One bright spark: Hypnotic photographs capture Pablo Picasso 'painting' with light
He was known for pushing the boundaries of his craft, so when Pablo Picasso was offered to paint with light, he leaped at the chance.
These stunning photographs, which show a dimly-lit Picasso swathed in neon squiggles, are the results of five sessions he held with lighting innovator Gjon Mili in 1949.
In a series known as his 'light drawings', the images show the artist waving a strobe light to create figures reminiscent of the screaming cattle in Guernica or the curvaceous woman in The Dreamer.
Bright idea: Artists Pablo Picasso 'draws' a centaur with light in the south of France, 1949. The image was one of 30 that he created with LIFE photographer and lighting innovator Gjon Mili over five sessions
And surprising for the notoriously surly Spanish artist, there is even a glimpse of a smile through the dark, showing the enjoyment he garnered from the project.
Mili, a photographer for LIFE magazine, visited Picasso in the south of France, and showed him images he had created by placing lights of the shoes of ice skaters as they jumped through the dark.
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The artist was instantly taken and began tracing shapes through the air with his finger, hinting at the light doodles to come.
'Picasso gave Mili 15 minutes to try one experiment,' LIFE wrote in its January 30, 1950, issue, in which the images were first published. 'He was so fascinated by the results that he posed for five sessions.'
Picasso's 'light drawings': The famous artist experimented with the technique in 1949. Pictured is Picasso waving a strobe light to create a light painting
The variety of light: The Spanish artist uses the light pencil to create a mixture of figures and shapes
Electrifying: Picasso, with a cigarette in one hand and a light in another, creates a drawing of a vase of flowers
To create the hypnotic effect, Picasso held a small electric light and moved it through a darkened room. Two cameras were used - one to give a side view and another for a front view.
'By leaving the shutters open, [Mili] caught the light streaks swirling through space,' the magazine wrote.
The two men produced 30 photographs bearing light drawings including centaurs, bulls and Picasso's signature. The most famous is known as 'Picasso draws a centaur in the air', seen above.
Many of the images were put on display in early 1950 at New York's Museum of Modern Art.
Vibrant: As seen in this long exposure photo, Picasso used a 'light pencil' to draw the shape in the air
Excitement: Mili showed his works of ice skaters with lights on their skates, and Picasso jumped at the project
Caught: The photographer, who worked in a darkened room, left his camera shutter open to catch the light
Proud: Picasso writes his signature in the air with a light pen
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