Picasso was first attracted to the work of sixteenth-century Spanish
poet Luis de Gongora y Argote during the 1920s, when the poet, called
the father of modern poetry by Federico Garcia Lorca, was resurrected by
the Surrealists. Gongora is comprised of twenty sonnets by the poet,
which Pablo Picasso wrote out in hand and further embellished with
flourishes, figures and sketches. The artist also rendered twenty
portraits to accompany these poems. The result is a blending of word and
image, full of imaginary variety and exceptional artistic virtuosity.
This bilingual edition of Gongora, featuring a preface by award-winning
poet Edward Hirsch and an introduction by former New York Times chief
art critic John Russell, presents this intimate union of art and poetry.
Gongora's sophisticated and complex poetic style inspired a school of
literature, called culteranismo, influenced by his expressive power,
unrestrained by the strict conventions of formal Spanish. Known for his
sharp wit and self-satire, he was acutely aware of the irony in his
passion for women and gambling, and his position as a deacon of the
Catholic Church. In Gongora, Picasso's handwritten Spanish text, with
its embellishing remarques closely following the words, established the
artist's personal attachment to the poetry. The rich presentation of
images--described as a veritable feminine kaleidoscope--invites the
natural comparison with the great Spanish portraitists Velasquez and El
Greco, who were Gongora's contemporaries. This edition of Gongora will
appeal to a broad audience and expose a new generation of readers to the
lyrical brilliance of this groundbreaking Spanish poet and to the
visualinterpretation of his famous admirer. Picasso's etchings, executed
in drypoint and aquatint, demonstrate an extraordinary ability to master
the elements of light and shade to create rich, sensuous and mysterious
effects. Perhaps Picasso's finest graphic accomplishment, Gongora is a
memorable visual and literary experience. 40 duotone illustrations.
