Review of film Surviving Picasso - Essay Example

The essay "Review of film Surviving Picasso" will explore the film "Surviving Picasso" by James Ivory. The genre of film provides an amazingly rich opportunity for artistic expression. The study will find out how effectively this movie portrays the artist's life and work, and why Picasso's life served as a good base for a commercial fare in the first place. First of all, it should be mentioned that Pablo Ruiz Picasso, or just Picasso as the artist preferred to call himself, belongs to the list of the most outstanding persons of the last century, who was as famous during his turbulent life as he is famous now.

In the purely artistic terms, Picasso is known as one of the principal founders of cubism, a style of art in which the natural forms of subjects are represented as geometrical shapes. But in his personal life Picasso was known for his relations with numerous women, and this fact played quite a significant role in the artist’s art and in his own vision of himself. It is on this ground that the film “Surviving Picasso” finds its main theme as it attempts to help the audience better understand the life of this controversial figure.

More specifically, the film`s plot is centered on the relationships between Picasso and one of his mistresses Francoise Gilot, with whom Picasso had a relationship since meeting her as a young student of art in 1944 in Paris, and who eventually left him in 1953, which was an unprecedented case for the artist and therefore deeply shook him. This event would be much less significant.. What is interesting is that these women, which in a certain way can be perceived as victims of an evil genius, were apparently drawn to him not unlike moth is attracted by fire.

As one of Picasso mistresses Dora Maar puts it in the film: "Without him [Picasso] there is nothing" (Ivory, 1997), and another woman silently confirms this attitude as she saves Picasso's cut hair and nail clippings. In this light, the story of Francoise Gilot is an account of a person who was not overcame by the artist, and who even later had to withstand his attempts for revenge. In the very beginning of their relationship a lot of symbolism is present - Picasso leaves Dora Maars table in order to join Francoise Gilot, which was quite typical for the artist frivolous character, and when she enters the studio of Picasso, he warns that from that moment she was in the labyrinth of Minotaur who had to devour at least two young girls a day in order not to perish.

And even a servant of Picasso tells Gilot that it would be better for her to go home. At this point in the film a question arises as to why Picasso was so irresistible in womens opinion. One of the evident answers offered in the movie, and confirmed by biographic accounts of Picasso, is that it was the inner perception of irresistibility filling him that he was able to easily project on other people as well. Of course, the ability of Picasso not only to create but to constantly maintain his reputation of the greatest artist of his time added to his almost mythical appeal.

Still, despite of presence of numerous accurate observations in the film of elements of Picasso's character, the picture does not fully avoid the