Portrait of Picasso with inscription to Marie-Thérèse Walter on verso

In an attitude of confident nonchalance stands Pablo Picasso, one of the most celebrated and photographed artists of the twentieth century. Picasso drew and made notations on the reverse of these photographs. Imbuing image with a sense of place, Picasso renders his room (“ma chambre”) in a simple, linear fashion with swaying lines and hurried pen strokes. Reminiscent of the speed that characterized his artistic practice, collectively they echo his desire to capture a moment’s inspiration. By physically altering the surface of the photographs, Picasso does not treat the medium in a traditional manner, but rather something that can be as manipulated as any material. But photography served primarily a documentary function for Picasso, as he once mentioned, “chronicling the legend” of his work. (“15 Minutes: Exposing Dimensions of Fame,” curated by undergraduate members of Cornell’s History of Art Major’s Society and presented at the Johnson Museum April 16 – July 24, 2016)