Picasso, Einstein and the Fourth Dimension

Abstract

There is an amusing story I have been told about Picasso. When he was already in his sixties, and one of the most famous artists in the world, a very wealthy elderly lady asked him to paint her portrait. The painter did not show any interest whatsoever, but the woman insisted, offering to pay him whatever he wanted. Picasso, fed up with her entreaties, dashed off half a dozen lines on a piece of paper and handed it to the lady. “That will be ten thousand dollars”, he snapped. “Ten thousand?” she asked, astounded. “But you didn’t even take a minute to draw that!” Picasso is said to have retorted: “A minute! You are completely wrong. It took me 60 years.”