Yesterday at Singapore Tyler Print Institute

The Mystery of Picasso (1956)(trailer)
Director: Henri-Georges Clouzot
Source of video clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tn5uTTCRCg

Yesterday, I visited the Singapore Tyler Print Institute. I think Emily may like what I will be sharing in this post.

The main reason that has gotten me to visit the Singapore Tyler Print Institute yesterday was to catch the exhibition Pablo Picasso: The Vollard Suite held from 3 May to 7 July 2007.

I had the pleasure to catch a free video screening of the 75-minutes movie The Mystery of Picasso directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot. Cinematography by Claude Renoir. Georges Auric composed the music for this film.

I quite like this film as it allows me to see the processes that Picasso created a piece of art-work. It can be quite a suspense for audience like myself to sit at the audience seat not knowing what is the next step that Picasso would take with his art-creation process. I think Picasso is quite a genius when it comes to art.

In this film, I witnessed Picasso executing each and every stroke with confidence and mastery. There was a narrator who narrated what goes on in the video, and I agree with the narrator that one can understand the creative processes behind Picasso's mind if one were to watch the film more than once.

One concept that stuck in my mind while I was watching the film was that of the process of metamorphosis. For example, I watched Picasso starting out with what seemed to be a plant, but he continued drawing and transformed the initial image to what looked like a fish. However, in a few moments, with the additions of a few more brushstrokes, what appeared on the canvas became the image of a chicken. That was not the end. With the use of black ink, Picasso ended up with a canvas depicting what looked like a devil. Seeing the process of metamorphosis was intriguing. It reminded me that there are more processes that one should be mindful of than the final end-product.

The video screenings of the films The Mystery of Picasso and Picasso: The Man and His Work are only available on Saturdays. Please visit http://www.stpi.com.sg for the details. For your convenience, please find a You-Tube clip of the 2-minutes trailer of The Mystery of Picasso at the beginning of this post.



After the show, I went about viewing the exhibits. From the prints by Picasso, I can also see that Picasso is very confident in the art of print-making. One print that has caught my eye was Blind minotaur led by a little girl at night. Apparently, from what I have read from a publicity material, The Vollard Suite contains many themes which reveal Picasso's obsessions. To find out more, please visit: http://www.nga.gov.au/exhibitions/Picasso/index.html

In addition, somehow some of the prints from the exhibition reminded me of Picasso's famous work Guernica done in 1937. The themes of the bull and the horse can be found in both Guernica and the prints from the Vollard Suite.

If you would like to view this collection of Picasso's prints, do visit the Singapore Tyler Print Institute by 7 July 2007.

Singapore Tyler Print Institute
41 Robertson Quay, Singapore 238236

Tel: (65) 6336 3663
Fax: (65) 6336 3553

Admission : Free
Gallery Opening Hours :
Tuesday-Saturday: 10am-6pm.
Closed on Sundays and Public Holidays.
Mondays by appointment only.



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Please also visit:
Pablo Picasso: official web site
Vollard Suite
Singapore Tyler Print Institute
Ambroise Vollard
http://www.georgetownframeshoppe.com/pablo_picasso_vollard.html