Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) is notorious for various forms of excess -
excess in his love life, an excessive output, an excessively
inconsistent style. In this groundbreaking book Elizabeth Cowling draws
on her exceptional knowledge as an authority on Picasso to argue that he
came to equate stylistic consistency with sterility. Abandoning the
traditional use of subject matter to achieve variety and meaning,
Picasso gradually reduced his to a handful of standardized motifs and
used a vast array of different styles as the principal means of
communicating ideas and feelings. In short, style is meaning in
Picasso's art; his notoriously mercurial nature found expression in
stylistic variety and experimentation. With rare intelligence and
clarity, the author has woven biography and analysis into a compelling
narrative. The 600 illustrations include all of Picasso's major works up
to the beginning of World War II, and these are juxtaposed with their
sources - Old Masters, contemporary artists, found objects and Picasso's
own drawings and sketches - to make a visually telling counterpoint to
the arguments of the text. Scholars familiar with Picasso's work will
find Cowling's fresh insights a revelation and readers new to Picasso
will come away with a profound understanding of both Picasso and his
art.
