Picasso
Season two explores how the passionate nature and relentless creative drive of Picasso—a Spanish-born painter, sculptor, poet and playwright—were inextricably linked to his personal life, which included tumultuous marriages, numerous affairs and constantly shifting political and personal alliances.
Chapter One
Pablo Picasso confronts the threat of fascism in Spain, and Young Pablo rejects traditional painting to search for his own voice.
Chapter Two
Picasso's relationship with Dora Maar is strained by war. Young Pablo succeeds by imitating the masters, but struggles to be original.
Chapter Three
Picasso meets his great love Franoise Gilot. Young Pablo begins his Blue Period after the suicide of his friend.
Chapter Four
As older Picasso juggles two love affairs, Young Pablo strives to create a masterpiece that will signal his arrival as a great artist.
Chapter Five
Picasso tries to convince Françoise to move in with him, while Young Pablo is challenged by the radical genius of Matisse.
Chapter Six
Picasso takes Françoise Gilot on vacation. Young Pablo starts cubism with Georges Braque, but is accused of stealing the Mona Lisa.
Chapter Seven
After WWII, Picasso joins the Communist Party but struggles to align his artwork with his own political beliefs. Affected by a tragic love affair from his past, Picasso falters in his responsibilities to Françoise.
Chapter Eight
Pablo meets his first wife, a ballerina, while designing a ballet. Older Picasso struggles to manage his complex family.
Chapter Nine
Younger Picasso finds respite from his strained marriage with Olga in the arms of his newest muse: Marie-Thérèse Walter. However, their romance is short-lived, cause soon he crosses paths with Dora Maar. Meanwhile, Françoise Gilot defies Older Picasso and pursues her artistic goals.
Chapter Ten
After Françoise Gilot leaves him, Pablo finds companionship with a new woman. In near seclusion, Pablo obsesses over creating the perfect painting. Meanwhile, Françoise struggles to escape Picasso's shadow even after remarrying and moving to the US.
Avis de la communauté (3)
Overall it was interesting, however, it seems to me that too much time was dedicated to Picasso's love life instead of his paintings. There should be more scenes dealing with his creative process and explaining why the paintings are considered such an important part of the history of art. I prefer more realistic art and I would like the series better if it helped me to understand Picasso's artistic genius. The show fails to prove why he was a genius, though, and in this way does not fullfil its educational role properly.
The word "genius" applies to all facets of people who used their extraordinary talents toward most prodigious human achievements. In the first season, the series explored the most immediate embodiment of a genius, **Albert Einstein**. The second season switches gear to art. And **Pablo Picasso** is certainly among the very top of the list. Even as a mere casual observer of art, Picasso always fascinated me. His artistic output is extremely varied in style, but they are not an evolution of its predecessor. His art is always captivating and triggers such strong response. But what triggers Picasso to make such drastic and dissonant shift? The second season attempts to unmask some of the mysteries. It largely settles on women. Repeating the templates of the first season, the second season does many time shifts, mainly Picasso in his youth (amazing performance by **Alex Rich** whom I have not seen before) and in his later years (electrifying **Antonio Banderas**). The series surmises that while Picasso is a pure genius at heart, he depends on a muse to start his passion, although from time to time, friends and competitors provide the same desired effect. In the first season, Einstein in his twilight year was trying to solve the "unified field theory", or theory of everything. In this season, the creators suggest that Picasso is after "perfect painting." While I don't think Picasso was ever looking for perfection in art (the very suggestion seems contrary to me), it provides a good foundation for who Pablo Picasso wanted to be. He willingly sacrificed, often cruelly so, his relationship with people who truly loved him -- whether it be family or lovers. The series often focuses too much on his relationships instead of providing counterpoints by exploring the process of creating art (something **Martin Scorsese** did to perfection with his chapter in **New York Stories**). This mistake is compounded as the series nears the end of the season. It thankfully wraps things up with a touching scene with people he gave up, although I was too frustrated by one dimensional "money grabbing" portrayal of his final lover **Jacqueline Roque**. All in all, I wasn't as enamored with this season as much as I did with the first. But amazing performances and beautiful cinematography ultimately won me over. I also want to give a special nod to the creators and National Geographic for challenging and inspiring viewers to learn and explore these amazing individuals. I look forward to the next season when the series explores **Mary Shelley**.
The genius of artistic perspective and perception. What are we really seeing when we look at something? This new instalment of GENIUS addresses the life and work of Picasso who created new and unique ways of seeing. A fantastic ensemble cast. Beautiful performances (I'm so glad they gave Samantha Colley a new role - she was brilliant in EINSTEIN) . Beautiful locations. Fascinating subject matter, both in character study and historical era. After watching the first episode of this new season I give this it a hesitant 7.5 (potential) out of 10, hoping the writing will step up to the level of it's performances and it's subject. [Historical Drama]