Coromo In New York, parts 1623 - 1626

1623. Yet he was not happy with this line of reasoning and another voice in his head started in on the argument saying, “Alright then what about some of those paintings you saw in that art history book that Mrs. VanDusenberg gave to you. Just onsider that painting of Judith cutting off the head of that man, did someone buy that painting because they though it beautiful and wanted to look at it all the time?”

 1624. “That’s different,” he replied to himself, “because paintings like that are done to be hung in museums, and so people look at them once, like going to the movies, and perhaps never see them again as long as they live. So, like in a movie, the scenes may be horrid and yet they are fascinating, and one can stand it for a while but one could never live ones life with images like that.”

1625. Later he overheard a conversation about an artist names Henri Rousseau. Rousseau was an artist he was familiar with from the art history book. Apparently this Rousseau had been made fun of by other artists because of the simplicity of his paintings. However Picasso, finding one of his canvases for sale in the street, respected his work and sought him out.

1626. Picasso held a banquet in honor of Rousseau, but the banquet was intended both as a gesture of respect, and yet at the same time, it was conducted in jest. Rousseau was a simple soul, the sort who played the violin in the street in his old age to supplement his meager pension after he retired from being a toll collector. In short, he was nearly a beggar.