Picasso the Cartoonist

The idea that Picasso was as much a cartoonist as fine artist is certainly not original, but it’s never been more evident to me than at the Picasso exhibition currently on display at the Met. It’s worth seeing if only for the last couple rooms which present a large selection of lithographs, etchings and drawings from his late years.

These drawings are a revelation–piece after masterful piece of stunning cartoon design with some sequential storytelling also thrown into the mix. Looking at them, I couldn’t help but be reminded of the pen-and-ink cartoons of indie comic artists like Gary Panter and C.F, and by extension, animated shows like Adventure Time. It turns out that Picasso was an indie comic artist long before the term existed, and approached cartooning with an uninhibited and expressive approach that puts most of today’s indie comic practitioners to shame.

I took some photos at the show. There’s more Picasso cartoons after the jump:

(click image for larger version)