Recently I was reading about Pablo Ruiz y Picasso (1881-1973), the Spanish- born French painter, one of the most gifted artists of the preceding century.
In forms of illustrations, I plan to talk about Picasso in a Sunday morning message, a wedding ceremony, a theater appreciation lecture, a public speaking lecture, the journalism textbook I’m authoring and Vaughan’s Vocabulary.
The Webster Encyclopedia describes Picasso as “an extraordinarily precocious painter.” Although Picasso is not mentioned in Tennessee Williams’ play “The Glass Menagerie,” Guernica is mentioned in Tom Wingfield’s monologue. Williams probably thought of including Guernica in the script because of Picasso’s horrifying anti-war painting of that title.
This week’s Vaughan’s Vocabulary is pertaining to Pablo Picasso. Let’s start with the previously mentioned adjective, precocious.
1. precocious (pre-CO-shus)
A. exceptionally early in development or giftedness
B. prior to an exceptional period
C. cantankerous
D. uxorious
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2. redolent (REH-duh-lunt)
A. when something red is displayed prominently
B. evocative, suggestive, indicative
C. princely
D. when one displays repeated episodes of dolorous behavior
No. 1 is A. Be sure to look up uxorious and use it, especially those of us who are husbands.
No. 2 is B. Many of Picasso’s paintings are redolent of the simple, practical life of the 20th and late 19th centuries.
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3. This style emphasized the flat, two-dimensional surface of the picture plane and was perfected by Picasso and Georges Braque in Paris.
A. Parisian
B. Cubism
C. Blue Period
D. Rose Period
E. Apollinaire
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4. rapprochement (rouh-PROSH-ma)
A. establishing or having cordial relations
B. a state of having good relations
C. rapport
D. All of the above
“Rouh” is the closest thing I could come up with for the sound of the first syllable in rapprochement. Let “rouh” have the sound that rhymes with “cow.” Picasso and Braque experienced rapprochement between 1907 and 1914 as they created works of cubism. No. 4, rapprochement, is D.
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5. Which one is not a Picasso?
A. “Les Demoiselles d’Avignon”
B. “Three Women at the Fountain”
C. “Woman with a Parasol – Madam Monet and Her Son”
D. “Girl Before a Mirror”
E. “The Old Guitarist”
As for No. 5, “Woman with a Parasol – Madam Monet and Her Son” was created by Monet from the period of Impressionism. So, No. 5 is C.
Editor’s Note: Dr. Don Rodney Vaughan is the pastor of Mt. Vernon Baptist Church near Eupora and is on the faculty of East Mississippi Community College, Golden Triangle Campus. Contact him at dvaughan@eastms.edu.
