Art

Take a Shot at Guessing Why Picasso Carried a Gun

#Artists #Picasso #guns #art

No one wants to be misunderstood, and being a great artist does not give you an exemption from this rule. Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) had a particularly-memorable way of discouraging anyone from questioning the meaning of his works.

As historian Arthur I. Miller (not the playwright) details in his book, Einstein, Picasso: Space, Time And The Beauty That Causes Havoc, Picasso carried a revolver, filled with blanks. Miller explains, “He would fire at admirers inquiring about the meaning of his paintings, his theory of aesthetics, … disposing of bourgeois boors, morons and philistines.”

Fortunately, all the great artist shot with his gun were blanks. Others who have attempted to be dramatic with weapons, such as the lawyer who shot himself while attempting to demonstrate how one could accidentally shoot himself, have not fared as well.


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5 replies »

  1. This seems pretty funny, though I gather it might have been a bit rough for the critics. Hard to know without being there whether this was raucously funny, cruel, or what. Whichever it is, or whatever combination, it’s an interesting fac. Thanks.

    Liked by 1 person

    • You raise a good point. We don’t think they did, now that we look into it. Although many internet sources claim it was a Browning revolver, it appears that the closest Browning came to producing such a weapon was a semi-automatic that could be fired in “revolver mode,” but that just referred to double-action trigger. Thanks for pointing this out. We have made the correction.

      Like

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