Picabia’s Lit Review

Literature Review: The Picabia’s

Bean Rodriguez and Leigha Nortier

The relationship between Francis Picabia and his ex-wife Gabrielle Buffet is a complicated and practically undefined on both the personal and artistic level. This is due to both the private nature of Picabia, as revealed by Hopkins and Sloman in Dada’s Boys: Masculinity after Duchamp, and also the lack of discourse that is available on Buffet.

Although Buffet was immersed in the same social circles as Picabia, she has received limited recognition other than her personal insights and published essays on the prominent artists of the Dada movement. Paula Kamenish in her book Mamas of Dada is one of very few authors that spends much time discussing Buffet, however, she devotes a whole chapter to Gabrielle Buffet and Germaine Everling – Picabia’s wife and mistress, respectively. Kamenish explains that Buffet and her work tends to be overlooked, and that both women, as well as others, are often overlooked because of their male lovers’ success as artists. Despite the unbalanced historical recording, Kamenish does establish the importance of Buffet’s work: “Buffet’s writings on art and literature deserve critical attention; her firsthand observations and stylistically precise prose resulted in valuable historical and literary documents in the study of the avant-garde” (Kamenish 38). In contrast to other authors, like William Camfield, Kamenish portrays Picabia as superfluous man, who does not take the time to respect Buffet’s work. He is not an artistic god in her words, but rather a self-absorbed, and rather disdain man.  

In The Dada Painters and Poets: An Anthology, compiled by Robert Motherwell, two of Buffet’s essays are presented, one on Arthur Craven and his life during the avant-garde movements, and another on Picabia and Duchamp’s role in the Dada movement. Both of these essays by Buffet prove why authors like Larry Witham, in his book, Picasso and the Chess Player (which analyzes the life of Picasso and Duchamp in detail) quote Buffet so frequently, but do not write a book about her. Her writing is detailed, observant and provides access into the personal, artistic, political, and social lives of the most prominent artists of the period, but she almost never discusses herself unless it is relevant to the story of someone else. Even though she is necessary for the tales and scholarly research of others, no one has a lot of information specifically about her.

Picabia, on the other hand, was not only a popular artist but was heavily discussed and debated by critics of his time. He is still heavily debated and included in present day discourse on the avant-garde overall and the various art movements he was involved in, such as cubism and Dadaism. Because of his radical nature he is seen as a pioneer of these art movements; Picabia was unafraid to experiment and unafraid of what critics had to say. Adding to his involvement in the avant-garde, his close relationship with Duchamp, who is considered to be one of the fathers of the avant-garde, Picabia is associated with the central discussion and historic studies of the avant-garde. According to Hopkins and Sloman in their book Dada’s Boys: Masculinity after Duchamp, Picabia was eager to spread avant-garde art, especially the dimensions of the movement that he picked up while he visited New York around 1915. Picabia mirrored the magazines, publications and galleries that he was apart on the state side of the Atlantic Ocean. He helped to spread the avant-garde in various parts of Spain, Paris and Zurich (19, 20).

Camfield, in his article, “The Machinist Style of Francis Picabia”, focuses on the technology obsession Picabia went through. Picabia liked to represent humans in these drawings (often to make fun of them) but also was fascinated with the interaction of the human body and the mechanics of new technologies that were emerging. He used the portions of cameras, light bulbs, and gears to name a few examples. Camfield also explained the relationships that Picabia had while discussing this phase in his art because of how much it impacted his representations of machines. In the piece Ici, C’est Ici Stieglitz Foit et Amour (1915), for example, Picabia insults Alfred Stieglitz, a photographer that Picabia had a falling out with.

On the other hand, outside of Picabia’s tragic relationships and dramatic falling outs, his relationship with Duchamp was very cohesive. Duchamp’s and Picabia’s relationship, beyond causing each artist to reap amazing career benefits from one other, was potentially seen as homosocial, as pointed out by Hopkins and Sloman in Dada’s Boys: Masculinity after Duchamp. The two authors question whether Picabia and Duchamp simply had an artistic relationship, a close homosocial relationship, or if there was potentially a homosexual relationship. This theory brings into question the relationship of Picabia and Buffet, and potentially why she did not include herself in her essays about Duchamp and Picabia.

Bibliography

Belli, Gabriella. “The End of the Artistic Object.” 1900-1919, The Avant-Garde Movements: Art of the Twentieth Century, Skira, 2006, pp. 397–412.

Camfield, William A. “The Machinist Style of Francis Picabia.” The Art Bulletin, vol. 48, no. 3/4, 1966, pp. 309–322. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/3048388.

Camfield, William A. “Search for Self-Expression.” Francis Picabia, Princeton University Press, 1979, pp. 17–40.

Druick, Douglass, editor. The Essential Guide. The Art Institute of Chicago, 2013.

Henderson, Linda Dalrymple. “Francis Picabia, Radiometers, and X-Rays in 1913.” The Art Bulletin, 71, no. 1, 1989, pp. 114–123. College Art Association, doi:10.1080/00043079.1989.10788481.

Hopkins, David, and Paul Sloman. “Dada’s Potency: Francis Picabia’s the Blessed Virgin and the Dialogue with Duchamp.” Dada’s Boys: Masculinity after Duchamp, 2007, pp. 15–43.

Kamenish, Paula K. “Gabrielle Buffet and Germaine Everling: Picabia’s Cacodylic Eyes” Mamas of Dada: Women of the European Avant-Garde. University of South Carolina Press, 2015. Print.

Motherwell, Robert, editor. The Dada Painters and Poets: An Anthology. Wittenborn, Schultz, Inc., 1951, pp. 13-17, 255-267. Print.

Naumann, Francis M. “Francis Picabia .” New York Dada, 1915-23, Harry N. Abrams, 1994, pp. 56–75.

Witham, Larry. “Parisian in America.” Picasso and the Chess Player. University Press of New England, 2012, pp. 112-119, https://books.google.com/books?id=6xkkSVZz_OYC&pg=PA114&lpg=PA114&dq=gabrielle+buffet+picabia+arsenburg+apartment&source=bl&ots=nF05rHy7mu&sig=FLuNuCGcFvKW-c8gpQyIDyZMBAM&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi1nu_k-6XWAhWo5lQKHdUiB5UQ6AEIUTAM#v=onepage&q&f=false

Secondary Source Reports:

Dada’s Boys: Masculinity after Duchamp by David Hopkins and Paul Sloman

1. Citation

Hopkins, David, and Paul Sloman. “Dada’s Potency: Francis Picabia’s the Blessed Virgin and the Dialogue with Duchamp.” Dada’s Boys: Masculinity after Duchamp, 2007, pp. 15–43.

1. Thesis

“Picabia was embroiled in Paris Dada, but there can be little doubt that the mocking and iconoclastic tone of his Dada activities had been established in the company of Duchamp in New York between 1915 and 1917” (17)

Picabia’s close relationship with Duchamp impacted his strength and leveraged his influence within the art world. Picabia was able to spread the avant-garde movement through Europe because of what he learned in New York, especially during his first visit.

III. Structure

Hopkins and Sloman create and develop theories on both the dynamics of the relationships of Dada artists, and also the meaning or intention of the art they develop. By historically analyzing the products of the male Dada artists of the movement, and presenting the artwork alongside their evaluation the authors are able to build a meaning-making and further solidify their argument.

The authors also concentrate on their gender role in the Dada artists’ approaches and techniques. Hopkins and Sloman claim that from the dynamics of Duchamp and Francis Picabia among other male Modernist artists work to develop an overarching theme of sexism, in particular, the criticism and erotic stigma around the female body. La Sainte-Vierge (The Blessed Virgin) from Picabia is especially considered and debated by Hopkins and Sloman, as it triggers the conversation of the voyeurism of the male onto the female body within the Dada art movement, being one of the earlier, pioneer pieces. They try to solidify a meaning or gendered standing on the “splattered” painting, which is ironic because of Picabia’s tendency to hide the true meaning of his work.

1. Three rhetorical strategies
2. Diction: by presenting concepts and theories with singular words, the authors are able to build their arguments cohesively. Words such as tout court and homosocial that are essential to the arguments proposed by Hopkins and Sloman they are able to build a complex conversation of the male artists in the Dada movement.
3. Defining key terms: (connecting closely to diction) the authors work to define “homosocial” and other keywords in order to characterize Picabia and the other Dada artists, such as Duchamp, that are mentioned in this chapter. Hopkins and Sloman define homosocial as being a tight nit male relationship that together builds a male gaze on the female body, and in that process, develops a higher-level relationship between the male bodies involved.
4. Quoting: by referring to other theorists in this field, they build an argument that further develops the theories they are presenting. Returning to the concept of homosocial relationships within the Dada movement, Hopkins and Sloman present both William Camfield and Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick, to show that this is a strong debate that is occurring within this field.

New York Dada, 1915-23 by Francis M. Naumann

1. Citation

Naumann, Francis M. “Francis Picabia .” New York Dada, 1915-23, Harry N. Abrams, 1994, pp. 56–75.

1. Thesis

            “No matter what critics of the day might have thought of these pictures they are among Picabia’s most accomplished and resolved works of these years” (57)

Picabia, because he was such a pioneer of avant-garde art, in particular, the Dada art movement, he was often scrutinized. But, because of the lasting impact he made in art as a whole he was extremely successful despite what critics said.

III. Structure

            Beginning with the first time Picabia arrived in New York City and then chronologically building from there, Naumann focuses on the artwork that Picabia published throughout out his career. By focusing on his artwork and the waves it made within the New York avant-garde groups Naumann positions himself in a way where he can analyze the relationships Picabia had with other artists, revealing how he was influenced and how he influenced others. After analyzing various pieces of art and specific moments in Picabia’s life, Naumann then tries to measure the success of Picabia. Naumann reveals Picabia as being influential and impactful compared to other artists due to his originality and boldness.

1. Three rhetorical strategies
2. Foils- by characterizing and thoroughly describing other individuals in comparison to Picabia, Naumann is able to further and more sophisticatedly show who Picabia was as an artist and an intellectual of the avant-garde.
3. Discourse- Naumann is very intentional in how he refers to Picabia throughout this chapter. This is a strategic way to show the many personalities and levels of Picabia’s personality and career. He often refers to Picabia not by his name, but simply as “the artist”.
4. Tone: by writing biographically Naumann’s analysis is chronological and organized which is advantageous when discussing Picabia because of his complex nature and various works in the avant-garde. Naumann is able to attack the analysis of Picabia along with critics and other figures that rotated into his life by keeping a strategic historical yet authentic tone.

Mamas of Dada: Women of the European Avant-Garde: Paula K. Kamenish

1. Citation

Kamenish, Paula K. “Gabrielle Buffet and Germaine Everling: Picabia’s Cacodylic Eyes” Mamas of Dada: Women of the European Avant-Garde. University of South Carolina Press, 2015. Print.

1. Thesis: Gabrielle Buffet and Germaine Everling “witnessed and recorded the birth, evolution, and demise of Parisian Dada” (Kamenish 38).

The themes discussed in this chapter center around the fact that both of these ladies were in a relationship with Picabia, because of this Buffet and Everling saw and experienced Picabia’s role in the beginning, development, and end of Dada. The chapter addresses their participation and observations during these phases.

• Structure:

In the beginning of this chapter Kamenish introduces both Buffet and Everling, and established their connection – Buffet being Picabia’s wife and Everling being his mistress. She describes how their relationships with Picabia impacted their participation and role in the Paris Dada movement and the avant-garde at large. When focusing on Buffet’s life, Kamenish discusses her younger years, including her talent and passion for music, that is until she met Picabia in 1908. She claims that men like Apollinaire and Arp encouraged Buffet’s musical and writing talents later in her life; however, she and Everling were both overlooked due to Picabia’s overwhelming presence. Kamenish then focuses on what Buffet is most valued for historically: her observations and descriptions. She contrasts Buffet’s “refreshingly unprejudiced analysis of the period” with the “self-interested recollections of Picabia, Breton, or Tzara” and other writers of the time (Kamenish 40). Following this, Kamenish gives accounts of where and when Buffet and Picabia were in America, Paris or Zurich, addressing their nomadic life, especially during and after the war. Kamenish claims that Buffet’s writing shifted during all her moving, and by 1919 her writing changes: “From her scholarly analyses of contemporary music and art, she moved to an experimental prose and verse” (Kamenish 47). Kamenish concludes with brief description of Buffet’s later life, after divorcing Picabia, and her involvement with the Resistance movement, and says that Buffet was still writing about Dada at age 96 in 1976.

1. Strategies:

The strategies and techniques that Kamenish employs, and I find worth recognizing include her casual yet informative voice, use of dates, and incorporation of quotes and perspectives of multiple artists. The chapter reminds me of a reality show because of how Kamenish dives into the personal relationships of the Picabia’s and Everling. Her voice is casual, yet reveals and exposes the intimate details of their lives. Her use of dates is not too overwhelming and brought up at key moments; for example, when Buffet and Picabia met in 1908, in 1920 when there was the Dada explosion in Paris, when Buffet’s writing took a large shift in Zurich 1919, the Picabia’s divorce before 1930, and similar important dates. The use of quotes by men like Arp and Apollinaire were also great insights because it was a third party, that revealed how much Buffet was overlooked. Arp saw her as “a beaming prominence of every color of the rainbow,” “a whimsical and seductive woman” and Apollinaire felt she was talented and encouraged her to publish her work (Kamenish 46,38).

Picasso and the Chess Player by Larry Witham

1. Citation:

Witham, Larry. “Parisian in America.” Picasso and the Chess Player. University Press of New England, 2012, pp. 112-118, https://books.google.com/books?id=6xkkSVZz_OYC&pg=PA114&lpg=PA114&dq=gabrielle+buffet+picabia+arsenburg+apartment&source=bl&ots=nF05rHy7mu&sig=FLuNuCGcFvKW-c8gpQyIDyZMBAM&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi1nu_k-6XWAhWo5lQKHdUiB5UQ6AEIUTAM#v=onepage&q&f=false.

1. Thesis:

“It was a tiny center of cutting-edge artists, a group that Picabia had met in 1913, opening the way for him to illustrate covers for Stieglitz’s 291 magazine” (Witham 113).

This chapter focuses on the group of artists in New York, including Duchamp, Picabia and Buffet, and discusses their presence and relationships as artists as participants in the avant-garde movement.

• Structure:

The chapter begins by discussing Duchamp’s arrival and beginnings in New York. Witham introduces Duchamp’s relationship with Arensberg and the circle of artists that gathered at Arensberg’s apartment, as well as gives a brief history of Arensberg. Then, Witham established that Picabia and Buffet are some of the other French artists who arrived in New York before Duchamp, and that Picabia would have likely been the star of the Armory Show if it weren’t for Duchamp. He claims that besides “art, sex, and alcohol, the other international language at the Arensberg parties was chess,” and then goes into a description of Duchamp’s chess skills (114). Witham then evaluates Picabia’s decline as a modernist painter in the 1920’s, which he contributes to a nervous or mental breakdown. His art, according to Witham was mostly in “tandem with his attacks on whomever and whatever he disliked” (119). Witham contains his focus on Duchamp and Picabia, and only really mentions Buffet a few times when quoting her for something she said or wrote about Duchamp and/or Picabia.

1. Strategies:

Witham does not use a lot of significant strategies, however, his use of quotations, references to inner circle individuals, and selective but informative use of parentheses for details contributed to his analysis. The use of quotations and references to inner circle individuals sort of go hand in hand, and typically overlap. Much of the quotes are from the artists and their friends during the time; they are great first-hand accounts and were much more interesting and intriguing than someone not in the inner circle. For example, he quotes Mabel Dodge, Gabrielle Buffet, Marcel Duchamp, Man Ray, Dreier, Francis Picabia, and Ezra Pound. The use of parentheses for details such as the title of the 291 Gallery being from its address, Picabia’s father being Cuban and him leaving the army due to mental health, Duchamp being a possible romantic interest to Dreier, and other small but helpful notes gave me a better and more accessible understanding of the content being discussed.