The Mystery of Picasso

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John H @jhritz Mar 22, 2025 Not enough analysis. You get to see live and timelapse sketches. A few quips by Picasso. See more

Nov 27, 2013 It's hard to know what to write about this one. The film, which was made by Henri-Georges Clouzot, better known for directing the Hitchcockian thriller Diabolique, consists almost entirely of watching Pablo Picasso paint. Through a special apparatus the filmmakers devised, you don't actually look over Picasso's should as he paints, but see the art as it appears through a translucent canvas on the side opposite from Picasso. The effect is as if you were watching the images just spontaneously appear on their own. I guess this process must have meant Picasso painted all of these images as if in a mirror, which is impressive in and of itself. Some of the paintings we watch come to life stroke by stroke; others are treated in a more time-lapse sort of way where we see stages of the painting's progress. Clouzot explicitly claims at the beginning of the film that watching Picasso's hand in this way will let us know what is going on in his mind, but I'm not so sure that that actually happens in this movie. It was interesting in its own way to watch the art just appear, but I'm not sure I have any more insight into Picasso's mind than I did before I watched the film. At its best, the conjunction of the images and the music written for the film does make it a fun, one-of-a-kind experience. It's definitely not without interest, but I think the movie unfortunately fails to prove its own explicit thesis. See more

Aug 11, 2013 A unique documentary film from 1956, Le Mystère Picasso features the genius artist in the later years of his career at work in the studio. Each segment of the film presents his creation of a unique painting, some color and some black and white, varying in length and subject matter. I especially recommend this film to fans of Picasso and students of art in general, as it is a rare glimpse into the mind and hand of one of history's most revered cultural figures. See more

Apr 6, 2012 A must-see for anyone who appreciates Picasso's work. A fascinating look into his creative process. See more

Nov 13, 2011 Great look into what it is to create art, and with Picasso no less, made by a Master French director! See more

Jan 15, 2011 Fascinating doc that actually shows Picasso working on transparent canvasses. A nice insight into the creative process. See more

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The Mystery of Picasso

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