Cubist communion

An exhibit in Washington of early Picasso works explores his knotty connection to his Catholic upbringing.

My article about the Phillips Collection’s exhibit “Picasso: Painting the Blue Period” (through June 12) appears in National Catholic Reporter.

Picasso. “The Soup” (1903). Phillips Collection, Art Gallery of Ontario/Picasso estate/Artists Rights Society

Here’s the lede:

As the 50th anniversary of his death approaches, Pablo Picasso and his work loom large, and even casual art lovers can freely associate him with cubism, blue and rose periods, and “Guernica” (1937)—his reaction to the Spanish Civil War. Many know Picasso was staunchly atheist, but it will surprise many to know he drew extensively upon Catholic imagery throughout his career.

“Picasso was marvelously informed about how the Roman Catholic representation of various religious figures matters to the faithful,” Mary Ann Caws, distinguished professor emerita at City University of New York and author of the 2005 book Pablo Picasso, told NCR. “He painted what he could of the religious imagery, even as he himself was not always worshipful.”

You can read the rest here.