Pablo Picasso

Pablo Picasso was born in Málaga, Spain in 1881. Picasso was a painter, sculptor, print-maker, ceramicist, and stage designer. He became known as one of the greatest and most influential artists of the 20th century and as the co-founder of the cubist movement. He is also known for his wide variety of styles embodied in his work that changed through a series of stages. Among his most famous paintings are the proto-Cubist Les Demoiselles d'Avignon in 1907 and Guernica, his reaction to the German bombing of Guernica in 1937.


Picasso demonstrated incredible artistic ability from a very young age. His father was a Spanish painter and teacher of drawing at the Escuela Provincial de Bellas Artes in Málaga. Not much is known about his mother except that Picasso respected her much. He did, however, disclose that his mother once said to him, "if you are a soldier, you will become a general. If you are a monk, you will become the Pope." The young Picasso had watchful, piercing eyes that seemed to foreshadow his greatness.   

Picasso's father began teaching him to paint and draw at a very young age, and it is said that his skill had surpassed his father's by the age of 13. Due to his passion for art, Picasso was considered a poor student and would spend much of his time at school doodling in his notebook. At the age of 14, his family moved to Barcelona, Spain where he applied to the city's prestigious School of Fine Arts. The school typically only accepted older students but due to Picasso's extraordinary entrance exam he was granted an exception. Picasso soon grew weary of the school's rules and formalities and began roaming the streets of Barcelona, sketching the city that he observed.

At the age of 16, Picasso moved to Madrid to attend the Royal Academy of San Fernando. Once again Picasso found himself lacking interest in the formalities and traditional styles forced upon him and began to wander. In 1899 he moved back to Barcelona and found a group of artists and intellectuals that inspired him to break away from the classical methods and begin a lifelong journey of experimentation and innovation. 

"Blue Period"

The Blind Man's Meal, 1903

At the beginning of the 20th century, Picasso moved to Paris, France to open his own art studio. This period between 1901-1904 is often considered his "Blue Period" due to the predominance of the color blue in his paintings during this time. Depressed over the death of his close friend Carlos Casagemas, he painted scenes of poverty, anguish and isolation in shades of blue and sometimes green. The Blind Man's Meal, seen above, summarizes the stylistic characteristics of his "Blue Period." In a letter, preserved in the Barnes Collection in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Picasso gives a description of the composition: "I am painting a blind man at a table. He holds some bread in his left hand and gropes with his right hand for a jug of wine." The painting is not only a portait of a blind man, but often seen as Picasso's commentary of human suffering in general. 

"Rose Period"

Garçon a la Pipe, 1905

By 1905, Picasso had overcome his depression and fell in love with a beautiful model, Fernande Olivier. He became prosperous thanks to the patronage of art dealer Ambroise Vollard. His improved spirits were mastifested in his work as he began to use warmer colors including pinks, reds, and beiges. This period between 1904-1906 is known as his "Rose Period." Painting during this period often depict local people, many of them from the entertainment industry. He painted Garçon a la Pipe while living in Montmartre in Paris. He said that the boy loved to watch him paint. 

"Cubism"

Les Demoiselles d'Avignon, 1907

In 1907, Picasso created a painting unlike anything that had been painted before, and that had a remarkable influence on the direction of art in the 20th century. Les Demoiselles d'Avignon is a depiction of 5 nude prostitutes with sharp geometric features and abstract, distorted characteristics. Today, this painting is considered the inspiration and precursor of Cubism, an artistic style pioneered by Picasso and his good friend George Braque. In a Cubist painting, objects are broken apart and reassembled in an abstracted form in order to create physics-defying, collage-like effects.

"Classical Period"

Three Women at the Spring, 1921

In light of World War I Picasso entered a new stage with his work known as the "Classical Period." During this time Picasso returned to more of a solemn state of mind as he became preoccupied with the depiction of reality. This period ranging from 1918 to 1927 was influenced by a visit to Rome where he immersed himself in classical Greek and Roman art. These were immensely creative years for Picasso; they were emotionally capped by his marriage to Olga Khokhlova, the birth of their son, Paulo, and the subsequent decline of their marriage as Picasso discovered new pleasures of friendship and diversion during summers on the Côte d'Azur. 

"Surrealism"

Guernica, 1937

From 1927 onward, Picasso became caught up in a new philosophical and cultural movement known as Surrealism, the artistic manifestation of which was a product of his own Cubism. The painting above, Guernica, is Picasso's most famous work as well as his most powerful political statement. The painting was in response to the devastating German bombing on the Basque town of Guernica on April 26, 1937. Outraged by the bombing and the inhumanity of war Picasso painted the piece in black, white and grays featuring a Minotaur and several human-like figures in various states of torment and anguish. Guernica remains one of the most moving and powerful anti-war paintings in history.

Picasso continued to create art until late in his life, believing that work and purpose would keep him alive. He died on April 8, 1973 at the age of 91, in Mougins France. His legacy, however, has long endured and continues to serve as a source of inspiration to many around the world. He remains renowned for endlessly reinventing himself and for his visionary creativity and profound empathy. 

"Art is a lie that makes us realize the truth." Pablo Picasso