Simplifying Gardner’s Labyrinth: The Role of Interpersonal Relationships in Pablo Picasso’s Artistic Development

An attempt is made to demonstrate if not the dispensability of Gardner’s (1983) theory of multiple intelligences, at least that it is not foundational, to understanding what motivated Picasso’s creative development. Gardner used the theory of multiple intelligences to account for the extraordinariness of various figures, including Picasso, who is supposed to illustrate bodily ability and low scholastic aptitude. The theory of multiple intelligences, however, is undetermined by the facts of Picasso’s life. After interpreting Picasso in terms of his interpersonal relations, generic problems with the theory of multiple intelligences are reviewed, and the benefits of assuming a single one are propounded. It is argued that the case of Picasso illustrates the social cognitive and interpersonal dimensions of thinking as such.