PABLO PICASSO (1881-1973)

 

For the sake of argument, blame it on Picasso -

The long slide down into the black hole
Of Cubism, doodling and abstraction –
Vaguely Miro, very Rothko.

And whilst admiring his sheer brio  -

The elegance of line, exuberant colour
And formality of composition -
It is always with that proviso.

Pictures turning reductively into patterns -

Klimt slipping into Kandinsky
And Kandinsky trickling into Klee -
Vaguely Matisse, very Mondrian.

Minimalism and gimmickry

Becoming the market’s order of the day
And, as with haute couture, modern art
Turning away from people and into easy money.

Thus fashion wins over art and application,

Whilst Picasso’s paradox states that
‘Art is a lie that makes us realise the truth’ -
If you can but see through his fabrication.

So applaud his balls and bravado,

His modernity and iconoclasm,
But remember the void he opened
And blame it all on Picasso.

(2015)

 

At the risk of sounding like a philistine, I've never been much taken with Picasso - not even 'Guernica', which seems to impress most people. The above poem, though, is not meant to be taken entirely seriously. I'm not one of those people who dismiss modern art lock, stock and barrel but, at the same time, I do believe a great deal of charlatanry has taken hold since Picasso appeared. The painting, 'Mediterranean Landscape' used here, is however, one his I do admire.