Picasso really could paint

I learned that Picasso really can paint! We tend to think of him as being so odd. And indeed his later paintings were so strange. Even with the name, it was hard to tell what they were. Below is "girl in the mirror"! It actually does look like a girl in the mirror.

Some of his others are totally unrecognizable. However, I really liked his early work - before he got so creative.

When he wanted to change colors, he would "clean his brush" on the canvas, leaving the paint in an obvious spot.

He painted his sister, Lola, many times. I'm feeling bad that none of my siblings chose to paint me!

During his "blue" period, everything had a blue cast. Sometimes the colors didn't even stay in the lines.

The museum showed various versions of the picture, as he painted over sections.

Lots of his paintings had windows - to show transition.

I thought this "still life" was interesting. He made lots of them as they were easy to sell. (No clue why??) They made a big deal of this early still life, saying he had copied from various other painters. The black outline from one painter. The flatness of the flowers from Matisse. The flowers on the left, his own trademark. Who knew? It looks liked a boring still life to me, but now I see more (I think).

For a time, he was interested in the socially marginalized. I like the "Madman" below. His enlarged feet and raggedly clothes were symptomatic of mental disorder and poverty. His hands pointing oddly to his head connoted unrest.

He was also interested in other forms of illness.

It was a very interesting experience!