Unlike the previous reviewer I found this series fascinating. The frailty of humanity, particularly artistic humanity, was there for all to see. The goods the bad and the ugly. His invention and his flaws are explored in equal measure. No judgement from the makers, that is left for the viewer ... as it should be ! Thoughtful, sensitive, honest. A beautifully shot story of a life and an exceptional talent - with all its warts on full display.
10 Reviews
Glorious evocation of the brilliant early 20th century Paris
emuir-130 September 2019
Warning: Spoilers
While some reviewers have called this mini series soap opera, and the fictional Julian Mistral, in Judith Krantz's novel, Mistral's daughter, was definitely based on Picasso, right down to his turning his back on Max Jacob, I found it a visual feast for the eyes. From what I have read and seen in the many Picasso biographies, they stayed faithful to well-documented episodes and relationships, avoiding gratuitous inclusion of everyone and anyone who was in bohemian Paris at that time. Although many friends and associates of Picasso were left out, including fellow artists Marc Chagall, Modigliani, and the composer Stravinksky, Gertrude and Leo Stein, Jean Cocteau, Henri Rousseau, Mattisse, and Diaghilev all played a part in Picasso's Paris life, but others were not mentioned. This might be due to my being dependent on captions which don't always relay the full speech. Considering Picasso's very long life, including every associate would have extended the series well beyond 10 episodes, and what 10 episodes they were! Ranging from Malaga and Barcelona to glittering turn of the century Paris, to St. Tropez, Aix en Provence - the sun drenched locations, and narrow cobbled streets were National Geographic come to life.
I took off one star because of the inexcusable casting of Samantha Colley as Dora Maar. I can only assume she is the flavor of the month as she was also in Season One as Einstein's whining wife, which she played perfectly. While most of the cast closely resembled their real life characters, Samantha Colley did not resemble Dora Maar, who bore more of a resemblance to Greta Garbo than the heavy square faced Colley, and certainly did not appear to be the type of woman Picasso favored.
The other star I took off due to the irritating non linear structure which spoils the narrative and makes the whole confusing. This darting about between time periods seems to be a current fad by directors wanting to show off their editing skills but it spoils the flow of the narrative. Half the time you did not know where or when the story was. While it might work in a book, you can always skip through to the parts you wish to follow in order then go back, it does not work in a film. The first two Godfather films were edited into a linear structure for TV. I just wish that a DVD could be produced giving viewers the choice.
Picasso was known for his women, two wives and five long-term mistresses, frequently overlapping, and who know how many casual affairs with increasingly younger women, but the portrayal of his second wife as the dragon at the gate keeping him from his family and friends was very one-sided. Nothing seems to bring out the rancour and character assassination more than being left out of a will. Under French law at the time, illegitimate children and unmarried partners had no rights and could not have inherited his estate even if he had so specified it in his will. Gertrude Stein left her estate including many valuable paintings to her partner of 40 years Alice, who was promptly stripped of it by Stein's family. Picasso had his reasons for not wishing to see his children. Yes, he was spiteful and bullying and could not accept that one of his women had walked out on him as his attempts to sabotage her artistic career proved, but the biased portrayal of the faithful 50 years younger Jacqueline seemed to have been the opinion of Francoise Gilot and her children. The subsequent seven year battle over his estate by Gilot's children who had been excluded due to their being illegitimate as Picasso did not leave a will, and the French authorities and lawyer's attempts to grab most of his fortune did not help his widow find peace of mind and eventually drove her to suicide.
Overall, this was an excellent portrayal of a flawed genius who seemed to drive ex-wives, mistresses, children, friends and a grandchild to drink or suicide as he selfishly managed their lives then discarded them once they were of no further use to him, or tried to run their own lives. Worth watching for the Paris period alone. I will be watching it again. I would just love to see it recut to a linear structure.
I took off one star because of the inexcusable casting of Samantha Colley as Dora Maar. I can only assume she is the flavor of the month as she was also in Season One as Einstein's whining wife, which she played perfectly. While most of the cast closely resembled their real life characters, Samantha Colley did not resemble Dora Maar, who bore more of a resemblance to Greta Garbo than the heavy square faced Colley, and certainly did not appear to be the type of woman Picasso favored.
The other star I took off due to the irritating non linear structure which spoils the narrative and makes the whole confusing. This darting about between time periods seems to be a current fad by directors wanting to show off their editing skills but it spoils the flow of the narrative. Half the time you did not know where or when the story was. While it might work in a book, you can always skip through to the parts you wish to follow in order then go back, it does not work in a film. The first two Godfather films were edited into a linear structure for TV. I just wish that a DVD could be produced giving viewers the choice.
Picasso was known for his women, two wives and five long-term mistresses, frequently overlapping, and who know how many casual affairs with increasingly younger women, but the portrayal of his second wife as the dragon at the gate keeping him from his family and friends was very one-sided. Nothing seems to bring out the rancour and character assassination more than being left out of a will. Under French law at the time, illegitimate children and unmarried partners had no rights and could not have inherited his estate even if he had so specified it in his will. Gertrude Stein left her estate including many valuable paintings to her partner of 40 years Alice, who was promptly stripped of it by Stein's family. Picasso had his reasons for not wishing to see his children. Yes, he was spiteful and bullying and could not accept that one of his women had walked out on him as his attempts to sabotage her artistic career proved, but the biased portrayal of the faithful 50 years younger Jacqueline seemed to have been the opinion of Francoise Gilot and her children. The subsequent seven year battle over his estate by Gilot's children who had been excluded due to their being illegitimate as Picasso did not leave a will, and the French authorities and lawyer's attempts to grab most of his fortune did not help his widow find peace of mind and eventually drove her to suicide.
Overall, this was an excellent portrayal of a flawed genius who seemed to drive ex-wives, mistresses, children, friends and a grandchild to drink or suicide as he selfishly managed their lives then discarded them once they were of no further use to him, or tried to run their own lives. Worth watching for the Paris period alone. I will be watching it again. I would just love to see it recut to a linear structure.
The Rules Do Not Apply!
lavatch25 April 2018
Warning: Spoilers
The date is October 25, 1881. The place is Málaga, Spain. A difficult childbirth results in what appears to be a stillborn baby boy. But after the father blows cigar smoke into the infant's face, a genius is born! That genius would become one of the greatest artists of the modern age, Pablo Picasso.
This opening program in this superb miniseries toggles back and forth between the feisty young painter growing up in Spain and the famous mature artist conceiving his most famous painting, "Guernica" in Paris in 1937.
One of the themes of this episode and indeed one of the secrets of artistic genius is the degree to which the young Picasso was independently minded and dedicated to a personal vision in artistic expression. The program makes clear that Picasso was a rebel against the rules and the norms of academy painting. From the outset, he was a free spirit.
One of the strengths of the program is to present Picasso in all of his complexity. While not an overtly religious artist, Picasso nonetheless was haunted by the death of his young sister Conchita. He felt guilt at her death by diphtheria, when he made a promise to God to give up painting if she survived. But he knew in his heart that he could never give up his art.
Fiesty, headstrong, and committed to the integrity of his art, Picasso's genius was apparent to nearly everyone who came into contact with him. His instincts led him to the capital of the art world in the early twentieth century: Paris. Working in the environment of other geniuses, the expatriate Picasso was able to thrive in this creative world, which also provided the context for the creation of "Guernica" for the Spanish Pavilion in the 1937 Exposition. For this work of art and for this artist, the one rule that dominated all others was, quite simply, that the rules do not apply.
This opening program in this superb miniseries toggles back and forth between the feisty young painter growing up in Spain and the famous mature artist conceiving his most famous painting, "Guernica" in Paris in 1937.
One of the themes of this episode and indeed one of the secrets of artistic genius is the degree to which the young Picasso was independently minded and dedicated to a personal vision in artistic expression. The program makes clear that Picasso was a rebel against the rules and the norms of academy painting. From the outset, he was a free spirit.
One of the strengths of the program is to present Picasso in all of his complexity. While not an overtly religious artist, Picasso nonetheless was haunted by the death of his young sister Conchita. He felt guilt at her death by diphtheria, when he made a promise to God to give up painting if she survived. But he knew in his heart that he could never give up his art.
Fiesty, headstrong, and committed to the integrity of his art, Picasso's genius was apparent to nearly everyone who came into contact with him. His instincts led him to the capital of the art world in the early twentieth century: Paris. Working in the environment of other geniuses, the expatriate Picasso was able to thrive in this creative world, which also provided the context for the creation of "Guernica" for the Spanish Pavilion in the 1937 Exposition. For this work of art and for this artist, the one rule that dominated all others was, quite simply, that the rules do not apply.
A very captivating interpretation of Picasso's life
kristoffervonsemkow18 July 2021
I really enjoyed this series. Great historical interpretation of events with pictures and sceneries. All characters did an excellent job and the storyline was well crafted together. I can without a doubt recommend this series to anyone.
Good but not as good as Season 1: Einstein
rlturnerjr14 August 2020
Not a Genius
michaellsr16 May 2018
Warning: Spoilers
I just watched Episode 5 of Genius: Picasso and finally came to the conclusion that he was no genius, he was just what we would call today a "predator", a user of all the vulnerable women in his life. In fact, the painting of his latest girlfriend, Francoise, could just have easily been done by my eight year old grandson. It is nothing but an exaggerated stick figure drawing. It is only her unbridled infatuation for him that compels her to exclaim, "It's beautiful". I can't help thinking he was laughing inside all the way to the bedroom.
Geni-LESS
Ed-Shullivan26 April 2018
Simply awful. The producer/director even used actress Samantha Colley as the love interest in both biographical series of Einstein AND in Picasso and her voice and dialect were identical in both series. I think my painting a public washroom would have garnered a larger audience than listening to Samantha Colley attempting to play the love interest of both Albert Einstein and Pablo Picasso.
Surely the production's budget was sufficient enough such that they did not have to double down on the supporting cast like the irritating Samantha Colley whose voice just shrieked every time she said anything.
With actors Geoffrey Rush (Einstein) and Antonio Banderas (Pablo Picasso) playing the leads they were entitled (at minimum) to have their own leading ladies as their love interest, and not have Samantha Colley playing both ends of a double-header. This is not baseball folks!
Surely the production's budget was sufficient enough such that they did not have to double down on the supporting cast like the irritating Samantha Colley whose voice just shrieked every time she said anything.
With actors Geoffrey Rush (Einstein) and Antonio Banderas (Pablo Picasso) playing the leads they were entitled (at minimum) to have their own leading ladies as their love interest, and not have Samantha Colley playing both ends of a double-header. This is not baseball folks!
spoiler alert!
billcarr316 June 2018
Warning: Spoilers
The genius of Picasso was his art not his sex life. Anybody coming to this series hoping to learn about his progress as an artist will be sadly disappointed, as I was.
The series jumps back and forth between his older years and his youth so many times and so erratically that all sense of continuity is lost. His painting is lost in the morass, in fact only a small number of key works make any appearance.
Occasionally someone else's picture makes an appearance, Matisse for example. Gilot's work is almost never shown maybe due to copyright .
Sometimes the year is posted at the foot of the screen but not always so one is not even sure at what year the action takes place, unless one spots the fashions or the hair style. It is flashback hell.
I suppose those interested in Picasso's actual genius can buy an art book, this series is mostly about how scandalous he was with women. Maybe that is the kind of audience it is aimed at. A great disappointment I am sure for many art aficionados
Picasso was unseen arshole
petvuk15 December 2019
I am just very disappointed on the Picasso, and would refrrain from calling him a genius because no genius would treat other beings as useless objects.
World would be better if he never existed.
And I am saying this as a fellow artist who is almost as passionate about art as Picasso was, however, being human is priority which Picasso failed at miserably.
Wish he was punished for that,as for this series i think it portrayed the whole romance after romance situations one dimensional, where women fall in Picassos arms even though he is short and treats them like cra p. I highly doubt this is realistic portrayal of his romantic life.
Wish he was punished for that,as for this series i think it portrayed the whole romance after romance situations one dimensional, where women fall in Picassos arms even though he is short and treats them like cra p. I highly doubt this is realistic portrayal of his romantic life.
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