Depend-il de nous d'être heureux?

Museu Picasso- “Science and Charity”

On October 9th, I had the pleasure of attending Museu Picasso for a field study with my Meaning and Mystery in European Painting class. Museu Picasso, located in Barcelona, features a collection of artworks produced by the Spanish artist Pablo Picasso. Due to the fact that Picasso is considered one of the most important figures of the 20th century, I expected the museum to be a large, extravagant space featuring some of his most important pieces. My expectations were met, however, I was surprised to see that the actual museum was hidden in the city, occupying five large houses and located in a residential area. It was rather small and compact, however, I was very impressed by the art that Picasso created at such a young age, and throughout his lifetime. The specific site is located in the old medieval palace of La Ribera and it follows the Gothic civil Catalan style. Museu Picasso opened on March 9, 1963, and it was the first museum that was entirely dedicated to Picasso and his work. The site was a popular, well-preserved spot that features an old exterior and a new interior. Architect Jordi Garcea helped with several refurbishings of the museum over the years through different stages. The new additions have led to the creation of modern facilities and museographic devices, a continuous walkway between the five palaces, and new exhibition areas with natural daylight. The five buildings have similar patterns, and they surround a courtyard with an exterior staircase that allows access to the main floors. The museum was fascinating and easy to navigate with a group, however, I feel like I would have gotten lost if I had gone on my own.

After learning about and viewing several works by Picasso, I was most impressed with his large, social realistic oil painting titled “Science and Charity.” This piece was produced in 1897 and it is one of the most representative works of his early years in training, as he created it when he was just sixteen years of age. The painting displays a sick, pale woman in bed, accompanied by an authoritative medical doctor on the left (modeled by Picasso’s father José Ruiz y Blasco), contrasted with an empathetic nun on the right. The doctor monitors the woman’s pulse, while the nun attends to the patient and offers assistance and reassurance. The Biographical approach is used in this piece because Picasso was deeply affected by a tragic death in his family. His younger sister, Conchita, died from diphtheria when she was just seven years old. He vowed to give up painting if God would spare her life. This traumatic event has deeply affected Picasso’s life and has influenced the subject matter and theme in “Science and Charity.” In this painting, he contrasts scientific prognosis with religious conviction and neither one is able to heal the sick woman. The artist uses light in such a way that it directly hits the patients face, making her the focal point of the piece. The bright light is contrasted with darkness to express the overall mood of suffering and illness, as the patient is clearly unwell and seeking medical attention. Lighting is important in order to create strong highlights and shadows; Picasso did a phenomenal job of enhancing the physical form of various objects. In addition to light, Picasso also uses dull, dark colors such as dark green, gray, and black to create a sad tone. These colors are not the

...