Sometime back in the spring of 1980, I hornswoggled my then boyfriend, George, who later had the misfortune of becoming my second husband, into going to Minneapolis to catch the Picasso exhibit at the Walker Art Center. His somewhat tongue-in-cheek response to my request? "He makes funny guitars." But, we went anyway, with the promise that the weekend would include other activities. Turns out, he actually enjoyed it. He told me so.
Along with seeing a great bunch of paintings and feeling a part of the Bigger Picture by being there, I scored a Picasso T-shirt. By scored, I do mean purchased. Shortly after our return, in a matter of days, the Picasso family legally stopped production. Apparently, the company producing them didn't ask permission for misusing his name on something as lowbrow as a T-shirt. This morning, I took it out of the box of memorabilia where it's been languishing, took pictures, and decided to show it to you. What the hey. I've thought about framing it, but then I wouldn't see the back, so it's going on a hanger in the hallway, next to my handbag collection. Here it is, wrinkles and all. And smaller than I remember. How did That happen?
Here's Guy Clark and "Picasso's Mandolin." I think you'll like it. It has a catchy tune and some fun lyrics: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UmdSiJMrgc
And, here are some more of Picasso's mandolin paintings:
Old Jules can be found at So Far From Heaven on my sidebar.
Nice tune.That first painting after it was nice and airy.
ReplyDeleteOh I love this post, a wonderful way to start my day. Love the tune and Picasso is one of my loves.
ReplyDeleteIt took me four years to paint like Raphael, but a lifetime to paint like a child. ~ Pablo Picasso. Just wonderful.
Thoughts of mandolins always take me back to both of my parents playing a bowl shaped mandolin - lovely memories.
Isn't it amazing how things shrink if they have been put away for a while!
Also I love the word hornswoggled - never heard of it before and had to google it. I shall have to fit it into my vocab now ;-)
So... when do we get to see the handbag collection? Seriously.
ReplyDeleteGuy Clark is great!
That's wonderful! I'm sure Picasso would have loved this!
ReplyDeleteHe's got such strong eyes that Picasso, hasn't he? A great painter and a very special man!
What a fine red t-shirt Teresa! Did you say that it is too small now? `)
Cheers
Grethe
Steve, I like that one, too. It looks sort of Matisse-y.
ReplyDeleteMarilyn, Thanks for the quote! Love it!
I just added a photo of my own mandolin at the top of my sidebar. I plink away and hope to make some progress this winter. Your mom and dad played. It has such a wonderful sound, doesn't it?
Yes, that shrinkage in storage is a problem... ;) I don't believe I've used hornswoggled before in writing but it popped out and onto the page.
Glad you liked this.
Ah. The Walker! :-)
ReplyDeleteDo feel free to come back to Mpls any time!
Pearl
Linda, The handbag collection post will probably have a limited audience, but I will do it sometime soon. It's diverse.
ReplyDeleteGrethe, Yes, things in storage seem to have a problem with shrinkage. I wanted to cry when I saw it and realized I once fit into it.
So, you like Picasso's eyes and you think he was a "very special man" Do you have something to share with us, Grethe? Did you spend time in Spain or France? Mmmm? ;)
Hi Pearl! I need to get back down there. Time is not standing still. Thanks!
ReplyDeletePicasso and Guy Clark...Who'd next, Rembrandt and Bjork? I love your mind. I used to say that quite often to women but I really mean it this time. Hee Hee Hee
ReplyDeleteHey Cletis, I'll work on that. Sounds like it could be quite the pairing.
ReplyDelete"I really mean it this time." Why are alarms bells going off? Hee hee hee, yourself.
I hope the donkeys are behaving themselves.
Not in a million years Teresa! He was probably not a sympathetic man.
ReplyDeleteEyes tell so much. Some old people still have young eyes, others loose the glimpse of life. I don't know why. It's not always caused by illness.
You know Karsh of course. I love his portrait-photo of Hemingway. Beautiful, wise eyes.
Grethe
Morning Teresa Evangeline: Nice combo, the illustrations alongside the song. Guy Clark's old work's full of surprises, as is Picasso's.
ReplyDeleteAlso thanks for the kind words about the SFFH blog. Gracias, J
Grethe, There's a saying, "The eyes have it." They do tell so much about a person. You can see that love of life, or ongoing curiosity about it, through the eyes. Yes, Hemingway had beautiful eyes, too. I suppose there's been books written about this. I agree with your first point, too. Not sympathetic. And, apparently, not very honorable in his human relationships. I hope my teasing wasn't too much. ;)
ReplyDeleteJ, Good Morning, I'm enjoying your blog. so glad I found it through One Fly.
Oh I need to check out a book from the library on Picasso to see more of his paintings, his famous ones are shown so often, nice to see something different here. that exhibit must have been something. I have a t shirt from my landscaping company and it is really small and has never been worn, must be all the moving we have done that has caused it to shrink. Ha.
ReplyDeleteI love Picasso's "Blue" period best when he used blue paint almost exclusively. Great post, Teresa!
ReplyDeleteOld Picasso speaks
ReplyDeleteTo me in Cubist sunlight
With passion and vibrance.
No, I think it's fun! ´)
ReplyDeleteLinda, Enjoy the book you find. He had so many "periods" of style. Yes, that shrinkage in storage problem... :) Good Morning!
ReplyDeletegigi, Thank you. Glad you enjoyed it.
Paul, Thanks for the haiku.
Grethe, Oh, good. Me, too.
Hey T. I meant to leave this last time. I think you will enjoy it. I subscribe and receive regular mailings from here...
ReplyDeletehttp://www.panhala.net/Archive/Index.html
Enjoy!
Michael, Thank you so much for sending the link to that treasure trove. Rumi, Rilke, Hafiz. Mary, Wendell and Billy. Ted, Anne, and Stanley. And so many others I absolutely Love. My Lord, that's just outstanding. Thank You for thinking of me!
ReplyDeleteI'm liking the Picasso teeshirt, far too nice not to be on show as you say.
ReplyDeleteThat link 'michael ultra' sent to you looks great.
Jane, It is pretty much every poet I have long loved and more! It contains several poems I had not become familiar with, so it's going to be fun!
ReplyDeleteTeresa, I went to that Picasso exhibit, too. I loved it. Had a poster from it in my office for a long time, but didn't buy a t-shirt. You have a collector's item there. (I think we wore t-shirts tighter back in the day. In the late '80s I began to buy XXL all the time.)
ReplyDeleteNancy, I love that you saw it, too. And thanks so much for explaining that T-shirt shrinkage thing. It makes perfect sense. Yeah, I'm gonna go with that.
ReplyDeleteHotter than a pistol up here today, I imagine there as well.
How fun! You could put the tee shirt on one of those sewing mannequins (can you tell I don't sew?) and set the mandolin next to it.
ReplyDeletePenny, THAT is a great idea! The search is on...
ReplyDelete