Self-Portrait (1907) picasso

Picasso’s revelation of himself to us shows how his upbringing and relationships led him to suppress emotions and unwanted knowledge from himself subconciously. As Gedo said, Picasso was “veiling the confessional aspects of his painting.” (Gedo, 80) Although Picasso had no yet found what he was “veiling”, he could not find it himself because of his need to put negative memories in the past. Picasso did not realize that this is what he needed to help him put together what made him human, and his attempts were futile.

In a final attempt to find himself, and in the era of Cubism, Picasso painted his eyes with the most definition in Self-Portrait (1907). With his eyes the darkest, most defined, and largest they had ever been, he was more blind than ever about how to go about finding himself, and exactly what components made up his personality. In this typically Cubist painting, there was no doubt that Picasso believed he had finally succeeded in discovering who he truly was. While some people were opposed to his new style, there were many who praised him. In Self-Portrait (1907), Picasso’s eyes are large and set, making his “face…severe and masklike.” (Wertenbaker, 53) This feature of a “mask” of ego hides Picasso from himself, and although his eyes are large, everything else is covered. Picasso tried to go back to the basics of artistic technique in this last desperate attempt to discvoer himself. As Wertenbaker says, there are “characteristics of primitive art in his portrayals of the human face and figure.” (Wertenbaker, 53) However, these “primitive” characteristics do not help Picasso remove everything that is clouding his view of himself. They merely help us see all the more clearly why Picasso will always be blinded by his ego. His over-confidence and beleif that he is the only success in his field will always blind him from seeing the truth about himself and his shattered personality.

Picasso, Pablo. Self-portrait (1907) National Gallery, Prague, Czech Republic.