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Pigment ink and acrylic on canvas, 40" x 56", 1993
On display at the San Jose Repertory Theatre through February 22 to accompany the Regional Premiere of the acclaimed play “a Picasso”.
This portrait of Picasso was inspired by the passion and intensity with which Picasso worked, and the pain behind his penetrating glare. When I looked at Picasso's face depicted in the photograph by David Douglas Duncan, Cannes, France, c. 1960 (reproduced in 'Viva Picasso: a Centennial Celebration 1881 - 1981', publisher The Viking Press, 1980), I saw a dynamic combination of playfulness, aggression and passion. It was this firey mix of qualities and his vibrant zest for life, that I wanted to capture in this portrait. The painting includes in the background my painted representations of two of Picasso’s paintings: “The Dream”, 1932, a painting that depicts a dreaming lady, to represent the sensual side of Picasso, and “Bullfight”, 1934, a painting that seems to express Picasso's aggression and anger in the screaming horse. Both these paintings are in the collection of Mr. & Mrs. Ganz, New York.
The portrait was part of a series of four portraits of painters (the others being Frida Kahlo, Salvador Dali and Andy Warhol), originally created for an article I wrote in the National Association of Desktop Publishers Journal. This artwork, an example of one of my early digital paintings, was created freehand directly on my first Macintosh, a Macintosh IIfx (20/160), using a Wacom graphics tablet & pressure sensitive stylus, and Fractal Design Painter X2 software.
Picasso's internal dynamic tensions and contradictions, expressed in this portrait, are also the subject matter of the play “a Picasso”, which explores his attitude to war, women and art. I highly recommend seeing the play. Here are some photos from my visit to the theatre.
The cast of “a Picasso”—Carrie Paff and James Carpenter—with my portrait of Picasso in the theatre lobby.
(left) Myself, Picasso, Joan and Bela Gallo. (right) Peggy Gyulai looks in from outside.
The painting as seen from outside the theatre.
All artwork shown is copyright © Jeremy Sutton
No reproduction or usage of artwork allowed without written permission of the artist.
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http://www.jeremysutton.com
jeremy@jeremysutton.com
415.641.1221