The Self-Portraits of Gertrude Stein and Pablo Picasso Essay

The Self-Portraits of Gertrude Stein and Pablo Picasso nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;It is no wonder that Picasso, with his revolutionary style of painting, would be attracted to Gertrude Stein’s crowded Rue de Fleurus apartment on Saturday evenings for intellectual discussions on art and literature. From the barefoot dances and improvisational plays of Max Jacob to the comments of critics and would-be art patrons like Maurice Raynal and Andrà © Salmon, this salon was an assortment of artists, bohemians, professionals, and foreigners (Myers 18; Olivier 139). The beginnings of a marvelous relationship sparked betwixt the words of aversion and praise that filled the halls of the Steins’ extravagant home.†¦show more content†¦As their relationship developed, Picasso and Stein began having a tremendous influence on each other’s works, although Myers noted that ultimately Stein was more influenced by Picasso’s work than vice versa since he was unable to read English, her main language of expression (37). nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The level of intimacy that was achieved by Picasso and Stein goes deeper than the Saturday evening soirà ©es, though. Stein was to the world of literature what Picasso was to the world of art. They shared the same vision for their respective means of artistic expression and excelled at introducing the world to a new, more free style of relaying its ideas. Stein shared in Picasso’s struggle â€Å"not to express what he could see but not to express the things he did not see, that is to say the things everybody is certain of seeing but which they do not really see† (Stein 19). So ultimately, in portraying Picasso, Gertrude Stein managed to reveal herself to her readers. â€Å" . . . [It] must never be forgotten that the only way Picasso has of speaking, the only way Picasso has of writing is with drawings and paintings† (Stein 38). nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Stein, in her book Picasso, repeatedly reminds the reader of the similarities between Spaniards and Americans. She writes, â€Å" . . . 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