Curtain for the ballet "Parade" 1917

Editor: Here we have Pablo Picasso’s “Curtain for the Ballet 'Parade'”, painted in 1917. The muted colors and slightly obscured figures create a dreamy, almost unsettling atmosphere for me. What do you see in this piece? Curator: Oh, this curtain! It's pure theatrical magic, isn't it? It feels like stepping into a half-remembered dream, or maybe one of Erik Satie's eccentric compositions come to life – which makes sense, given Satie wrote the music. Imagine Picasso, in Rome with Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes, soaking up the energy. This curtain wasn't just a backdrop; it was a statement, a collision of the classical and the avant-garde. I almost sense a bittersweet reflection on tradition amidst a period of radical change… Do you feel that? Editor: I think I get what you mean by radical change, but can you say more about the tradition side? Curator: The harlequin figure for one. That character harkens back to commedia dell'arte, but Picasso gives him a modern twist. And that dreamy, almost pastoral scene coexisting with these very Cubist-esque, angular elements...it is like a stage where different eras are performing side-by-side, arguing about who gets the spotlight. And that winged horse--how surreal. It is like a child's imagination set free. Editor: It is almost as if we get an insight to Picasso playing on multiple ideas for the parade. It certainly puts things in a fresh perspective. Thanks! Curator: Absolutely! That’s the genius, isn’t it? It leaves you questioning and re-evaluating everything you thought you knew about art, ballet, and maybe even yourself. It certainly changed mine and still does today.