A Life of Picasso I: The Prodigy: 1881-1906

This first volume of a series of three chronological biographies is extraordinary. Richardson presents a thorough history and analysis of Picasso's life and his artistic development. This book is illustrated throughout with black and white photos on nearly every page. Included are photos of Picasso's family and his contemporaries, as well as photos of his work. Also included are pictures of art which may have influenced Picasso's work. Although the illustrations are black and white (I suspect color would make the book cost prohibitive) they give the reader a very clear understanding of how the artist developed. There is much about Picasso that is the "stuff of legends", and Richardson tries to present an objective, factual biography. The author seamlessly weaves biographical, historic information, with an artistic analysis of Picasso's early work. Despite the tendency for normal mortals to be awestruck and dazzled by Picasso's rapid, mercurial development during his early years, Richardson keeps a clear head and analyses Picasso's work in an objective manner. The author understands his subject and his art work. This is really a remarkable biography. I look forward to reading the second and third volumes. (I considered purchasing this on Kindle and am glad I purchased the actual book as there are illustrations on nearly every page. That sometimes does not translate so well on the Kindle.)

The first volume of John Richardson's monumental Life of Picasso (so far, three volumes have been published), this book is a thoroughly documented and elegantly written account of Picasso's early years in Malaga, Barcelona and Paris (up to 1907 and the inception of his masterpiece "Les Demoiselles d'Avignon"). Following a strictly chronological pattern, the text is accompanied by numerous illustrations (all in black and white) of every single work quoted by the author (whether or not by Picasso; there are even small portraits by Picasso's mistress Fernande Olivier, who appears to have been more than a merely talented artist). A must-read and an unsurpassed biography of the Spanish master, as Richardson (himself a friend of Picasso's) had first-hand access to a trove of unpublished documents and a privileged relationship with Picasso's heirs.

Chicago recently had an exhibit of his work...mostly stuff the Art Institute already owns. I was hoping to see more of his early works which were wonderful, but very different from his later pink, blue or wacky stuff. The Institute was selling Richardson's books, both volumes 1 & 2, but they were hardbound and just too expensive. The book is excellent. I particularly wanted to own it for the examples of his earlier works...and let's face it, the man led quite an interesting life. I chose this volume because it deals with his youth and earlier struggles making a name for himself. It's a big book, so don't plan on whizzing thru it in one or two nights.

Like "Finnegans Wake,"I love to read this book to the end,only to start again and again.You have jokes, knowledge, smiles,humour, tragedy, lots and tons ofrecords and documents and photographsand pictures and Richardson's love for hissubject.A book to burn only in case you want to buy anotherone new just for the sake of doing a sacred hecatombin honor of this sage of the temple of Apollo.

This book represents my first true exposure to the life of Picasso (birth to 1906, that is). I went to the Picasso Museum in Barcelona two years ago, and even though the art is arranged chronologically, it is hard to get much of a perspective on where he came from, how his art developed, and how he interacted with his environment by walking room to room. This book helps to tell that story, pointing out, for example, that Picasso was 'assigned' --- and basically assumed --- the title/role of artist at an early age.Prior to visiting the Picasso Museum, the images I had in my mind about his work were the stereotypical ones. It wasn't until a year later---when I saw Guernica up close---that I started to appreciate what he was doing. This was also somewhat true when I saw Las Meninas, both by Picasso and by Velasquez. After comparing these works to the earlier stuff he did, however, I don't really see what gave him momentum through the years, aside from his own drive. When most struggling artists hit the poverty wall, for example, they either take a job at a restaurant or lose the dream. Based on what Richardson portrays in this book, neither happened for Picasso. Instead, he perservered, driven strongly by ego, and partly by making art that some people seemed to like.This book runs chronologically, with few deviations from the main timeline. Along the way, we gain witness into Picasso's relationship and struggle with his family; his ambiguous feelings about his identity as a man from southern Spain; his ambivalent and exploited role with art dealers; and his countless sexual encounters. I didn't come away from the book liking Picasso--as an artist or a man--but reading the journey unfold was interesting.One nice thing about this book is that it contains hundreds of pictures; primarily by Picasso, but some by his competitors and contemporaries. Unfortunately, they are all in black/white and some are quite small. Granted, you can cross-reference all or most of these with other books or online sources, and it helped that I had seen many of them at the Picasso Museum. I don't know if this book is on Kindle, but if so, I would encourage you to get the 'hard' copy, as most pictures on Kindle end up being smaller than what is contained in the actual book, and being able to see the drawings/paintings really adds to the experience of reading this book.At 548 pages, this is a hefty book, but it flows well. I only read about 5-10 pages a night, but I got through most of it within a month. Admittedly, I did skim a few sections, as the author started talking about people or stories that veered too far off-topic for my taste.At the end of the book, in the Principal Sources section, Richardson acknowledges that he drew extensively on the memoirs of Jaime Sabartes (Picasso's former secretary). While true, the author spent the first quarter of the book taking Sabartes to task on what he wrote or said about Picasso. This became so pervasive that it felt to me as if Richardson was trying to settle a score, rather than correct or offer an alternative perspective on what might have happened. This became a major distraction after a while, increasingly feeling unnecessary and intrusive.My only other gripe is that there are numerous words/phrases included in the book that are in French, but without translation. The author would do the same with some Spanish words, yet he typically provided a translation. The problem? I speak Spanish and don't need the translation, but I know zero French. Granted, some phrases simply don't 'translate,' but there were few attempts on the part of the author to even try.Anyhow, I'm glad I read the book. I still question how it is that Picasso attained the status he has in the world of art, but I guess I have to read the next volume to answer this. If Picasso died in 1906 and the story ended there, I seriously doubt any of his work to that point would command much attention at all, let alone what it does today.

Wow is all I can say. This book takes you deep into the life of young Picasso. I was fascinated by all the information gathered by Richardson, definitely a resourceful tool for my research paper!

Haven't started reading yet but am sure is awesome looking forward to reading others in this series on Picasso.

Great stuff

Es un imprescindible si te interesa profundizar en el estudio de Picasso.

It arrived quickly and in a good condition. I like the illustrations and the revealing content, but it is really too detailed.

Le livre est arrivé arraché au niveau de l'arrête du livre

Love it, full of biographical details that shaped Picasso as an artist and human being, pictures, drawings. Very elaborate and satisfying to read.

The three volumes by John Richardson are meticulous. If you are interested in the life of Picasso these volumes really do put his life under the microscope. For some it may be too detailed, it is a big read but well worth it. I found this first volume an insightful read about this fascinating & complex man.