Pablo Picasso

The Life & Art of Pablo Picasso

One of the most famous artists of our time was born in Málaga, Spain, in 1881.

You guessed it… His name was Pablo Picasso. And he produced some of the most amazing works of art in history.

A photo of Pablo Picasso

Pablo Picasso created what was the forefront of modern art as we know it today. Without his influence, we would have far too many artists not willing to break the rules.

When we look at the life of Pablo Picasso, we can see how he influenced the art world during his time on this earth.

It may have seemed as though Picasso was destined for success. His father was a painter and an art teacher. His mother always believed that Picasso would have been a success in anything that he tried.

However, Picasso wasn’t a good student. Teachers would become upset when his grades were suffering and all Picasso seemed to do was draw. His teachers didn’t know that he would become one of the world’s most famous painters.

Picasso's early work

Picasso’s father would teach him painting from an early age, and it wasn’t long before Picasso started to out paint his dad.

At age 13, his father saw Picasso was headed for greatness. At 14 years old, he moved to the city of Barcelona with his parents. It was there where he applied and was accepted to the Barcelona School of the Fine Arts.

This was the first place where Picasso experimented with breaking the rules. He not only broke the rules of art, but he was skipping classes and doing poorly with his grades. Picasso was more concerned with his self-expression. He would just roam the streets of the city and sketch what he would see around town.

When Picasso was an older, the first period that he is the most well known for is the Blue Period. This period of his art was heavily influenced by the color blue, which was his signature from his early adult career. Many of his famous works came from this period such as, “Blue Nude” and “The Old Guitarist”.

The Old Guitarist Painting

Pablo Picasso was battling with depression during this time, and he put this style into his art. His anguish is visible in his art during this period.

The next period of Picasso’s art was the rose period. At this point, he had overcome much of his depression. The warmer red and pinkish tones that accompany these works of art show his change in outlook and his emotions.

After the Rose Period, Picasso dove deep into the world of cubism. Followed by his period of classical art, and then surrealism.

Picasso Painting

Picasso continued to paint up until his death. He thought that his work would help keep him alive longer, by having a greater meaning to stay alive.

One of Picasso’s most significant gifts was his ability to change styles so dramatically. This makes his work span much more of the art world than many other artists have been able to.

His ability to express emotion in its variety of forms makes him a legend in the art world.

Here is a special treat, a video of Picasso painting. A rare opportunity to see a master at work.