Picasso Black and White
By Michael Pennywark
The idea that all animals see only in black and white is a common misnomer, probably perpetuated by us humans to feel superior to all the critters around us. One time though, I swear I saw everything in black and white. I think it was right after watching a Twilight Zone marathon. I remember because my roommate made some really awful coffee that kept us going all night—it had a distinctly earthy flavor, kind of mushroomy. This monochromatic world I entered was full of strange and grotesque looking people. Not long after, I think I spotted one of those people in a Picasso painting.
One of the great perks of living in Houston is the fact that we have world class art museums like the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston that attract world class exhibitions like Picasso Black and White. As one of the great artists of the 20th century, Picasso is an icon of pop culture. You would be hard-pressed to find someone who hasn’t at least heard of him. While my adventures into a monochromatic universe left me a little scarred, much of Picasso’s lifework involved the exploration of the monochromatic palette.
As Alison de Lima Greene, MFAH Curator of Contemporary Art and Special Projects, mentioned to me, Picasso once explained his process in the following way, “I use the language of construction. … The fact that in one of my paintings there is a certain spot of red isn’t the essential part of the painting. The painting was done independently of that. You could take the red away and there would always be the painting.” According to de Lima Greene, Picasso also claimed that “color weakens” and he often stripped it from his major works.
He brought a nuance to his use of black and white. De Lima Greene emphasized, “He used black, white, and gray to tap into the history of art and popular culture, from Paleolithic cave paintings to contemporary photography. He broke down form and space through the monochromatic scaffolding of his Cubist compositions, while the warmth of his palette and the drama of shifting tones reasserted the power of painting. In the 1920s, he explored both romantic Neoclassicism and erotically-charged Surrealism. At times he adopted the ‘grisaille’ (all gray) technique of Renaissance artists to mimic sculpture. And in turn, he overthrew conventional sculptural traditions in his use of painted steel.”
Guernica, one of Picasso’s most well-known works, is a great example of Picasso’s exploration as it speaks out against Fascism and the horrors of the Spanish Civil War and is one of the highlights of the exhibition. According to de Lima Greene, in Picasso’s hands, the monochromatic palette was limitless. His use draws the viewer’s attention to the structure of his compositions and the way he manipulates the paint—to elicit emotion in its creamy whiteness and create drama in its vivid contrast.
The exhibition, which premiered at the Guggenheim Museum in New York in the fall of last year, features paintings, sculptures, and works on paper from 1904 to 1970 as well as the full-scale tapestry of Guernica created in 1955. Also on view will be The Charnel House, The Maids of Honor (Las Méninas, after Velázquez), and, of course, a few nudes.
As de Lima Greene put it, “Going through the exhibition is like attending a ‘master class’ – it is an immensely rewarding experience seeing Picasso deliberately setting himself this limitation so that he could give greater emphasis to other aspects of painterly expression.” I wonder if my roommate still has any of that coffee?
Picasso Black and White
February 24, 2024 – May 27, 2024
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
Beck Building, Ground Floor
5601 Main Street
