PICASSO'S CRITIC

Women Of Algiers 1955 Pablo Picasso

During the period when Picasso was working on his “Women Of Algiers”  series he commented to his dealer Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler,

“ You never know how your work will turn out.  You start a picture and it becomes something quite different.  It’s strange how little the artist’s intention counts for.  It’s really tiresome: you always have a critic at your elbow saying I don’t like that or it ought to be different.  He grabs at your brushes and they become heavy as lead.  He doesn’t know what he is talking about , but he is always there.”

If you have ever painted, you know what he meant.  I often tell people that the painting tells me what it needs and what to do next.  For Picasso it was his inner critic, one that he did not always trust.

ASHEVILLE

Figure 2 "Asheville Revisited" Acrylic on Canvas 36" x 48"

It is interesting how circumstances align. In my most recently completed artwork, "Maybe 4th Street," I intentionally omitted the use of white paint. However, as I embarked on my next painting, I made a deliberate choice to incorporate white. Prior to commencing this new project, my wife and I had planned a trip to western North Carolina, with Asheville being one of our destinations. Asheville is in close proximity to Black Mountain College, which was established in 1933 and attracted pioneering artists as visiting professors, particularly during the summer months. In 1948, Willem de Kooning accepted an invitation from Joseph Albers to teach at the college, bringing his wife Elaine along. As I contemplated integrating white into my upcoming painting, I recalled that some of de Kooning's works from the late 1940s prominently featured white, such as his abstract expressionist piece from 1948 titled "Asheville" (refer to Figure 1). Upon revisiting my de Kooning book, I rediscovered this painting, which he either created during his time at Black Mountain or shortly after returning to New York. Given my decision to include white in my new artwork and my impending return to Asheville (a city I had previously visited approximately 30 years ago), the serendipitous connection to de Kooning's "Asheville" painting resonated with me. Consequently, I have aptly titled my latest creation "Asheville Revisited" (refer to Figure 2).

Figure 1 de Kooning's Asheville 1948

ASHEVILLE

Figure 1 "Asheville Revisited" Acrylic on canvas 36" x 48"

It is interesting how circumstances align. In my most recently completed artwork, "Maybe 4th Street," I intentionally omitted the use of white paint. However, as I embarked on my next painting, I made a deliberate choice to incorporate white. Prior to commencing this new project, my wife and I had planned a trip to western North Carolina, with Asheville being one of our destinations. Asheville is in close proximity to Black Mountain College, which was established in 1933 and attracted pioneering artists as visiting professors, particularly during the summer months. In 1948, Willem de Kooning accepted an invitation from Joseph Albers to teach at the college, bringing his wife Elaine along. As I contemplated integrating white into my upcoming painting, I recalled that some of de Kooning's works from the late 1940s prominently featured white, such as his abstract expressionist piece from 1948 titled "Asheville" (refer to Figure 2). Upon revisiting my De Kooning book, I rediscovered this painting, which he either created during his time at Black Mountain or shortly after returning to New York. Given my decision to include white in my new artwork and my impending return to Asheville (a city I had previously visited approximately 30 years ago), the serendipitous connection to de Kooning's "Asheville" painting resonated with me. Consequently, I have aptly titled my latest creation "Asheville Revisited" (refer to Figure 1).

Figure 2 "Asheville" Willem de Kooning 1948