Picasso’s “La Vie” (1903) is a painting inspired by the loss of one of his good friends, Carlos Casagemas. It came out during his blue period, which is one of his most famous painting periods where he used a selective color palette to create his art. The physical painting is large and demands attention, and uses mediums similar to his other works. There are a few ideas about the meaning of “La Vie” based on the changes and choices Picasso made from the sketch of the painting to the finished product. While taking all of this into account, and taking a closer look at the background of “La Vie” a viewer can gain a better understanding of what the painting means and what Picasso might have been trying to say with this work of art.
“La Vie”, one of the more well-known pieces from Picasso’s blue period is a depiction of his friend, Carlos Casagemas with a nude woman at his side, thought to be his lover Germaine. Casagemas himself is barely clothed and is in just a white cloth. Both he and the woman stand facing a mother and her child in blue robes, directly contrasting the attire of the two of them, and making them appear more vulnerable. Between Casagemas, his lover, and the mother and child, there are three different figures. Two women sitting on a rock huddled together and one death-like figure curled below in the dark. The woman on the left of the painting doesn’t look directly at the woman in robes, her gaze seeming to look farther off to the right in a daze. Casagemas looks at the robed figure in an almost confrontational stance, his hand slightly pointing at the figure while his eyes and face appear empty. He made other paintings dedicated to his friend, such as “The Death of Casagemas” (Picasso, 1901), and “The burial of Casagemas” (Picasso,1901), both created in the early times of Picasso’s blue period.
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Picasso's blue period began in 1901 after the suicide of Casagemas. His suicide occurred because of his love for a Parisian woman named Germaine. Germaine was not interested in Casagemas and rejected him romantically, breaking his heart. Worried for the well being of his friend, Picasso took him back to Spain but Casagemas decided to soon go back to Paris. He had gathered a dinner party for Germaine and a few other painters, during which he pulled out a pistol and shot at Germaine. He then proceeded to turn the gun on himself, shooting himself in the head. The bullet meant for Germaine missed and she survived while Casagemas passed away in a hospital not long after. Word of this got to Picasso while he was in Barcelona and is what is said to have launched him into his blue period. Picasso was only twenty at this time and was without a lot of funds, so he restricted his color palette to mainly blues, greys and greens. Picasso's Blue period began in Paris where the sights of the lower class in poverty and the hardships of those around him inspired his paintings. In fact, the woman in “La Vie” is theorized to possibly be of divine origin or a saint of some kind, however, her blue robes are theorized to be a reference to the women of Lazare Prison. The women of Lazare were prostitutes who had to wear costumes of blue robes with a white hood (Cleveland Museum of Art). According to the Cleveland Museum of Art, his paintings and the colors he used were “...suggestive of night, mystery, dreams and death.” (Cleveland Museum of Art). Giving every painting during this time a melancholy atmosphere. A few more notable pieces from this time are “The Old Guitarist” (Picasso, 1904) which is now at the Art Institute in Chicago and “Self-Portrait” (Picasso, 1901) which is at the “Musee National Picasso” or the national museum of Picasso, in Paris. With “La Vie” being apart of the blue period, having the background information as to how Picasso got started painting in that style, as well as knowing about the central focus of the painting--Casagemas, gives the painting a deeper and more important meaning than before.
“La Vie” un-framed is about 16 feet tall and 4 feet wide, making it a gargantuan painting that viewers have to stand back to see. It looms over passers-by and with its eye-catching color palette, demands attention. It’s done in oil paints, which allowed for smooth blending and the mixing of different hues. Oil paints were a common medium for Picasso, he uses them in “The Old Guitarist” and another piece from his blue period called “The Blue Room” (Picasso, 1901) which is now a part of The Phillips Collection. With the oil paint, the brush strokes and texture of the painting can be seen, even after all this time making it more lifelike and real.
The meaning of “La Vie” by Picasso is said to be “ ...an allegory of sacred and profane love, a symbolic representation of the cycle of life, and a working-class couple facing the hazards of real life.” (Cleveland Museum of Art). The robed woman could represent a saint or a religious symbol, coming for Casagemas while he holds onto his lover. The people and figures in the back representing death or poverty. It could also be a representation of the circle of life, with the newborn child in the woman’s arms circling to the couple in the back holding onto on another, then to Casagemas and his lover and then down to the huddled figure at the bottom that appears to be deceased. Another idea about the meaning of the painting is the idea of the woman in robes representing sacred love while the couple represents profane love. In the study and sketches for “La Vie” The robed woman was originally a bearded man, and the reason for the change is still theorized about (Cleveland Museum of Art). Picasso might have wanted the figure to look more angelic and soft in comparison to the naked lovers. Knowing the background information on a piece can help the viewer to understand its meaning better. Artists take things from real life and incorporate it into their work. “La Vie” is no exception to this.
“La Vie” by Pablo Picasso is dark, mournful and somber. His blue period reflects in the piece, and the man to spark inspiration for Picasso’s blue period is the main subject of “La Vie”. There are many theories behind what the piece could actually symbolize, maybe Picasso himself didn’t have an exact definition or meaning to the work. But knowing the story behind it gives the painting more life and meaning, and can help a viewer appreciate the piece even more than before.
Works Cited
- Picasso, Pablo. “La Vie.” Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland Museum of Art, 22 Nov. 2019, https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1945.24
Works Referenced
- “BIOGRAPHY - Musée National Picasso.” Paris, http://www.museepicassoparis.fr/en/biography/
- Picasso, Pablo. “The Blue Room.” The Phillips Collection, https://www.phillipscollection.org/collection/browse-the-collection?id=1554&page=1&_=1518912000000.
- Picasso, Pablo. “The Old Guitarist.” The Art Institute of Chicago, Modern Art, https://www.artic.edu/artworks/28067/the-old-guitarist
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