Pablo Picasso struggled with Christianity his entire life. He was raised in the Roman Catholic church but eventually fell away and adhered to atheism during his adult life. Despite this, Picasso often created art featuring Christian themes, providing evidence of his internal wrestling with his Christian upbringing. By evaluating such works alongside pieces which may have been a part of Picasso’s visual archive, we can gain insight into not only the sort of visual iconography that interested Picasso, but also the religious themes which caught his attention as well. In doing so, one can begin to better understand the personal relationship that Picasso had with Christianity and what factors were at play which made this relationship so complex. We can begin to answer the question of which aspects of the Christian faith were perhaps most compelling to Picasso; in other words, why did Picasso keep wrestling with the faith? This collection features three of Picasso’s works, which are accompanied by three works from other artists which appeared to have resonated with him via their religious imagery. The first pairing of works addresses the themes of blindness in both a physical and spiritual sense, while the second pairing focuses on the imagery of Christ as the Good Shepherd. Finally, the third pairing centers around the scene of the crucifixion.
Christ Healing the Blind
El Greco (Domenikos Theotokopoulos)
ca. 1570, oil on canvas, 47 x 57 1/2 in.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY (Object 1978.416)
In this piece, El Greco makes certain compositional choices in order to draw our eyes to the blind man being healed by Christ. In particular, the elongated arms of the man serve to convey the man’s heightened sense of touch to the viewers, while his shadowy, dark eyes clearly show that he is unable to see. As Christ paces his right hand on the man's eyes, the man is healed from his physical blindness, and the viewers are, in turn, encouraged to evaluate their own spiritual blindness that lies in our hearts.
The Blind Man’s Meal
Pablo Picasso
1903, oil on canvas, 37.5 x 37.25 in.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY (Object 50.188)
In this early 20th century painting, it is apparent that Picasso adapted the same visual language used by El Greco to symbolize blindness, from the man’s long, slender arms, to the darkening of the man’s eyes. Even the lighter values around the man’s ear ties back to the subtle splash of light utilized by El Greco around his blind man’s ear. Perhaps as Picasso saw the work of El Greco, he identified with the theme of fighting through spiritual blindness. In his own depiction of a blind man, who is reaching for the sacraments, Picasso conveys a hint of his desire to have communion with the Lord, despite his personal shortcomings.
Statuette of the Good Shepherd
Unknown
Late 3rd-early 4th century AD, white marble, 39 x 14 x 10 ½ in.
Pius Christian Museum, Vatican City
This statuette, crafted from white marble, is one of the earliest depictions of Christian themes in visual art. The motif of Christ as the Good Shepherd was a frequently utilized theme for early Christian artists as they attempted to convey truths about the Christian faith in a way that the surrounding world could understand. As such, these artists borrowed the idea of the “ram-bearer” from the Roman tradition, which often depicted men carrying rams as a sign of faithfulness in offering sacrifices to the gods. Thus, Christian artists using this theme sought to convey the truth about Christ being the ultimate sacrificial Lamb for our sins, as well as being the perfect Shepherd who leads us down the path to righteousness.
Man with a Lamb
Pablo Picasso
1943, bronze, 79.5 × 28 in.
Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, PA
Picasso’s bronze sculpture Man with a Lamb features a solemn man, crafted without much detail at all, holding a lamb in his arms in front of him. While Picasso did not choose to depict the man traditionally, that is, with the lamb over his shoulders, he certainly alludes to the theme of the Good Shepherd with this piece. This imagery is relevant to Picasso’s personal story as well: despite his fall away from the faith, he still appeared to find the concept of a loving God who never turns his back on his wandering sheep quite compelling.
Isenheim Altarpiece
Matthias Grünewald
1512-1516, oil and tempera on limewood, 148 x 263 in.
Unterlinden Museum, Colmar, France
Matthias Grünewald’s Isenheim Altarpiece is one of the most powerful, yet emotional depictions of the crucifixion that exists. The raw sorrow and anguish of Mary the mother of Christ on the left and Mary Magdalene at the foot of Christ serve as a vivid reminder of the sheer horror of Christ’s death. Further, the emaciated skin and twisting, broken fingers and feet of Christ remind us of his Humanity and of the fact that He truly did embrace humanity and a painful death for our sins.
Crucifixion
Pablo Picasso
1930, oil on plywood, 20 x 26 in.
Musée Picasso, Paris, France
At first glance, it may be hard to connect Picasso’s painting of the crucifixion to the Isenheim Altarpiece in any way other than the subject matter. However, upon closer inspection, there are more connections between these two pieces. Picasso captures the horror of the scene through the distorted, exaggerated weeping of a figure who appears to be Mary Magdalene, painted in white in the center of the piece. The bright, high-contrast colors which cover this painting are intentionally used by Picasso to depict the confusion and drama of the crucifixion, but Picasso gives a nod to the Isenheim Altarpiece via the pitch-black background that he paints behind the cross. This black background seems to have a motif that Picasso found meaningful, as he contemplated the darkness of the crucifixion, alongside the darkness in his own heart which kept Him from clinging to Christ.
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