Ep 7. Picasso: Chapter Seven

Picasso continues to explore the life and art of Pablo Picasso in chapter seven of Genius season 2. Set in the late 1930s, the episode focuses on the artist's relationship with the young, beautiful photographer Dora Maar.

Picasso is in a tumultuous phase of his life, both personally and professionally. He is grappling with the impending threat of war and the fact that his creative output has slowed. In the midst of this, he becomes infatuated with Dora, an artist in her own right who he hires to photograph his paintings.

As their relationship develops, Picasso begins to see Dora as a muse for his work. He fixates on her and starts to incorporate her into his painting, often portraying her as distorted or grotesque. The episode delves into the complex dynamics between the two artists, and explores how Picasso's treatment of Dora in his art reflects the power imbalances in their real-life relationship.

Meanwhile, the war continues to loom over everything. Picasso is in France when he learns that his home country of Spain has fallen to fascists. He is devastated by the news, and begins to use his art as a way to comment on the political turmoil in Europe. His painting Guernica, which depicts a massacre committed by the fascists in Spain, is a key focus of the episode.

The episode gives viewers a sense of the profound impact that the war had on Picasso's work. In the face of such violence and chaos, he turns to his art as a means of grappling with the enormity of the situation. But his work also becomes a reflection of his own pain and turmoil; in one scene, he paints a self-portrait that portrays him as fractured and broken.

Throughout the episode, the tension between Picasso and Dora continues to build. At times, they are deeply in love; at other times, Picasso is cruel to her, belittling her and treating her like an object. Dora, for her part, struggles to reconcile her own artistic aspirations with her growing feelings for Picasso.

In the end, Picasso's relationship with Dora comes to a tragic end. The episode portrays their split as a reflection of the larger forces tearing Europe apart at the time; as the world hurtles towards war, their own relationship becomes collateral damage.

Overall, Picasso: Chapter Seven is a powerful exploration of one of the most tumultuous periods in the artist's life. Viewers will be drawn in by the complex dynamics between Picasso and Dora, as well as by the way the episode situates Picasso's art in the context of the broader historical events unfolding at the time. Full of emotion and drama, this installment of Genius is sure to captivate audiences and leave them eager for more.