Picasso (king, monster and clown) by María Folguera, or how to enter a historiographic debate through the performing arts – | ACHTUNG!

2023-12-09 21:54:37

In the years in which the life and work of famous artists are commemorated, monographs are usually republished, new documentaries are made, and to a lesser extent, performing arts creations such as Picasso (king, monster and clown). However, there are few that distance themselves from a supposed “neutrality”, to precisely delve deeply into the mission of a project that manages to transcend the thoughtless praise of figures who have become essential in the history of western art.

First of all, we must put whoever calls us together in their context. Otherwise, we will not be able to understand the reason why she has been highlighted above other artists, as well as what aspects of her biography were key for her to have achieved such renown. Therefore, it is up to one to get the necessary tools to enter a historiographical discussion, if one is driven by the desire to acquire more knowledge and one’s own criteria in this regard. That is why, in the case of Picasso, it is not enough to orient ourselves to the places where he lived and trained, what were the stages of his work or who he influenced, since we would be exercising a kind of “chronology”.

In this line, Maria Folguera presents us with a work that seeks to expand the scope of analysis of the figure of Picasso, or if one has only seen a couple of paintings and is familiar with his name at school, there will be something that will give rise to further curiosity. So, Picasso (king, monster and clown) It emerges for us, the viewers, as a piece capable of making all types of audiences vibrate, and on top of that, keeping us all with the expectation of what could come next, given that there was no way to predict how it would be approached. the next episode of the life and work of this Andalusian painter.

Photo: David Ruano

For this reason and many more things, this work directed by Joan Arqué It seems exemplary to me, to the extent that it not only does pedagogical work in terms of “creative” ways (so to speak) of facing the legacy of great figures of our shared imagination; but also, within itself it contains a nonconformist critique, in which although it is revealed that no conclusion is reached about the meaning of reserving a niche for it in the “mausoleum of the history of Western art” (because this We can determine on our own with the information we have at a bibliographic level, in the world’s art galleries, in academic research, etc.), it is clear that history is something that is constituted and updated collectively. , not that which must remain “fossilized” by any contingency that has taken center stage at a specific moment.

Photo: David Ruano

Besides, Picasso (king, monster and clown) It is very pleasant to see, as the actions of an extraordinary cast of performers and musicians develop with such temperance and fluidity that one barely realizes that one is “learning.” This happens, among other things, because the members of said cast were having fun, which helped them to be committed to making this piece shine to the fullest. That is to say: an idea as ambitious as staging a work that goes from scenes typical of a comedy, to a tragedy, through surrealism, the breaking of the fourth wall, the support of projections that surpassed what we understand by “ props”, the care of maintaining a certain color range thanks to the costumes and the lighting design during the performance with coherence… In short, a lot of resources put at the service of something that seemed like a “game”, which in the end managed to make everything made sense, and without anything being left over.

What’s more, these professionals had the great success and ability to touch on topics such as mental health, respect for the integrity of our fellow human beings or how the great events of history have suspended the inertia of people’s lives, without This took away the focus of this work, which was to enter into debate about how we position ourselves today with the figure of Picasso. And this would be the main reason why I think that creations like this They should reserve part of their current tour performances for high school students, with the purpose of revitalizing and complementing the work of our teachers. Hopefully, the students will understand that what they have received in this regard has many more translations than those that their teachers have interpreted through their lessons, and in the process they will continue to develop their critical spirit toward what “their elders” have done. with them.

Photo: David Ruano

Definitely, Picasso (king, monster and clown) I think it is a wonderful, fun and very well-founded work in artistic and historiographical terms. I hope that it becomes a reference to consult, once we all assume the enormous potential that the performing arts have when they are channeled into entering the world. “public forum”.