Sayville Library Takes An Inside Look at Picasso

The Sayville Library recently hosted an educational seminar on Picasso, with a look back at the different stages of his career.

With three prominent exhibits on display in New York City at the Met, the Museum of Modern Art and the Whitney, lecturer Emilia Baer brought her vast knowledge of the artist to Sayville  in hopes that attendees would get a better understanding of the artist. Baer, an artist herself, also lectures and teaches all over Long Island.

Born in 1881, Pablo Picasso had a long career as an artist, passing away in 1973 at the age of 91. Throughout his life, Picasso produced 13,500 paintings; 34,000 books; 100,000 art prints and 300 sculptures. Picasso never told people what the meaning of his work was; he wanted to leave it up to them to make their own interpretations.

The following are some of the highlights of her lecture:

• At a young age, Picasso was very advanced. He was also very well-educated, although he only spent one-quarter of a year in college. He found all the classes in Spain rather boring so he went France to study art.
• He became a serious painter at the age of eight. While studying in France, he had no money and would sometimes have to light his paintings on fire to keep warm. His paintings from his era were known as his "Blue Period."
• Picasso became recognized as a true artist at the age of 16 after his "Science and Charity" painting.
• He went through five different phases in his career: 1901-1904 was the "Blue Period;" 1905-1907 was the "Rose Period;" from 1908-1909, Picasso had an African-influenced stage, sometimes referred to as the "Black Period;" and he went through an "Analytic Cubism" period from 1909-1919.
• Picasso went through a series of lovers and relationships that deeply influenced his artwork. All his women were very passionate about him; one even committed suicide because she could not live without him.
• He always started his work with a single line, because he said, lines never change but shapes can.
• Picasso got into ceramics and pottery later in his life.
• Picasso thought he was God. He should be remembered as a man of passion, both cruel and kind, with a life full of feeling reflected in his artwork.

The Sayville Library hosts many adult programs. For information call 589-4440.