The fourth volume in the Essays by Leo Steinberg series, focusing on
the artist Pablo Picasso.
Leo Steinberg was one of the most original art historians of the
twentieth century, known for taking interpretive risks that challenged
the profession by overturning reigning orthodoxies. In essays and
lectures ranging from old masters to modern art, he combined scholarly
erudition with eloquent prose that illuminated his subject and a credo
that privileged the visual evidence of the image over the literature
written about it. His writings, sometimes provocative and controversial,
remain vital and influential reading. Steinberg's perceptions evolved
from long, hard looking at his objects of study. Almost everything he
wrote included passages of formal analysis but always put into the
service of interpretation.
This volume brings together Steinberg's essays on Pablo Picasso, many of
which have been studied and debated for decades, such as "The
Philosophical Brothel," as well as unpublished lectures, including "The
Intelligence of Picasso," a wide-ranging look at Picasso's enduring
ambition to stretch the agenda of representation, from childhood
drawings to his last self-portrait. An introduction by art historian
Richard Shiff contextualizes these works and illuminates Steinberg's
lifelong dedication to refining the expository, interpretive, and
rhetorical features of his writing.
Picasso is the fourth volume in a series that presents Steinberg's
writings, selected and edited by his longtime associate Sheila
Schwartz.
