Xu Beihong (traditional Chinese: 徐悲鴻; simplified Chinese: 徐悲鸿; pinyin: Xú Bēihóng)

For weeks, I would jump into my car with anticipation every morning just so that I could listen to the unfolding love story of 徐悲鸿 on the radio.  Xu Beihong or 徐悲鸿 was a renowned artist from China.  I was struck by the fact that he had been to Singapore some seven times for art exhibition and upon invitation by wealthy businessmen here to do protrait drawing of the rich and famous.  To my delight, his works are being showcased in the Singapore Art Museum.  Part of his collection occupied some three floors of the museum now.  I went there on yesterday that is, 6 July to satisfy my curiosity of his much talked about talent.

徐悲鸿

Born	July 19, 1895(1895-07-19) Yixing, Jiangsu  China
Died	September 26, 1953 (aged 58)
Field	Oil Painting, Chinese ink painting

Xu Beihong had a massive collection of paintings and was a master of both the art of traditional ink painting and western oil painting. Xu spent several years in Southeast Asia and India between 1939 to1941. 

This art piece struck me.  Not only was it a massive piece of artwork but the presence of both Chinese and Indians in this scene took me by surprise.  The musculine physique of the Indians must have had created a strong image on Xu when he visited India.  The Indians labourers are in the foreground with their bodies outlined in darker shade.  This piece depicts the "Yu Gong Yi San" mentality which probably meant with determination, one can move mountains.

Oil on canvas titled "Put Down Your Whip" - one of the representational art piece drawn by Xu in 1939.  "Put Down Your Whip" fetched 72 million HK dollars (9.2 million U.S. dollars) at Sotheby's auction in Hong Kong in April.

"Slave and Lion" - The painting pictures a story of a slave and a lion in Roman Empire. The slave who gave aid to a lion with a thorn in its paw later met the same lion in the cruel game of human-animal battle in Roman amphitheater. The emperor moved by the touching reunion and thus gave the slave his freedom.

Just a thought

Picasso lived from 1881 to 1973 as one of the most recognized figures in twentieth-century art, he is best known for co-founding the Cubist movement and for the wide variety of styles embodied in his work. 

As Xu was in Europe for a good part of his life from 1919 to 1927 in France and Germany mastering an exquisite and detailed style of drawing and a romantic manner of oil painting, one wonders if Xu had met Picasso before.

Question

Do you think both Xu and Picasso had met before and if so what would they say to each other?