Picasso's paintings
If you happen to be in Aix-en-Provence, France, between the beginning of July and the end of September, you'd better go for a spin around Mont Saint-Victor near Aix-en-Aix, to a 600-year-old castle, to visit the cemetery of Picasso, the founder of modernism, and his last lady, to visit the walls of the carpets personally designed by the master himself, and to learn how he made different rooms have completely different styles through color.
Picasso
Picasso died on 8 April 1973 in a hilltop villa outside Cannes. Even though he was already a world-class artist, the Government of Cannes did not agree to his burial on the hill. So his wife, Jacqueline, sent him back to Vovinagell Castle and buried him in the castle's original guardhouse. On the first day of the funeral on April 16, the mountain of Saint-Victor fell heavily in the sky, and the next day the mountain was covered with snow, which stunned the locals and all the guests attending the funeral.
Cézanne's Mont Sainte-Victor
Paul Cézanne, known as the "Father of Modern Art", is home in Aix- and he himself has lived in seclusion in Aix for many years. Before his death, Cézanne painted and sketched on the theme of Mount Sainte-Victor, and there were many of them, which were his favorite mountains. So Picasso bought the 14th-century Vervinagell Castle a week after his first visit. He happily said to his friend, I bought Cézanne's mountain.
Picasso with his first wife
After moving into the castle in 1959, Picasso moved most of the art collection that exists in the Bank of Paris into the castle, including works by Gauguin, Cézanne, Matisse and others. On The Hill of Saint Victor on the outskirts of Aix, on the edge of a canyon formed by a slender river, there are few people around the castle, which is in line with Picasso's mood of wanting to live in isolation at that time.
Picasso and his second wife
He personally designed the carpets of the castle, painted the walls of each room in the castle, and the colors of the walls of each room were different, and some even had two completely opposing colors in a room, like the two sides of yin and yang. For example, in his bedroom, one wall is light and bright, and the other side is gray and gloomy. And his bathroom is completely idyllic.
Picasso's castle
The most delightful room in the castle is Picasso's studio, with large glass windows on three sides, excellent lighting, and the view of the mountain gorge can be seen at all times. The large robe he wore when he painted still stood quietly by the wall, and his canvases and drawings were still in the large cabinet. Like the study downstairs, these two rooms are still decorated in the original 17th century.
Picasso's work
The restaurant of the castle belongs to the part that is open to the public and is also the most interesting part. The restaurant is lined with farmers' table and wooden benches. On the marble mantelpiece, there are life-size photographs of Picasso on display, and next to them hang mandolin. Although Picasso lived here for only 3 years, critics believe that many of his subsequent works have traces of living in this historic and so special mountain castle.
Jacqueline and Picasso painted a portrait of her
Picasso had many women in his lifetime, and these women often had very different evaluations of him. Among Picasso's many women, Jacqueline was the most mysterious one. In 1952, at the age of 71, Picasso met 27-year-old Jacqueline. At this time, Picasso had not yet divorced his first wife, the ballet dancer Olga, and Jacqueline's husband was still serving in the distant colonies. They soon moved in together, but did not officially marry until 1961.
Portrait of Jacqueline
Little is known about the woman who accompanied Picasso through the last 20 years of his life. It is only from Picasso's paintings that she inspired him endlessly and was the only woman depicted in the last 17 years of his life. Picasso painted many different styles of portraits of Jacqueline in the castle, sometimes drawing her crazy, sometimes she was a grotesque child, sometimes a two-faced banshee.
Picasso and Jacqueline
After Picasso's death, Jacqueline returned to the castle every 8th of every month to present a bouquet of flowers to her husband, and so on for 13 years. Jacqueline shot herself in 1986 and was buried next to the castle Picasso. She and Picasso had no children, and her estate was inherited by her daughter Catherine, who was born to her ex-husband. For many years, Catherine rejected the local government's proposal to buy the castle and turn it into a Picasso Museum. However, in 2009, Catherine agreed to open parts of the castle to the public from July to September each year to facilitate a better understanding of the master of modern art.