Ladies Man

Fernande. Eva. Olga. Marie-Thérèse. Picasso certainly had a high turnover rate, because, to him, there were “only two types of women – goddesses and doormats.”

His attitude toward women was dichotic. He used them as models and muses, yet sought and exercised control over them. Despite this -- and no matter one’s personal view on Picasso -- there’s no doubt that his art provides ample raw material for an interesting psychological inquiry. If Carl Jung could get off on it, so can you.

Had he not been blessed with artistic talent, Picasso would have been a perpetual masturbator of the highest order. Lucky for us, his seed was never wasted in such frolicsome activities, but instead was transmogrified into fascinating works of erotic art, such as the etchings currently on display in the “Pablo Picasso: La Suite Vollard” exhibit. In one work, a faun (the symbol of a wild and orgiastic spirit) voyeuristically gazes upon the naked body of a sleeping woman. The piece is reflective of the series in that the female subject is rendered submissive and often helpless.