Organorama 6/4 [antikvár]

Editoria/ Note Picasso - the genius "Les grands artistes sont ceux qui imposent á l'humanité leur illusion particuliére", Guy de Maupassant once wrote. This principle of the individual expressing his own, individual, feelings does not seem to apply to the greatest artists. They are the ones who give shape to thoughts, desires and emotions experienced by many, to a greater or lesser degree, and which were only waiting for the composer, painter or poet who would elevate them from the subconscious and depict them in their full glory. Genius, as it plays on the humán psyche, strikes a chord which, in a collective sense, awakens the onlooker with the intensive reaction of "recognition" which it provokes. When Napoleon replaced the word "Liberté", the backbone and inspiration of the revolution by "Gloire" he unleashed the pent-up national pride of his compatriots. When Picasso in his cubist paintings gave shape to the lacerated state of the humán mind he cast his spell over a generation which, completely unaware, was heading towards a second World War. Being ahead of one's own times and having the ability to give adequate form to one's inspiration are indispensable assets for being placed in the Panthéon, but in themselves, they are not sufficient. A genius is only a man who is acknowledged as such and to achieve this state he must produce work of exceptional value. What is so remarkable is that it is not the healthy, balanced, superior talent which most easily attracts a circle of admirers but rather, the "bionegative" type of personality. The tragic existence, early death, suffering from a psychosis or neurosis, and "psychopathic" traits of character do not diminish the aura of artistic genius but appear, rather, to enhance it. Where would Dostoievsky be were it not for his epilepsy, his years of imprisonment in a Siberian concentration camp ? Where would Verlaine be without his chronic alcoholism and violent attack on his friend, Rimbaud ? While Picasso's outward behaviour may give him the appearance of being a somewhat more balanced person than these last two coryphei, he too is a prey to tremendous mentái tension, as is shown in his works and confirmed in Dr. Dracoulides' biographical commentary.