Final answer:
Pablo Picasso's response to criticism about his portrait not resembling Gertrude Stein was "it will," signifying his forward-looking artistic vision and Stein's eventual recognition of the portrait's success. Picasso's style, marked by intentional abstraction, was a deliberate and masterful departure from traditional representation.
Step-by-step explanation:
Pablo Picasso's response to the criticism that his portrait of Gertrude Stein did not resemble her was both prophetic and confident. He simply stated, "it will." This answer not only reflected Picasso's artistic vision but also his belief in the eventual alignment of his art with the essence of the subject rather than her exact physical appearance at that time. Stein herself acknowledged the success of the portrait, finding it to be the only image of her that she thought was successful. The portrait showcased Picasso's new interest in Iberian sculpture and led to further experimentation with form, which eventually influenced his protocubist and cubist works.
Years after this interaction, Picasso faced scrutiny from a Nazi officer during the German occupation of Paris. While standing in front of a photograph of the painting, the officer asked if Picasso had done it, to which Picasso retorted, "No, you did," highlighting the indictment of the atrocities committed by the Nazis through implication.
It is often mistakenly believed that Picasso's unique style, characterized by distorted figures and reconfigured eyes or noses, was due to a lack of drawing ability. However, Picasso famously said, after an exhibition of children's drawings, that he could draw like Raphael as a child, but it took him a lifetime to learn to draw like them, underscoring his intentional stylistic choices and his mastery over various levels of artistic representation.