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.
Does Beautiful Art Make You Sick?
A sure sign of getting older is when you struggle to make sense of the younger generation’s lingo. For those of Generation X or older, declaring that something is “sick” means that it is physically unwell or repulsive. For the “youngins” of this culture, “That’s sick!” is a way to express admiration. For a sufferer…
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Picasso’s Full Name Was 103-Letters Long
Some people achieve such fame that they can be known by last name only. Say the name of Einstein, Beethoven, or Descartes, and no one will ask you to elaborate. Perhaps this was one reason Pablo Picasso aspired to the greatness he ultimately achieved. Imagine how much easier it was to be known as “Picasso”…
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Picasso’s Strategy for Pursuing Greatness
Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) was never accused of false modesty. He once said, “My mother said to me ‘If you are a soldier you will become a general. If you are a monk you will become the Pope.’ Instead I was a painter and became Picasso.” One wonders if he thought as highly of himself when…
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Commonplace Fun Facts 
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.
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Why he carried a gun?
Well,
he feared retribution
from the woman
that sat
for his portraits!
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I was not aware that Browning manufactured and sold a revolver.
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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.
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