In particular, we are going to discuss in more detail his potrayal of women within his art portfolio. Many of his famous paintings of women include those such as The Rape of the Sabine Women, The Weeping Woman, Three Women at the Spring and Woman with a Flower as well as many others.
However it was Picasso's personal life that shaped his perspective of women. Surely his love life was irrepressible however over the course of his life he has had two wives, six misstresses and hundreds of lovers which involved illicit lovers throughout his marriages. All of this served as inspiration to his portfolio of work and hence we argue the fact that Picasso claims Women are either Goddesses or Doormats.
Picasso has been characterised by many of being a misogynist, a dominant and a bully who put his many women on a pedestal only to knock them off it again. A man who was afraid of as well as desired the female figure and who was a narcissistic husband, a selfish and demanding lover as well as a grandparent. However how much truth actually lies within this picture of Picasso.
His fascination of the female form is very obvious amongst his vast amount of artwork.
The most famous of his women included those of Fernande Olivier, Olga Khoklova, Marie-Thérèse Walter, Dora Maar, Françoise Gilot and Jacqueline Roque.
Fernande Olivier served as inspiration for Picasso's paintings within the cubist period posing for more than 60 potraits from 1904 to 1911. The majority of Picassos paintings within this period are considered more academic.
Olga then takes over as the main women between the years of 1917 to 1935 and Picasso's potraits can be seen as a more light hearted approach with increased sensitivity and delicacy of fine lines.
The third women in Picasso's life was that of Marie-Therese Walter, arguably the most famous as she was Picasso's mistress while he had been with Olga and ultimately gave him a daughter. Most of his paintings during this period were potrayals of bright, blonde and fun times. They also reveal a more expressive and experimental nature to Picasso.
Françoise Gilot offered more influence in the way of Picasso's Sculptures and then finally his second wife Jacqueline Roque was inspiration to over 400 pieces of his work.
To summarise everything, it is fascinating to look at each image of the women in his life and how he represented them as well as how it reflected his own career and personal life.
