujiang Art Museum and other loan units The blockbuster exhibition "Endless Creativity - Picasso's Artistic Career Retrospective" was grandly opened. The 152 precious exhibits bring you the ultimate feast of vision and soul, and are a tribute to the master's style, artistic innovation and inheritance.
Picasso's original painting "The Bullring" is on display
Picasso once said, "Give me a museum and I can fill it up." The exhibition brings together 152 works spanning all stages of Picasso's career and in various media, including 2 original oil paintings, 2 original pencil drawings, 19 precious autographed prints, a set of 23 limited edition silverware designed by Picasso himself, and 12 ceramics designed and made by Picasso. It is worth mentioning that half of the prints in the exhibition are being shown to the public for the first time.
Picasso's original painting "The Bullring"
Pablo · Picasso is one of the most creative and influential artists of the 20th century, a famous master of Cubist art, whose representative works include "Guernica", "Dove of Peace", "Les Demoiselles d'Avignon", "Life" and so on. Picasso's works are diverse in style, but no matter how they change, you can feel his spirit of freedom and authenticity.
The exhibition hall of "Endless Creativity: A Retrospective Exhibition of Picasso's Artistic Career" is simple and elegant. Picasso's large-scale self-portrait, the authentic painting "Bullring", and Picasso's pottery silver plate attracted many viewers to watch it carefully. At the same time, the exhibition has set up an installation check-in area that complements the paintings, such as white doves, flowers, and picture frames...... Together with Picasso's works, they allow everyone to freeze the beauty of diversity in the exhibition hall. The exhibition also uses cultural and creative products as a carrier to bring more creative and good things that accompany people every day, so that art can be integrated into people's lives in another form.
This exhibition is not only a comprehensive retrospective of the career of Picasso, one of the greatest artists of the 20th century, but also an artistic dialogue across time and space, allowing the audience to appreciate the master's works while experiencing his endless creativity and profound ideological connotation. The exhibition is carefully curated into five sections: "From Painter to Picasso", "Peaceful Metamorphosis", "Inspirational Experiment", "Getting Better" and "Eternal Picasso", each of which contains rich artistic value and ornamental highlights.
The first chapter of the exhibition, "From Painter to Picasso", traces Picasso's journey from an ordinary painter to a great artist, starting from his early works. During this period, Picasso's works did not completely break away from the framework of traditional painting, but they already showed their unique artistic sensitivity and innovative spirit. Picasso's original painting "The Bullring" is a representative work of this period, with its vivid scene depiction, light and shadow treatment, and bright colors, showing Picasso's unique observation of the real world. From the deep melancholy of the Blue Period to the warm transition of the Rose Period, Picasso used color as a pen to depict the grandeur of emotions. Subsequently, inspiration from African art inspired his profound exploration of Cubism, and his collaboration with Georges · Braque led a visual revolution that challenged and reshaped our perception of space and form. This is not only a review of Picasso's artistic beginnings, but also an important foreshadowing of his later artistic exploration, leading the audience through his artistic journey, feeling the emotions and thoughts behind each style change, and experiencing the infinite charm of innovation and change.
Works designed by Picasso
Entering the "Peaceful Metamorphosis" section, the audience feels as if they are in the depths of Picasso's emotional world. Picasso's artistic practice between 1936 and 1956 reflects the interweaving of war and peace. During the war, he used exaggerated lines, contrasting colors and distorted forms to convey inner pain and anger, and his expressionist style was shocking. After the war, Picasso's brushstrokes turned to simplicity and power, bright colors conveyed a vision of peace, and the Eastern Mediterranean idyllic scenery showed tranquility and hope, witnessing the artist's search for healing from trauma and conveying the desire for peace to the world.
Works such as "Woman with a Tambourine", "Woman in a Turkey Hat" and "Dove of Peace in the Sky" are not only a true portrayal of Picasso's emotional world, but also a key testimony to the formation of his artistic style, allowing the audience to feel the emotional fluctuations in the artist's heart while enjoying the vision.
A comprehensive display of Picasso's artistic achievements and depth of thought
The "Inspiration Experiment" section is undoubtedly one of the highlights of the exhibition. Inspired by the Eastern Mediterranean style of the small town of Vallaury, France, he broke with tradition and combined deconstructivism with painted sculptures, paintings, and collages to create 633 works such as dinner plates and vases. Matadors, natural landscapes, creatures and female figures come to life, with their colourful and vivid forms, both inheriting and reinventing the essence of Picasso's art. These experimental creations have injected a modern soul into the art of ceramics and given new vitality to ancient techniques. The porcelain, silver plates, and pottery on display in this unit bring a new experience of Picasso's works to the audience.
The "Getting Better" section presents the extreme diversity and innovation of Picasso's artistic style. During this period, he deepened Cubism, blending expressionism, surrealism and classical art, with vivid and full colors to enhance visual impact and emotional depth. Deconstruction and reorganization techniques are intertwined with complex compositions and bold experiments to build a multi-layered visual feast. Combining a rich history with an innovative spirit, Picasso entered a new realm of creativity at the age of seventy, leading the way in art and demonstrating endless creativity and avant-garde ideas.
The final section, "Picasso Eternity", pays tribute to the last glorious decade of the master's life. During this period, Picasso used his endless creativity and profound philosophical thinking to cross the boundaries of the media, using his creations to outline the various states of life and express natural feelings. Each of his creations is a profound interrogation and expression of the essence of existence, he said: "I originally wanted to be a painter, but I didn't expect to end up becoming Picasso." The exhibits in this unit, with Picasso's unique artistic charm and innovative spirit, lead the audience to feel the infinite extension and eternal value of Picasso's artistic life in appreciation.
Through rich exhibits and meticulous planning, "Endless Creativity: A Retrospective Exhibition of Picasso's Artistic Career" comprehensively demonstrates Picasso's artistic achievements and depth of thought, allowing the audience to feel the charm of art and the style of the master in the exhibition. The exhibition will run until October 31, 2024.
Source: Metropolis Times
All-media reporter: Yan Yu
Editor: Jiang Lei
Review: Zhu Jiaji
Second trial: Zhong Ling
Final review: Peng Deguang