Painting The Blue Period; a Review
Presented by the AGO, Picasso: Painting The Blue Period displayed works made in the acute years of 1901-1904, exhibiting over 100 works by Pablo Picasso- being the first Canadian exhibition to focus on the early years of his craft. Co-curated by AGO’s associate Curator of Modern Art Kenneth Brummel and Dr. Susan Behrend-Frank, Curator for Phillips Collection DC, with help from Dr. John Delaney of the National Gallery Washington and Susan and Webster-Cook, AGO’s Senior Painting Conservator. The exhibition produces an educational and thought provoking approach to Piccaso’s early-yet pivotal years of his career, establishing and reaching their audience through various forms of engagement while withholding their values.
Organized chronologically by year, spanning through the European gallery on the first floor, the labyrinth of rooms are filled by the niche portion of Picasso's career. I found the general flow of the exhibition to be organized in a manner I prefer, limited confusion, easily followable crowd movement, a classic styled exhibition with a touch of technology and rich education. To summarize the assorted eras, I shall begin with where it all began in 1901.
The commencement of the Blue Period captures a compassionate yet collapsing side of 1901; in which became a momentous year for 19 year old Picasso. French brothels, cafe culture and poverty was the frequent scenery within his works . As what could be visually recognized as whimsical blues, paintings morph into disturbed subject matter and depressing imagery, including the piece Evocation, portraying the suicide of his friend. The majority-if not all works within this era are primarily female subjects. Picasso ventured back to Barcelona in 1902, during this time the city peaked in crisis. Encountering large populations of homelessness, poverty and struggle. He began solely painting what he saw during this period of extensive deprivation. Including his depictions of the Saint-Lazaar Women in prison. Summarized together in the final room of the exhibit, we see Picasso's shift of who he painted within his works- primarily women to including men in his depictions. Considering this shift, he moves out of the blue and into the rose; entering his rose period.
While the general demographic varied in walks of life, I believe the AGO reached their target audience, by means of reflecting their vision & mission. As many exhibitions come and go, the institution strives to bring together those of akin love for arts and select artists.
The community that was in attendance of this exhibition appreciated this early era of Picasso, and withheld a general liking of his work. The large majority of viewers were elderly and the remaining individuals were middle-aged or students- in which I bumped into a classmate. The institution reached its intended audience by promoting the exhibit through social media, subscription emails, website updates to reach other clientele. Upon their social media tactic, they posted frequent ads on instagram, reaching a generally younger/ tech oriented group; ex students. Subscription mail through AGOinsider provides a regular update of art news within the institution, linking upcoming events, articles and art talks. This method, while seemingly outdated due to the oversaturation of social media ads, offers an efficient way to reach a mature audience that frequently reads such subscriptions. When looking at the AGO’s website, their home page displays their current ongoing exhibition and the means in which to obtain tickets- a great way to advertise the current show before guests book time slots.
Considering the institution's mission, vision and values, they emphasize their due diligence as a public gallery to feature great art, facilitate learning and engage their audience; alongside promoting ongoing conversation about such collections, which I believe they seamlessly achieved within this exhibition. A component of the exhibition I find supportlingly reflective of their mission, is their heightened use of education. Within the various rooms of the exhibit, the gallery housed 3 specialized rooms, dedicated to the scientific discovery of layers painted beneath the current surface. The team of conservators and curators made use of Reflectance IR Spectroscopy, X-Radiography, X-Ray Fluorescence and XRF Elemental maps. Through this innovative technology and in company with senior imaging scientist John Delaney, they were able to reveal the hidden layers beneath the painted surface. A personal favorite out of the three paintings was the portrait of the Beggar Women 1902, The room displayed an informational video, visually explaining the process in which the painting underwent. The X-Ray Fluorescence map illustrated the concealed elements beneath the surface, explaining traces of previous colours through identifying pigment: Mercury suggests vermillion, Cadmium suggests yellow or red, Zinc suggests white. Through further X-Radiography, the team reveals when rotated sideways, the hidden work is a landscape of the Barcelonian El Laberint D’Horta garden. They also add that the portrait’s outline fits the hidden outline of the garden's landscape.
Additionally, the institution's values affirms their duty to be inclusive and accessible. Within this exhibition, the AGO withheld these standards by offering a descriptive audio guide found on the website with text transcripts as well as partnering with BlindSquare Event App, a free GPS app developed for the blind, deafblind, and partially sighted; providing directions within the exhibition as well as destined audio stops, and text to speech for description panels via onsite QR codes.
To conclude my ideas, I believe the AGO hosted a rich and vibrant exhibition, housing over 100 works made within Picasso’s Blue Period. All significant members of the faculties team seamlessly educated and engaged with their viewers, with special thanks to Curator Kenneth Brummel, Curator Dr. Susan Frank, Sandra Webster Cook and Dr.John Delaney. The institution maintained their integrity by following their mission and values, ensuring an accessible and educational experience for all attendees. Alongside reaching the appropriate audience through various methods of advertising- subsequently resulting in a superb, rewarding exhibition.
Work Cited
“AGO Video.” Youtube, https://youtu.be/vVPlr-U1mtM
“Curated Views on Picasso: Painting the Blue Period.” Art Gallery of Ontario, 8 Dec. 2021
“Picasso: Painting the Blue Period.” Art Gallery of Ontario, 2021, https://ago.ca/exhibitions/picasso-painting-blue-period