Picasso, International Man of Mystery

Declared a national treasure by France, the 1956 documentary film, Le Mystere Picasso, is absolutely fascinating to watch.  Following Picasso’s every brush stroke as he moves from one area of the canvases to another, the viewer witnesses the results of the master’s decisions, as he makes them.

The film uses time-lapse and stop-motion photography as well as real time footage to show the constant evolution of painting after painting (20, in all). Almost as soon as each piece comes to life, Picasso is busy metamorphosing it into another evolving masterpiece.

The Goat

The film was brilliantly directed by Clouzot (Diabolique) and filmed by Jean Renoir(grandson of impressionist Pierre-Auguste Renoir) not only to document Picasso’s creative processes, but also as conceptual performance art. All the paintings and drawings created during the shooting were subsequently destroyed, making their only existing reality within the celluloid world of the film.

True to the era in which the film was created, there are even some fun/kitschy moments, like dramatic closeups of Picasso’s eyes as in the old black & white Bela Lugosi Dracula movies.  All in all, the whole experience is incredibly inspiring.  A real pleasure to be given such vivid insight into the creative thought processes of arguably the most influential artist of modern times.

The Painter and Model

Performers

Behind The Scenes

The Mystery of Picasso