Aaron Piepszny’s ‘Picasso People’ Visited St Rose School

By Laurie Borst

On Friday, January 12, students at St Rose School enjoyed a presentation by “Picasso People,” a solo show that brought the life and times of Pablo Picasso to the stage. Aaron Piepszny has been traveling the East Coast for the past year-and-a-half using his theatrical skills to delight children and adults alike.

A prerecorded soundtrack of dialogue and music accompanies mime, puppetry, masks, costumes, and dance. Copies of Picasso’s work, some of which are explained during the performance, flank the stage.

Picasso was not just a painter. He also worked in ceramics and sculpture. Picasso found his inspiration in the world around him. Perhaps, Picasso is best known as the co-founder, with George Braque, of Cubism, a style of art where the subject is broken into pieces that are put back together in distorted form.

The first piece of work discussed was the sculpture “The Bull’s Head.” Picasso’s inspiration came from a bicycle he saw leaning against a house. The seat suggested the bull’s head and the handlebars brought to mind the bull’s horns.

While this piece was described, Mr Piepszny appeared on stage dressed in black from head to toe complete with black cape. He is the torero, the bullfighter. He pulled a white “bull’s head” from his cape. The sculpture is a bicycle seat and handlebars, painted white. Mr Piepszny danced around the stage and into the audience, creating the illusion of the bullfight.

The program moved on to a recounting of Picasso’s birth in 1881. When he was born, doctors told Picasso’s mother that he was a stillbirth — he had not started breathing on his own.

The story goes that a cigar-smoking uncle was in the room. The uncle exhaled cigar smoke that entered the baby’s nostrils, irritating them, and causing the child to cough and begin to breathe. Picasso’s uncle was the inspiration for several paintings.

Picasso lived for some time in Paris. He fit in well with the creative sorts he found in the cafes. The story is told of Picasso inviting people to a party, among them, three musicians. These three musicians became the inspiration for the well-known painting, “The Three Musicians.”

At this point in the program, Mr Piepszny had selected three volunteers from the audience. Madison Iammozza, Jessica Spina, and Bobby Haskins were draped in costumes and handed instruments, as seen in the painting.

Mr Piepszny appeared in the diamond-patterned costume of the Harlequin, Picasso’s favorite circus performer. Picasso produced many paintings of harlequins.

The show wrapped up with a question and answer period. One student asked, “How did people know what the painting was supposed to be?”

“People didn’t get it at first,” Mr Piepszny replied. “It took some time for Picasso’s work to be accepted.”

“Were all of Picasso’s paintings done in Cubism?” asked another.

Mr Piepszny explained some of the different periods in Picasso’s life. His early Blue Period echoed a depressed time in the artist’s life. This was followed by the Rose Period. Paintings during both of these periods, while focusing on one color, were done in a realistic style. Cubism arose several years after the Rose Period.

Third grader Christina DeBartolomeo shared her thoughts on the show. “It was really cool and funny. I liked the ‘Three Musicians’ best. But I like realistic paintings better.”

Owen Richards, also in third grade, echoed those feelings. “It was fun. I like Picasso. I like realistic art better.”