For me, it is I, and it is the only reproduction of me which is always I, for me.
Context: Gertrude Stein says this about Picasso's famous portrait of her, which she sat for over many months. It highlights her profound belief that Picasso captured her essence and inner being more truly than any literal likeness.
He was very French in his composition. He was very French in his conception. He was very French in his arrangement.
Context: Stein describes Henri Matisse, emphasizing his deeply ingrained national character in his artistic approach. She saw his Frenchness as fundamental to his method and aesthetic, a point of contrast with the more 'Spanish' Picasso.
A creator is not in a hurry. He is not in a hurry to be understood. He is in a hurry to do his thing.
Context: Stein offers this philosophical insight into the nature of artistic genius, particularly in reference to Pablo Picasso's relentless drive. It suggests that true artists are motivated by an internal imperative rather than external validation or immediate comprehension.
He was always right, he was a little bit right always, always a little bit right.
Context: This line describes Matisse's unwavering self-assurance and consistent, albeit sometimes narrow, vision. Stein observed that Matisse rarely doubted his own artistic path, which she found both admirable and slightly limiting.
He liked to destroy things for the sake of destroying them and for the sake of making them again.
Context: Stein characterizes Pablo Picasso's revolutionary cubist process and his approach to tradition. This quote emphasizes his radical method of breaking down existing forms to reconstruct them in entirely new ways.
Picasso had never been able to have the Spanish way of seeing dead things as having been more alive than living ones.
Context: Stein reflects on a specific aspect of Picasso's Spanish heritage and how it manifested in his art, distinguishing him from other Spanish artists. This insight speaks to his unique perspective on life, death, and representation.
He went on doing the same thing but he changed his way of doing it.
Context: Gertrude Stein observes the artistic evolution of Henri Matisse throughout his career. This line captures her perception of his underlying consistency in thematic exploration despite significant stylistic shifts over time.
He was the only painter in the beginning of the twentieth century who was continuing the tradition of the great painters.
Context: Stein offers high praise for Pablo Picasso, asserting his unique position among his contemporaries. She saw him as the true heir to classical artistic tradition, even in his radical modernity and constant innovation.
One must have in one's life a certain number of enemies, it makes one strong.
Context: This is a thought attributed to Picasso, and quoted by Stein in her reflections on him. It reveals a robust, defiant attitude toward opposition, suggesting that challenges contribute to an artist's strength and resolve.
He was very quick and he was very violent. He was very active and he was very quiet.
Context: Stein provides a characteristically paradoxical description of Pablo Picasso's personality and artistic temperament. It captures the contradictory energies that defined his presence and creative force, reflecting his multifaceted genius.