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Who Was Pablo Picasso?
Pablo Picasso was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist, and stage designer, widely regarded as one of the most significant and influential artists of the 20th century. Alongside Georges Braque, he is credited with pioneering the art movement known as Cubism.
Early Life
Born in Málaga, Spain, on October 25, 1881, Picasso was the son of Doña Maria Picasso y Lopez and Don José Ruiz Blasco, a painter and art teacher. His full name is notably lengthy, reflecting his heritage and honoring various relatives and saints: Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Martyr Patricio Clito Ruíz y Picasso.
From a young age, Picasso exhibited a seriousness that belied his youth, complemented by a pair of piercing black eyes that seemed to signal his destined greatness. He once recounted a conversation with his mother, who remarked, “If you become a soldier, you’ll be a general. If you become a monk, you’ll end up as the pope.” Reflecting on his path, he noted, “Instead, I became a painter and wound up as Picasso.”
Despite being a relatively poor student, Picasso demonstrated remarkable artistic talent early on. Legend has it that his first words were “piz, piz,” a childlike attempt to say “lápiz,” the Spanish word for pencil, highlighting his innate connection to art from a tender age.
Education
Pablo Picasso’s artistic journey began in childhood, guided by his father, who introduced him to drawing and painting. By the age of 13, Picasso had already surpassed his father’s artistic skills, leading him to lose interest in traditional schooling. Instead, he devoted his school days to doodling in notebooks. Picasso later recalled, “For being a bad student, I was banished to the ‘calaboose,’ a bare cell with whitewashed walls and a bench to sit on. I liked it there, because I took along a sketch pad and drew incessantly … I could have stayed there forever, drawing without stopping.”
In 1895, at 14, Picasso’s family relocated to Barcelona, where he quickly applied to the prestigious School of Fine Arts. Despite the school’s typical age requirements, Picasso’s exceptional entrance exam results earned him an exception for admission. However, he soon grew frustrated with the school’s rigid rules and formalities, choosing instead to skip classes to explore the streets of Barcelona and sketch the scenes around him.
By 1897, Picasso moved to Madrid to attend the Royal Academy of San Fernando. Once again, he found himself disillusioned with the institution’s emphasis on classical subjects and techniques. Expressing his frustrations to a friend, he remarked, “They just go on and on about the same old stuff: Velázquez for painting, Michelangelo for sculpture.” Consequently, he continued to skip classes, focusing on capturing the realities of gypsies, beggars, and prostitutes.
In 1899, Picasso returned to Barcelona, mingling with a vibrant community of artists and intellectuals at the café El Quatre Gats (“The Four Cats”). Inspired by the anarchists and radicals he encountered there, Picasso made a decisive break from the classical training that had shaped his early years, embarking on a lifelong journey of experimentation and innovation.
Paintings
Picasso is renowned for his ability to continuously reinvent his artistic style, often shifting between radically different techniques. He argued that these transitions were not indicative of drastic shifts in his career but rather a reflection of his commitment to objectively assessing the form and technique best suited for each piece. “Whenever I wanted to say something, I said it the way I believed I should,” he explained. “Different themes inevitably require different methods of expression. This does not imply either evolution or progress; it is a matter of following the idea one wants to express and the way in which one wants to express it.”
Blue Period
Art critics typically divide Picasso’s career into distinct periods, starting with his “Blue Period” from 1901 to 1904. This phase, characterized by the dominance of blue tones in his work, emerged after his relocation to Paris—then the heart of European art. Following the death of his close friend, Carlos Casagemas, Picasso’s paintings from this period reflected themes of poverty, isolation, and anguish.
Notable works from the Blue Period include “Blue Nude,” “La Vie,” and “The Old Guitarist,” all completed in 1903. Writer and critic Charles Morice once observed, “Is this frighteningly precocious child not fated to bestow the consecration of a masterpiece on the negative sense of living, the illness from which he more than anyone else seems to be suffering?”
Rose Period
By 1905, Picasso’s spirits had lifted, transitioning into what is known as his “Rose Period” (1904-06). This era was marked by the introduction of warmer colors—beiges, pinks, and reds—reflecting his newfound optimism, largely fueled by a romantic relationship with model Fernande Olivier and support from art dealer Ambroise Vollard. Iconic works from this period include “Family at Saltimbanques” (1905), “Gertrude Stein” (1905-06), and “Two Nudes” (1906).
Cubism
Picasso, alongside fellow artist Georges Braque, pioneered the Cubist movement, which shattered conventional artistic representations. Cubism deconstructed objects, reassembling them in abstract forms and presenting multiple viewpoints, creating collage-like effects that both astonished and challenged the art world.
A seminal work from this period is “Les Demoiselles d’Avignon” (1907), a striking portrayal of five nude prostitutes rendered in angular forms and a stark color palette. This groundbreaking piece profoundly influenced the trajectory of 20th-century art. As Braque remarked, it made him feel as if “someone was drinking gasoline and spitting fire.”
Early Cubist works, known as “Analytic Cubism,” include “Three Women” (1907) and “Girl with Mandolin” (1910). Later works transitioned into “Synthetic Cubism,” characterized by complex collages, exemplified in pieces like “Still Life with Chair Caning” (1912) and “Three Musicians” (1921).
Classical Period
Between 1918 and 1927, Picasso experienced a brief return to Realism, known as his “Classical Period.” This shift coincided with the onset of World War I, leading Picasso to explore more somber themes. Key works from this period include “Three Women at the Spring” (1921) and “The Pipes of Pan” (1923).
Guernica
Picasso’s engagement with Surrealism intensified after 1927, culminating in his iconic painting “Guernica” (1937). Created in response to the devastating bombing of the Basque town of Guernica during the Spanish Civil War, the piece serves as a powerful anti-war statement. Rendered in shades of black, white, and gray, it depicts figures in distress, embodying the horrors of conflict.
Later Works: ‘Self Portrait Facing Death’
In his later years, Picasso’s works adopted a simpler, childlike style. He remarked, “When I was as old as these children, I could draw like Raphael, but it took me a lifetime to learn to draw like them.” Following World War II, he became increasingly political, aligning himself with the Communist Party and receiving the International Lenin Peace Prize twice.
His final major work, “Self Portrait Facing Death,” created shortly before his passing, is characterized by its crude technique and haunting imagery. Picasso passed away on April 8, 1973, in Mougins, France, leaving behind a legacy that continues to shape the art world.
Women
Picasso’s personal life was marked by numerous relationships with women, including two marriages. He married ballerina Olga Khokhlova in 1918, with whom he had a son, Paulo. After their separation in 1927, Picasso married Jacqueline Roque in 1961 at the age of 79. Notably, his long-term relationships with women such as Marie-Thérèse Walter and Dora Maar significantly influenced his work and personal life. Walter, with whom he had a daughter, Maya, tragically committed suicide after his death.
Children
Picasso fathered four children: Paulo, Maya, Claude, and Paloma. Paloma, who appears in several of her father’s works, became a renowned designer, creating jewelry for Tiffany & Co.
Death
Picasso died on April 8, 1973, at the age of 91 from heart failure while entertaining friends at his home. His legacy as a revolutionary artist endures, marked by his technical mastery, visionary creativity, and profound empathy. For nearly 80 of his 91 years, Picasso committed himself to artistic production, significantly influencing the development of modern art in the 20th century.