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Beijingers baffled by Picasso's art

AFP, Beijing
Monday, Jun 06, 2005, Page 16

"He lived in a different era and culture and I have no knowledge of these stories so it's difficult to invoke a response in me."

Sun Miao, a visitor to an exhibition in Beijing of Pablo Picasso's art

Picasso's paintings have captured the imagination of art lovers the world over but they remain a mystery to many in China, as visitors at an exhibition of his lesser-known works here attest.

Beijing has a lively art scene and its residents pride themselves as the most culturally informed in the country.

But visitors said even they were mystified by the Spanish master's lesser-known collection -- mostly etchings and engravings that are illustrations in books of European classics.

"I don't really understand his works, they are relatively abstract. I think this is because I know too little about his culture and background," said 19-year-old Gong Simiao, an engineering student.

The fame of Picasso has attracted some 100,000 visitors to the exhibition in Beijing but many admitted they know little about his artistic background and that has prevented them from understanding his work.

"He lived in a different era and culture and I have no knowledge of these stories so it's difficult to invoke a response in me," said Sun Miao, 23, who works for a logistics company.

Others said their first sighting of the original works of one of the most famous artists in the world was nonetheless an eye-opening experience.

"I've not seen anything quite like this before," said student Niu Liyun, 20, who was admiring the simple lines and curves of Picasso's engravings in Prosper Mirimie's classic, Carmen, published by La Bibliothhque Francaise in 1949.

"They are very vivid and expressive. I especially like the depiction of the facial expressions," she said.

Young people in China, even those who pride themselves as patriots, are curious about and embrace everything Western from Hollywood blockbusters and computer games to art.

"I've always wanted to know more about Western culture, especially in the art field," Gong said.

"I think it's a good thing that these paintings have come to China because young people have so little understanding, and they don't really know what Western culture is really like," she said.

The collection features other works including Le Tricorne (The Three-Cornered Hat) -- Picasso's design of sets and costumes for the 1919 Ballets Russes production of the ballet La Tauromaquia (The Bullfighter) -- and 26 aquatint etchings illustrating the art of bullfighting completed in 1957.

Some visitors expressed disappointment that what was touted as Picasso's largest exhibition in Asia displayed none of his more colorful and famed masterpieces such as Les Demoiselles d'Avignon.

"This is not his main collection, I'm a bit disappointed," said Liu Xiaoxiao, a 33-year-old civil servant.

Curator Zeng Yi, the organizer of the exhibition, said exorbitant insurance and staging costs has snuffed out any idea of bringing Picasso's best known works to China.

The staging of Picasso's 10m by 16m Parade -- his largest canvas work completed in 1917 -- in Hong Kong last year cost over US$1.2 million, excluding insurance fees.

Even so, Zeng said he hoped these lesser-known impressionist works could inspire a spirit of innovation and creativity among Chinese art lovers and professionals.

"Through this exhibition I hope more people will understand more about Picasso's personality and his thinking," he said.

The curator said he hoped Chinese artists would dare to do what Picasso did -- to push beyond traditional artistic limits and to experiment with unusual and avant-garde ideas.

"Most Chinese artists focus too much on traditional Chinese paintings, while this is good ... they never try to go one step beyond. They are always imitating other people's styles but art should be about one's own expression and thinking," said Zeng.

But some visitors found Picasso's erotic depiction of women's bodies in his 1968 illustrations for Fernando de Roja's 1499 novel La Cilestine too radical.

"Chinese people are not so expressive about bodies and desire, they don't really accept this side of modern art," said Liu.

Even so, the master's works seem to have the power to push aside cultural differences to reach the hearts of the less-sophisticated ordinary people.

Ling Chunliao, 74, a retired worker, said he came to spend his day at the art gallery with no specific aim.

"Picasso? I don't know who he is. I don't know where he is from," said the old man, sporting a blue Mao jacket and hat -- an increasingly rare sight in the Chinese capital nowadays.

Asked what he thought of the exhibition, he said: "It's quite nice I suppose. I like the bullfighting pictures, now I know more about bullfighting, my heart is somewhat fulfilled."
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