The Mystery of Picasso
The director Henri-Georges Clouzot had to use a novel strategy in order to document the creative side of the finest painter of the 20th century. He collaborated with the director of photography Claude Renoir, and the two employed translucent canvases to film Picasso’s paintings. Picasso makes 20 pieces of art during the duration of the film, which was first shot in black and white, each one becoming more intricate from the initial crude sketches. The Mystery of Picasso then erupts into vivid color for the last reel, displaying the artist’s palette in all its splendor.
One of the most thrilling and happy movies ever created, according to renowned New Yorker writer Pauline Kael, the movie earned the Special Jury Prize at the 1956 Cannes Film Festival.
The artist approaches his easel like a matador facing a bull. The artwork dances into existence before our eyes as he manipulates his brush. The master produced 20 pieces of art for the film, ranging from humorous black-and-white drawings to panoramic color paintings, to capture the moment and the mystique of creativity.
This type of art history documentary captures all these aspects.
Picasso quickly produced imaginative paintings on bleed-through paper, which Clouzot was able to film from the back, catching their production in real-time. The director converted to color film and stopped motion animation when the artist opted to paint in oils. Almost all of these artworks were required to be demolished by contract when the movie was finished.
