Pablo Picasso: The Man and His Image

Traces the life of the influential modern painter and looks at examples of his work

Grade 6-9-- In this thorough biography, Lyttle gives life to an extraordinary person and then connects that life to the images the artist produced. The result is both dense with detail and fascinating, presenting challenging reading for those interested in how artists create their works. Lyttle describes the prodigious energy and concentration which marked Picasso's genius from the beginning and produced, in the end, a huge body of work. He places the art fully within the context of Picasso's life and his responses to the turbulent changes in the artistic world which surrounded him. While Lyttle obviously respects Picasso's artistic commitment, he makes it clear that his life was not always exemplary--that he was a compulsive womanizer and difficult friend whose first loyalty was always to his work. The book is well written, and Lyttle gives unusually clear descriptions of specific works and styles. Black-and-white photographs and reproductions appear throughout. Although there are a number of other biographies available to young readers, this one shows the full range of contradictions that expressed themselves in the powerful and complex imagery that was Picasso. --Eleanor K. MacDonald, Beverly Hills Pub . Lib .
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