Pablo Picasso knew how to paint from a very young age. It was if he was born with a gift - the ability to capture images with paint, realistically and then later on in somewhat abstract forms. Seeing his early works in a museum in Barcelona today made me appreciate his work to be more than just his polygonal representation of people. I think like with most great artists, the greatness comes from beyond just accurately replicating an observation but also to illicit thoughts or emotion. As his career progressed Picasso led the way in exploring new artistic forms of expressing ideas. Moving away from such realistic portrayals of what was observed actually made me think more of what Picasso was trying to share with the viewer. Maybe it was nothing at all and just a way of showing what he saw through his kaleidoscope-like brain.
Eventually I wondered how he came up with new ways to think, new ways to express himself. Or how anyone comes up with original ways of doing things. Or if anyone actually has any original thoughts at all. Picasso seems to have influences from many different cultures and he's borrowed many of the methods he's seen and made them his own. Perhaps original thought is really just taking what previous thnkers, people, and/or cultures have done and pushing the limits just a bit more. More than what is the norm, more than what is expected.
Perhaps just as my dad built upon what his dad had done, I will stand on his shoulders and reach new heights!
Maybe I'll have Picasso-like gift! Maybe I'll discover how to travel at the speed of light! So many paths I could take.
But first I need to master walking on my own.
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