Commentaire de "Picasso" de Gertrude Stein

Résumé du document

Il s'agit d'un commentaire du poème "Picasso" de Gertrude Stein.

To study this text, I will try to give an answer to this question : to what extend is Gertrud Stein delivering a portrait of herself, rather than a portrait of Picasso ?
First, I will see this text as a meliorative portrait of Picasso before studying the aesthetic of repetition. Finally, I will explain how Gertrud Stein, by the use of stream of consciousness, delivers an inner portrait of herself.

Extraits

[...] Indeed, Picasso is described as « one whom some were certainly following ». Gertrud Stein is here pointed out the fact that he is an inspiring artist. People are following him, they try to imitate him or they are more willing to create art, following his steps, being inspired by cubism. But she goes further when she mentions the fact that he was « not completely working ». Indeed, Picasso is passionate, his job and his passion are joining one another. [...]

[...] * More than a portrait of Picasso, Gertrud Stein is here giving us the oportunity to deeply dive into her own mind. This is a self-portrait, or even, a portrait of her consciousness. Gertrud Stein is a pioneer since stream of consciousness did not exactly exist at the time, but her style is definitely precursory of James Joyce's and others' works. It can also makes us think of the work of the french writer Claude Simon, who will develop this immersion into the mind of the narrator with the Nouveau Roman in the 1960's. [...]

[...] Indeed, Stein talks about Picasso in a very laudatory style. He « was completely charming ». She insists a lot about the hard work he is doing. She paints him as a hard-working artist, showing that talent is not only a gift, but that you have to work in order to improve yourself. This conveys the image of a really persistent man, who always wants to be a better painter. Thanks to this hard work, he is able to produce a huge and admirable work that she considers « heavy », « solid », and « complete ». [...]

[...] This one was one whom some were following. This one was being one whom some were following. » The other poem « If I told him » is also about variations : « Now to date now to date. Now and now and date and the date. » She keeps repeating the same sentence or phrase and she fragments it, she creates an effect of break by inserting a slight variation that is breaking the rythm of the sentence. We have an impression of similarity but we clearly here the disruptive effect due to the changing of rythm. [...]

[...] Gertrud Stein's poem on Picasso Gertrud Stein was an american writer and a passionate art collector of the 20th century. She lived in France and was a huge admirer of french painters like Picasso and Matisse. The poem that I am about to study is a « portrait » of Picasso, and the main interest of the text is precisely about this notion of « portrait », because she completely reinvents the conventions of traditional portraits. The reader is caught in the writer's mind, as if he was listening to what was happening in her consciousness. [...]