The woman herself has never been portrayed in such a versatile way as Picasso. For all this, of course, he drew inspiration from his own experiences, he was both a beloved and a horror of women, boy, husband, father, lover and beard.
Picasso's existence was love, he could not exist without female company. In the ninety-two years of her life, eight ladies played a decisive role, but in addition to them, there were more women on her palette. He allegedly cheated on all his wives, sometimes holding more than one lover at a time. Each of his artistic eras can be associated with the appearance of another woman. Many say this may have resulted in his exceptional oeuvre. We can also trace her feelings for each woman in her creations: the extraordinary diversity of her love, hate, joy and unhappiness. The women depicted appear in his paintings as bearers of Picasso’s soul.
His lovers, wives and mistresses
Picasso’s youthful love after arriving in Paris was Madeleine, whom he most often portrayed as a mother. The relationship between the two of them was characterized by the intimacy of love and friendship.
The artist’s first “serious” relationship was Fernande Olivier.
His third love was Fernande's girlfriend, Eva, Marcelle Humbert. The relationship ended tragically, Eva died young.
Shortly after Eva Picasso's death, she met Olga Koklova, his next wife. Olga had his first son, Paulo. Picasso soon approached the conventional civic taste preferred by the Russian lady, and was also disturbed by the woman's obsessed jealousy. All this also left its mark on the mood of the works born during his marriage: they were characterized by unhappiness and vain longing.
The “Master,” as he grew older, chose increasingly younger girls to accompany him. In 1928, a 17-year-old girl, Marie-Thérèse Walter, burst into her life, first as a model, later as a lover, and then as the partner of a man thirty years older. They also had a child together, Maya. Marie was the only woman in Picasso’s life who captured the man’s imagination not with her intelligence but with her sexual appeal and inspired many hundreds of drawings for ten years. After the death of his wife, Olga, he could only ask for his hand, but by then he had said no.
Marie was followed by another lover: photographer Dora Maar.
Picasso, true to himself, again chose a young 21-year-old girl for himself, this time a painter, Françoise Gilot, who gave birth to her two children, Claude and Paloma.
The line of loves was closed by Jacquelin Roque, the last wife of the almost eighty-year-old master, forty-five years younger than him.
Pablo, Picasso Thought Co, Picasso's Women: Wives, Lovers, and Muses link
Pablo, Picasso, NLC , Picasso botrányos szerelmei link
Pablo, Picasso, The ART Story, Pablo Picasso: Lives and Loves link