Every Saturday, we’ll be posting a new illustration by David Lester. The Mecca Normal guitarist is visually documenting people, places and events from his band’s 31-year run, with text by vocalist Jean Smith.
Imagine Picasso and Dora Maar on a panel discussing surrealism, let’s say. Someone asks Pablo—”What’s it like living with another artist?” Not that I can really imagine that coming up in 1930-whatever. What would Pablo have felt and how would he have responded? I tend to think he would have diminished her and her work. I think he would have described her as his lover, confidante, subject, muse, but I doubt he would have taken the opportunity to express his enthusiasm for her work and his respect for her as an artist. Did he actively encourage her creative impulses as she evolved? Did Pablo consider Dora’s work with an eye toward a new reality where women were regarded as the creative geniuses they are and not the models, muses and playthings for egotistical men? I can’t quite see that.
Any thoughts on this? Or any other male/female artist pairings?
“Once” from Dovetail (K, 1992) (download):
