His Bather series evolved during the early years of their relationship. Picasso allegorized Walter in his works, often depicting her as eternal youth, and developed visual codes to portray her in disguise. Because he was still married to Olga Khokhlova, their affair was kept secret for most of the duration of their relationship. Marie-Therese Walter met Picasso when she was just 17 and Picasso was immediately enamoured by her classical Greek-like features. The theme of motherhood was an extremely important theme for Picasso while he and Khokhlova were together and he frequently painted her and his son as “Madonna and child” showing tender emotion. Head of Woman (Olga), 1917 by Pablo Picasso He and Khokhlova separated in 1935, when Walter fell pregnant, but Khokhlova remained his legal wife until her death in 1955. In the late 1920’s, however, Picasso began to seek out the company of Marie-Therese Walter who became his long-time mistress. When their son, Paulo was born, Picasso’s art began to focus on timelessness and Neoclassical representations of motherhood. He continued to integrate classicism into Modernism and looked at traditional Greek mythology and Christianity subjects for his inspiration.
The painting below was made shortly after Picasso met Khokhlova and shows a return to naturalism. Picasso explored Cubism for approximately seven years. The couple met in 1917 when Picasso was working on the stage design for the ballet Parade in which Khokhlova was performing. Olga Khokhlova was a Russian ballerina and became Picasso’s first wife, marrying him in 1918. Standing Nude (Femme Nue), 1910: Fernande Olivier by Picasso After mutual infidelities, the couple separated in 1912.
It was during this time that Picasso began depicting the body in form of different planes and new ways of using space and object references. Picasso was fascinated with Spanish and Portuguese sculptures and African masks and he found inspiration in their geometric lines for his paintings. Picasso often painted her in the nude or while she was dressing. The works in this period had more earthy and warm tones, depicting scenes of harlequins and carnival performers. She moved in with him the following year initiating his transition into the Rose Period. The first woman in Picasso’s rakish life was Fernande Olivier who he met in 1904, during his Blue Period, where he painted the urban life of Paris and Barcelona in blue and blue-green tones. The exhibition pays homage to six women in Picasso’s life and really tells their stories through his artwork. “To my misfortune, and maybe my delight, I place things according to my love affairs.” In order to keep everything straight in my mind, I have tried to include some background and brief histories on each woman, who was an artist in her own right. This exhibition on Picasso staged by the Vancouver Art Gallery is not just an exhibition of his works, but more a tribute to his muses – his lovers who inspired his creations.
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