Pablo Picasso Art and History
The artwork of Pablo Picasso is most easily understood in its respective period. Though best known for creating Cubism, Picasso’s paintings can also be categorized into other such movements; the largest two being the Rose Period and the prolific Blue Period. He began painting at a very early age under the direction and influence of his father and was, as many scholars suggest, a child prodigy. As an artist, he worked in both mediums of painting and sculpture. Having died only a few short decades ago, he is, with little doubt, one of the most influential artists of modern times.
Born in Málaga, Spain on October 25, 1881 was the first child of José Ruiz y Blasco and MarÃa Picasso y López. Named Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno MarÃa de los Remedios Cipriano de la SantÃsima Trinidad Clito Ruiz y Picasso, it is no wonder why he chose to sign his work simply, “Picassoâ€. Picasso was his mother's maiden name and his use of it was viewed as slight against his father. He studied primarily under his father, an established painter who, as the curator of a local museum and professor of art at the School of Crafts, taught Picasso oil painting and figure drawing. Though attending various art schools throughout his childhood, he never did finish his formal academic training. Despite this incomplete formal training, Picasso's Drawings are highly regarded for their technical ability. Picasso Prints and sketches are coveted as signs of his ability as a draftsman.
The personal life of Pablo Picasso is marked by love affairs with various women, many of whom are depicted in his several of his paintings. His first notable, long-term relationship began in 1904 to Fernande Olivier who he met while traveling between Barcelona and Paris. Though Picasso left Olivier soon after he began to gain fame, we see depictions of her in many of Picasso’s Rose Period paintings. He left Olivier for Marcelle Humbert, known as Eva, who is often portrayed in many of Picasso’s Cubist artwork. Though he was married twice, he was involved with several mistresses and had four children by three women. Picasso’s love life, like many of his paintings often appears stilted, complex and even a bit confusing.
The first of Pablo Picasso’s major movements is the Blue Period. Comprised mainly in his late teens it is imperative to keep in mind the living conditions of Picasso at this time. Soon after Picasso left Barcelona for Paris, he began painting using a strong presence of blue. Not only was Picasso living in a new city, with little financial resources, away from his home and family for the first time, many of the influences of this more depressing style of painting can be traced to the suicide of his friend, Casagemas. Some of his major works within the Blue Period include the Blue Nude, the Old Guitarist, and the Tragedy. Prostitutes, beggars, acrobats, harlequins and blindness are all common themes depicted within the paintings of the Blue Period.
The somber and depressing imagery of the Blue Period soon changed into what is now known as Picasso’s second great movement, the Rose Period. Marked by contrastingly brighter colors and subject matter, this movement is best understood through the context of Picasso’s love affair with Fernande Olivier. It is in the Rose Period that the first traces of circus performers and clowns that populate many of Picasso’s paintings throughout his career. Some of his most recognized work within the Rose Period include, La famille de saltimbanques (Family of Saltimbanques), Harlequin Family, Harlequin's Family with an Ape and The Girl with a Goat. Likewise, Picasso’s highest selling painting, Garçon à la Pipe (Boy with a Pipe), was also created within the Rose Period.
Though both the Blue Period and the Rose Period are monumentally influential, it was with the inception of Cubism that Pablo Picasso set himself apart as an artist, and gained the overwhelmingly influential role he holds over modern art. Cubism is commonly broken into two subsequent movements, Analytic Cubism and Synthetic Cubism. Analytic Cubism was established first by Picasso with the help and influence of his contemporary Georges Braque. This form, as the name suggests, seeks to analyze and break down images to their common geometric forms, primarily, the cylinder, sphere and cone. The use of color was extremely limited and usually only included monotone colors that included primarily blues and grays. Some of the major works included in Analytic Cubism include The Guitar Player, Ma Jolie and the Accordionist.
Synthetic Cubism was the second branch within the Cubist movement and contained many of the same fundamental ideas, breaking natural images down to their universal, geometrical form. However, one key difference between Synthetic and Analytic Cubism is that Synthetic was one of the first major fine art movements that incorporated the use and study of collage. This incorporation of actual, real life material altered how many people understand and view the concepts of art. Many common elements used were newspaper clippings, sheet music, oilcloth, etc. These elements, cut and pasted to create new forms were the foundation of an entirely new movement of art. The artwork of Picasso’s Cubism radically shifted the ideas and functions of art. Woman in an Armchair and Violin and Guitar are just two of the paintings found within this influential movement.
Find out about More Artists