Sunday, March 25, 2007

Picasso And Gertrude Stein



Pablo Picasso was one of Gertrude Stein's favorite artists and social contacts in Paris.
Gertrude Stein is shown sitting in front of a portrait of her painted by Picasso. The photo was taken by Man Ray in 1922. More on Miss Stein and Hemingway can be found in an earler post


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    38 comments:

    Ame said...

    Very interesting Paul! WOW! A portrait by Picasso? Wish I could have had one by him...he's one of my fave artists! ;)xo

    Icarus said...

    Paul, how refreshing. Not just to see a new post from you, but because of what I've just come from and commenting on. The fascist dictator of Portugal - a regime that lasted 48 years until 1974 - won the television contest on Sunday night to find the Greatest Portuguese in History. I will say no more. But to then come in and find Picasso, Stein, Man Ray (you don't refer to Hem's links to Stein?)is like a cooling shower in a desert. And here we go again............

    Nikon said...

    Hi Stewart, your right, I guess I had a brain cramp on assuming everyone knows the details of Hem in Paris!
    I do have more on Stein in a previous post - I"ll see if there's enough there to make a link.

    Oya said...

    They look exactly the same...He was something...

    Carlos said...

    Paul,
    As usual very interesting content.
    That photo was probably taken in her apartment at 27 Rue de Fleures (Hemingway mentions it lots of times in AMF).
    There's a colored version of her portrait in Wikipedia

    Anonymous said...

    I liked this post too. I studied Hemmingway for a different reason but when I was involved in calligraphy and handwriting I was always interested in seeing his letters written with that big fountain pen. I still have, somewhere, facsimiles, of those or a few of them.

    Thanks for coming by and commenting on the grackles in the rain.

    Photo Essays
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    Icarus said...

    Hi Paul, I know this might seem a bit *naughty*, but I am using your good offices to inform Ame that I have not been able to open her blog for 2 days. I wonder if it's only me. It opens on a totally blank screen.
    All the best (news?)
    S

    Nikon said...

    Hi Stewart, I'm having the same problem. I use AOL & evidently a few people have the same problem as you & I if they use AOL(&/or IE6).
    I switched to an old Netscape browser that I have - & her site appears - do you have another browser?
    I've sent her an e-mail telling her about our problems.

    Nikon said...

    Hi Abe, I didn't know about the "big pen", thanks for filling me in on that. I know he wrote frequently with gaps beteen the words - but that was supposedly so he could do his own editing & re-writes in those spaces.

    Icarus said...

    Paul, I tried the following & it worked fine. Click on her name above. When it opens her profile, try opening her blog from there.
    See Ame, the world-wide trouble shooting that is going on for your sake? Looks like - for the time being - Portugal's Santa Clara's working better than the US version LOL! I bet normal service will soon be resumed, though. My Volume 2 goes in tomorrow...Ciao!!

    Nikon said...

    Ame tells me it's fixed - haven't tried it yet.
    We're going to spoil the girl!

    isa said...

    Nice post, Paul.
    Remember Stein telling her "lost generation" brood to forgo fancy food and clothing and instead buy art with any spare money they had? She felt Picasso was already overpriced, but the "new set" was ripe for picking...
    I bet they were sorry later for not heeding her advice ;-)

    OT - from 5 rooms to a studio? you poor thing! Good luck with the move! (don't forget your cat ;-)

    Nikon said...

    Hi isabella,
    No the cat is coming if I can find her today! I know she's going to pull a dispearing act.
    Yes, Stein's advice was to put your clothes money towards art, & the artists in "your quarter" were cheap enough for that & they may become famous some day.
    She meanwhile lived comfortably on a trust fund :) How do you get one of those anyway?

    Anonymous said...

    Thank you for visiting, Paul, and for the comment about me being in the newspaper. I appreciate it a lot.

    Fahrneys.com in Washington, D.C. sells the fountain pen made to look like the one Hemmingway used.

    It might still be listed as it is expensive.

    Brookville Daily Photo
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    Anonymous said...

    My apologies. This is the correct address for the pen company. And I typed in Hemmingway and up popped the pen for $3300.00.

    Fahrneys Pens

    Nikon said...

    Abe, funny I've never come across anything about his pen!
    That's quite a price :)

    Kate said...

    It's a wonderful portrait of the "grande dame" isn't it? I too love TMF by Hemingway. I hail from St. Paul, MN, the home of F Scott. I taught both him and Hemingway in a school there that had been attended by Fitzgerald as a young person and have done a theme on his life in St. Paul in my visualstpaul photo blog. (Shameless pitch--with an old Mavica camera) I used to rent a beautiful flat just down the street in Paris in one of the places Hemingway rented. Alas it was recently sold. I do go on don't I. I need to go back and peruse more of your posts!!

    Nikon said...

    Hi Kate, what an amazing story - you taught both of them!
    I think you'll find that my things here are sadly amateurish.
    But I really appreciate the visit

    Icarus said...

    Hi Paul, I'm down to my last two boxes of books and I'm hoping that my old copy of AMF emerges! Now, what's the deal with the move? You haven't told me. Here I am, 7 weeks on, but I still haven't arrived, if you get me. And I don't think I'm going to. Hope it goes well & is a move in the all the right directions. Best of luck.

    Nikon said...

    "Seven weeks & you still haven't arrived," I understand perfectly - I wish I was someplace else.
    I have AMF right in the box marked with the "H."

    Carlos said...

    I see you're back online. How's everything?

    Nikon said...

    Hi Carlos,
    I wish I wasn't here :)
    I hope that will go away with time.
    This was just an emergency move - as long as I keep that in perspective - I'll be ok.
    But honestly, I can't wait to move along........

    Icarus said...

    Paul & me & our reluctant moves....what a pair we make!!! But that's why we understand each other so well. Another day, and those boxes still have to wait till tomorrow.

    Nikon said...

    Hi Stewart, yes, amazing what's happened to us, huh?
    I've only unpacked one box - the one with the "H" on it. I'm hoping it will make the move out of here easier if the books are still boxed :)
    Can you sense I'd I'd rather be someplace else?

    JaamZIN said...

    I find Gertrude Stein a very interesting person. I think she did the same with the literature as Picasso with paintings:)

    Zannnie said...

    Great and interesting blog you have...

    Thanks for your wonderful comments on mine;)

    Meg said...

    Picaso portrait with all the parts in more or less the expected places!! Somehow, however, I had always imagined GS to look entirely, totally, completely different - ummmm, young and thin.... So not fair.

    Nikon said...

    Zsolt, her style of writing was offbeat, to say the least.
    I believe she published most if not all of her works at her own expense - publishers assumed nobody would buy them.
    Her style was abstract - much like some of Picassos's paintings could be labeled as such.

    Nikon said...

    Hi Meg,
    Picasso went through several "periods" and being quite a gifted "draftsman" he could turn out a lifelike rendering very easily.
    GS, was, always a bit of the "motherly" type - in appearance and in her stewardship of the "lost generation."

    isa said...

    Paul, I worry about you! You seem to be down lately...In the immortal words of Cher in Moonstruck "Snap out of it!"
    Seriously though, hope things will improve soon.

    Icarus said...

    Hi Paul. Yippeeeeeee, AMF & an old hardback anthology of EH emerged from that box today. But your poignant "I wish I wasn't here" to Carlos still strikes the perfect echo with me.
    As peole are now picking up my urging of the Portuguese word rally cry, "Força" (courage, strength) on them as their mantra, I am signing out with it to you. and me!
    Força!

    Monica said...

    Hi Paul! I'm so late on this one but I'm glad I can catch up now. I'm impressed on how the portrait looks exactly like her. Amazing!

    BTW, I love Ray Man photos, I feel like going through some of his work again now. I used to have a book of his pictures but I don't know where it is now..

    Nikon said...

    Hi Monica, thanks for visiting that portrait of Gertrude Stein is amazingly realistic - this rendition on the blog doesn't do it justice. Man Ray was a visionary, I'm not sure what the popular concensus is, but I think he was one of the lucky ones born with "the gift."

    Zannnie said...
    This comment has been removed by the author.
    Zannnie said...

    I was hoping to see a new post today...


    About the mini Quiz:-
    I have knew Chris (the MadScientist) for sixteen (16) years! So the winner is Kerry-Anne from Cape Town.

    It was after our GCE ‘O’ Level while waiting for our results, and we were in the same Orientation Group in a pre-university instituition. Our group name is “OG5″…and it’s amazing, looking back how long ago it has been! wow, 16 years!!

    …Once again, Thank you for joining in this little game and your answer was VERY close and hope you had fun!

    Zannnie

    JaamZIN said...

    one more thing about Gertrude Stein. She said once angrily to journalists (i guess): "I hate questions. I dont know how someone dares to ask questions."

    And this sentence makes me think often. Whats wrong with questions?:)

    Nikon said...

    zsolt, yes, odd statement - I've never heard that one before.
    She was a difficult woman - a bit superior. At her weekly parties, artists were certainly encouraged to ask questions.

    Helene said...

    I love the photo of Gertrude... Funny that I would never have picked the painting as being done by Picasso.