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7 [Background info] [K-6: Looking] [K-6: Making] [7-12]
#10 Suite 156 3 February, 5-6 March 1970
aquatint, etching, scraper, drypoint 50 x 42 (cat.63)
Piero Crommelynck Collection
© Succession Picasso, Paris, Viscopy Ltd, Sydney, 2002
SUPPLEMENTARY WORK:
#33 Suite 347 13 April 1968 (I)
aquatint 31.5 x 39.5 (cat. 65)
Piero Crommelynck Collection
© Succession Picasso, Paris, Viscopy Ltd, Sydney, 2002
Once again in his printmaking, as in his painting, Picasso is delving into tradition. As with his 17th century pastiches, he is massively informed by his fascination with Rembrandt. Rembrandt's legacy includes an extraordinary revelation of the ageing process of a great artist and there are striking parallels between his and Picasso's late works. The achievement of Picasso's printmaking activities between 1953 and 1972 has been compared with those of Rembrandt and Goya in terms of its sheer virtuosity and range.
Personages from the past - Roman patricians, Jesus, a Renaissance pope, the Magi - jostle with images from Picasso's contemporaries, his past lovers and the imagery of his earlier art - harlequins, acrobats from the blue period, weeping women. #10 Suite 156 and #33 Suite 347 could be discussed in terms of Picasso's theatre of memory. It is his own private stage, his crowded personal and political unconscious, his re-mixed 15th century epic novel. It is as though, even at his age, the whole of life could be compared to a dream.
K-6
LOOKING IDEAS
Step into the theatre and watch the performance. Describe what you can see.
Search out the following characters on the stage:
- some musketeers
- an aged king
- a baby
- a horse
Count the number of eyes watching the action on the stage. Look into some of these faces. Name the feelings on some of these faces. Find examples of faces in different positions or profiles.
Imagine being Picasso at age 89 when he made this etching. He would have met a lot of people during his lifetime. Do you think Picasso knew all the people pictured? Think about and guess what their relationship to Picasso might have been. Make up a story about Picasso and all these people.
Present this story to the class as Picasso: This is your life.
Look at Picasso's Self Portrait (Image 8) from 1972. Search for a similar self-portrait in the crowd.
Focus on the lines in this artwork. Describe how they might differ from those in some of the paintings. Find the following types of lines: delicate, scratchy, smooth, curved, curly, scribbly, continuous and crazy.
MAKING IDEAS
Create a cartoon strip drawing of some of the events in Picasso's life.
Make some detailed portrait line drawings of important people in your life. Create these from memory or with the help of some photographs.
Collect some shoeboxes and create a three dimensional diorama of this stage scene. Complete the scene with a cast of miniature figures made from plasticine or felt. Stage your own version of a Picasso play.
LINKS TO KEY LEARNING AREAS
- HSIE: Identities, Time and Change.
- Mathematics: Counting
- English: Talking and Listening, Producing texts
- Drama: Performing, Role play
- Science and Technology: Designing and Making
7-12
FRAMING QUESTIONS
Frames: Subjective / Structural / Post-modern
Examine #3 Suite 156. List all of the characters you see. Do you recall any of these characters from Picasso's previous work or from other works of art? Account for their origins. Who is the main focus of this image? Describe this character. Can other points of view be found? As the viewer what is your point of view? How is it different from Picasso's?
Guess the connection between this image and Picasso's stage of life at 89 years of age. Analyse how the subject matter and the composition could be related to the workings of memory.
Explore the use of narrative in Picasso's graphic work and compare this to its lack in his paintings. Art historians gain insights into who an artist is by examining their body of work. Does this image summon up the real Picasso? Research Picasso's life and times. | 
