- Hardcover: 288 pages
- Publisher: Dutton; 1st Edition edition (Oct 29 2002)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0525946802
- ISBN-13: 978-0525946809
- Product Dimensions: 21.6 x 15.5 x 2.8 cm
- Shipping Weight: 454 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #1,618,888 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
Picasso watched closely from his adopted Paris as the Spanish Civil War unfolded, and when German bombers leveled the Basque village of Guernica, the previously apolitical Picasso felt stirred to action. Created at a frenzied pace, his painting Guernica was both homage to his Catalonian homeland and a scathing indictment of bloodshed. While Martin (Beethoven's Hair) meticulously describes the painting's creation and context, much of the book focuses on the controversies that haunted the canvas for decades. When Guernica was first introduced at the Spanish pavilion of the 1937 International Exposition of Art and Technology Applied to Modern Life in Paris, it was ignored by many, criticized by others for ugliness-and even for not being political enough. Later acknowledged as a classic, it was housed in New York's Museum of Modern Art, safe from the war overseas. By the '60s, voices grew stronger asking for its return to Spain, the country that had originally commissioned its creation. With Franco still in power, an aging Picasso asked that the painting go to Spain only when the country was once again free from oppression. Within this larger narrative, Martin weaves a memoir of his own trek to visit Guernica, which finally arrived in Spain in the 1980s. The culmination of this thread, when Martin coincidentally views the painting on September 11, 2001, brings the narrative into the contemporary world and highlights Guernica's brutal relevance today.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
Picasso's "Guernica" was painted in reaction to the barbarous Nazi bombing of the Basque village in Spain in 1937. Martin (Beethoven's Hair) extensively researched the circumstances surrounding the creation of this painting and the attention it has continued to command. On 9/11 he was in Madrid viewing "Guernica"; here he has collaged his response to the attacks in New York City with his feelings about the painting. In the face of such terrible loss, it may be reasonable to parallel the two horrific events; however, Martin mixes fact and opinion with his personal reminiscences. Picasso's politics were ambiguous at best; while he joined the Communist Party to please his friends after World War II, he became disillusioned with Stalin in the 1950s. Picasso said, when asked, in typical fashion, that painting was his party. "Guernica's" historical significance as possibly "the last great history painting" gets lost here, begging the question is it politics, art, or tragedy that is Martin's focus? He discusses visuals yet provides no illustrations, such as the photographs Dora Maar took of Picasso working on "Guernica" or the preparatory drawings. This effort will not satisfy the thoughtful reader, and it skimps on production. For a contrasting perspective on Picasso and "Guernica," try James Lord's Picasso and Dora. You can pass on this one. Ellen Bates, New York
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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Most helpful customer reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
1.0 out of 5 stars
Sadly structured,
By
This review is from: Picassos War (Mass Market Paperback)
I'm not sure where to begin.The beginning of Picasso's War is largely about the Spanish Civil War, and eventually the destruction of the town of Guernica. Previously I knew next to nothing about the Spanish Civil War and I found this material very interesting. Then Martin begins to move towards Picasso and his painting. Initially this is fairly interesting, but honestly, it doesn't go anywhere interesting, and the last half of the book - which covers the end of Picasso's life, the bickering about where the painting should be kept, and about the effect of the war on the Spanish people, as seen through the lens of Martin's friend, Angel, is really terrible. An initial problem with this book is that it was published just about a year after 9/11, when everyone in the arts was trying to create art/literature etc which somehow incorporated 9/11. In Picasso's War this is done in a corny way with Martin's assertion that he was looking at Guernica when the planes hit on 9/11. A 2nd problem with this book is that Martin is the type of sad writer who tries to make every sentence and paragraph pregnant with emotion and meaning. Every time Picasso dips his paintbrush into ink, every time Franco's group denies bombing Guernica, every time someone berates fascism, it is written as though it's the greatest symbol of the battle between life and death and light and dark that ever existed. SO... this is what should have been done. Martin's editors should have stolen this idea from him and kicked him off the project. They should have hired a good historian to write the book and given him 75 pages to do it. They should have said "here's the format: a) Picasso's life up to 1937, and how he revolutionized art. b) The spanish civil war - it's origins and main players. c) The bombing of Guernica. d) Picasso's response to the bombing by painting Guernica. e) Guernica's effect upon the world of art and politics - how it stands up today. DONE! FINISHED! Not 100 pages of overblown writing about the noble spanish people and how the painting finally ended up in Spain.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great Book for a Light Read On Picasso,
By Natascope (Redmond, WA United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Picassos War (Mass Market Paperback)
The book as a whole was rather well written, and, if someone asked me for a good nonfiction book about Picasso, there is a good chance that I would point them to this book. The book had good descriptions throughout, it was written for so that people who had very little understanding previously could understand what was going on, and the book was written so that it didn't have to be read all in one sitting. So, while I probably wouldn't pass it onto others, I feel that it was a good experience to read it.
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good discussion - Visuals lacking,
By DAH "huttonator" (New York) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Picassos War (Mass Market Paperback)
Picasso's War untangles much of the criticism of the artist during WWII for remaining in France. It is an excellent discussion of Guernica--the paintings beginning as rough sketches to the final product. The tragedy at Gernica is discribed vividly, putting the reader at the scene. Martin's take on Picasso is balanced--his outstanding talent and chauvenism toward his many women are discussed. My criticism of the book lies with the total lack of illustrations. As an artist I wanted to see pictures of the initial sketches, the painting in process and a good reproduction of Guernica, not just what was on the cover. The lack of illustrations makes the book much less effective for a visual person, artist or art historian.
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