Who was Picasso the man? What did those round, expectant, avid eyes of his pursue, moment by moment? What did they draw in, those eyes? The silhouette of the sensuous bareback rider Rosita de Oro? The drinking sessions with Casagemas and company? The humanity of his friend Grock the clown?
Circus Sundays. Photo: Jordi Mota
The answer is both elementary and complex: Picasso’s eyes drew in life itself. That is why he was so eager to sublimate the glorious precariousness of acrobats during the long hours spent waiting for that other glory, ethereal and fleeting, that only shines out in the ring.
Circus Sundays. Photos: Jordi Mota
The circus today, in the 21st century, is not the same as it was at the beginning of the 20th century, and nor is the audience nor society. But the circus performers of the 21st century still have all the instinct, the spirit, the generosity and the infinite respect for the spectator of those earlier acrobats, those human beings immortalized by Picasso.
Circus Sundays. Photo: Jordi Mota
This is the essential criterion behind the season of Circus Sundays at the Picasso. The seven companies we are pleased to present for the consideration of our audience, each with its own distinctive style, live and work by this essential criterion. And they offer a whole-hearted commitment to their art that, while it draws on tradition, is expressed in the circus language of our own century. These artists — Catalan, British, Danish, French, Swedish and Italian — enrich with new perspectives the most vital of the performing arts. We like to think that Picasso’s eyes, too, would have avidly devoured these seven shows we have selected for you.
Circus Sundays. Photos: Jordi Mota
Jordi Jané
Artistic Director of Circus Sundays at the Picasso
The next sessions will start at 6 pm.
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