A Visit to Picasso (1950)

For the first half of this documentary, we are guided through a rather fleeting chronology of the development of Picasso's styles of artists through this "Rose" period, his "Negro" works and then "Cubism" and that's all pretty routine stuff. Then, though, we visit his seaside French home in a picturesque village where he proceeds to paint, as if directly onto the screen, and it's astonishing to watch. Random shapes, lines, squiggles and dots become plants, animals and people by the time he has finished what looks like the most rudimentary of styles of brushwork. There's a basic narration, but it isn't really necessary as we see this man at work in his shed crafting the likes of an owl or seeing his man and a sheep in effective situ amidst a run down chapel. For such a prolific artist, you could have a dozen such programmes and still but scratch the surface of his range and skills, but this is an useful and interesting start.