Gertrude Stein for H.!

Gertrude Stein and her brother compiled one of the first collections of Cubist and modern art. She owned early works of Pablo Picasso, who became a friend and painted her portrait. At that time Picasso was neither famous nor rich. The appreciation of the Steins and their picture purchases brought a little light into the poor life of young Picasso.
She had more than 80 sittings for this 1906 portrait.



"Everyone thinks she does not look like her portrait, but never mind, she will". (Picasso)

A man once criticized Picasso for creating unrealistic art. Picasso asked him: "Can you show me some realistic art?" The man showed him a photograph of his wife. Picasso observed: "So your wife is two inches tall, two-dimensional, with no arms and no legs, and no color but only shades of gray?"

Pablo Picasso

Today I found some old drawings and pictures in a box (still left untouched after our move). Most of them are older than 10 years and were made during art classes in school. One of our last assignments was to decorate some wall sections of the school's new recreational area.
Each of us got the same sized wooden board, wall paint and one brush. We had to choose a portrait, done by a famous artist and draw it in black and white on these wooden boards (which then would be put up together).
I really didn´t know which portrait to draw. Most of the students decided to copy realistic portraits. I hadn´t been a fan of Picasso so far but I wanted to do something different and so I chose a portrait done by him. It took a lot of time to draw this painting - specially with the wall color and with only one brush.



BUT: This is when I fell in love with Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Clito Ruiz y Picasso´s work.
While trying to copy the image as detailed as possible I realized how much work there was in all of his paintings. And that opened my eyes to art, artists and their work. ¡Gracias a Usted, Signor Picasso!



"When I was a child, my mother said to me, 'If you become a soldier, you'll be a general. If you become a monk you'll end up as the pope.' Instead I became a painter and wound up as Picasso.” (Pablo Picasso)

I am really glad he became Picasso.