Two Artists and a Beautiful Bird --- Day 4/7

Walk: Mindful Body, Trader Joe's
Distance: 2 miles and teach yoga class



Much has been made of the rivalry between Matisse and Picasso whose lifestyles and aesthetics were markedly different.  In fact there was a bit of a faceoff shortly after the two were introduced by Gertrude Stein at one of her gatherings in 1906.  At that time the stocky, cocky Picasso was ruler of the turbulent Paris avant-garde art scene while Matisse was his usual more polished self constantly perfecting his art - already at a peak -  in private.

Stein who loved stirring things up encouraged sides to be taken between the Picassoites and the Matisse-ites.  Even after the low key rift between the artists healed, the Picassoites and Matisse-ites were at it; some still are.

Meanwhile Picasso and Matisse became in many sense muses for each other.  They eyed with respect the advances the other made.  As Picasso said "No one has ever looked at Matisse's paintings more carefully than I; and no one has looked at mine more carefully than he."
  

A beautiful testament of their friendship involves a bird.  Nearing the end of his day, Matisse gave Picasso, who loved birds and had canaries and pigeons, the last of his fancy pigeons - including his favorite of all birds.  A few years later, Picasso honored that gift by drawing its portrait on the famous Dove of Peace poster.