Picasso and Smoking: What Role Did Cigars Play in His Life and Art?
Well now, if you’re askin’ whether Picasso smoked, I reckon you’re not alone in wonderin’. That Picasso, he didn’t just dabble in paintin’ and scribblin’, he had a lot of habits too. Some of them, like the smokin’, stuck with him his whole life. Now, I ain’t no art expert, but I know enough to tell you that Picasso, he was a proper smoker, just like a lot of folks back then. People say he started puffin’ on cigars and cigarettes as a young man and never really gave it up. Whether it was for the stress of his work or just the habit of it, that man had a cigar in his hand more often than not.
Born back in 1881 in Málaga, Spain, Picasso didn’t look like he’d be a great artist at first. In fact, folks thought he might not even make it through those first few days of life. Some said he was so still when he was born, they figured he was a stillborn child. But then, some kind of magic happened, and he woke right up, just like that. Could’ve been a sign from the heavens that the boy had a lot of life in him, don’t you think?
Now, let’s get back to the smokin’ bit. It’s said that even when he was just a little fella, some folks tried to give him a taste of smoke. There’s a story about his uncle, a doctor, blowin’ cigar smoke right into baby Picasso’s face. Well, the young Picasso didn’t like that one bit! He made a grimace and bellowed in fury, probably not too happy about that stinky smoke. But, I guess, after that, he just grew up with it, ’cause he sure did like his smokes as he got older. Whether it was cigars or cigarettes, that man didn’t shy away from a puff here and there.
As Picasso grew, so did his fame. He moved to Paris in his younger years, and that’s where he went through what they call his Rose Period. Now, don’t ask me what that means, but it was a time when he painted all sorts of things, and people started takin’ notice of him. Some folks even wondered if he had any connection with things like cannabis, though. There were rumors, but I reckon we’ll never know for sure if that was the case. People love to gossip, don’t they?
But what we do know is that Picasso didn’t just live a life of paintin’ and smokin’. He worked hard, too. Harder than most folks would. He would work for 14 hours a day, sometimes even workin’ late into the night. The man was a machine, and he didn’t stop unless his body forced him to. It’s said he rarely slept, just kept at it, day after day. I guess when you’re workin’ that hard, a cigar or two is just what you need to keep goin’.
But nothing lasts forever, not even a habit as strong as smokin’. There came a time when Picasso had to give it up. He had surgery for an ulcer in 1965, and that was probably when he had to put the cigars down for good. Some folks say that the paintings he made during that time, with all the smokin’ characters in ’em, were like a last goodbye to his beloved cigars. After that, he didn’t go back to it. His body just couldn’t handle it anymore, and it was time for him to say goodbye to the smoke.
Now, let me tell ya somethin’ that might surprise ya. Despite all that smokin’, Picasso didn’t go out from something like cancer, which a lotta people would think. No, the man passed away from pulmonary edema in 1973, that’s fluid buildin’ up in the lungs. Ain’t that a thing? Seems like all that smokin’ caught up with him in the end, even though it didn’t take him straight to the grave. He was in his 90s when he passed, so maybe that was just his time.
What can we learn from all this? Well, Picasso’s life wasn’t just about smokin’ and paintin’. The man went through hard times, too. When he was younger, he had to deal with poverty and cold. Sometimes, he even burned his own work just to keep warm. Ain’t that somethin’? But despite all the struggles, he came through and became one of the greatest artists ever. And even though he had his vices, like smokin’, he didn’t let ’em stop him from doin’ what he was born to do.
So, did Picasso smoke? Yep, sure did. And he smoked for a good part of his life. But, like all things, it came to an end. I reckon he just wasn’t meant to live forever. But his art, and those cigars, will live on in the stories we tell.
Tags:[Picasso, Smoking, Art, Cigar, Life of Picasso, Smoking Habit, Ulcer, Pulmonary Edema, Picasso’s Work, Famous Artists]
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