Pablo Picasso: life and work

Considered one of the main artists of the 20th century, Pablo Picasso collect awesome numbers: in 78 years of career, painted more than 13 thousand paintings, made more than 100 thousand drawings and more than 300 sculptures.

Important figure of the art history, the Spaniard was inspired by moments of his personal life to create grandiose works, as can be seen in his blue and pink phases in the first decades of the 1900s.

Picasso is one of the founders of cubist movement, which innovated art at the time by using geometric elements and collages. In addition, the artist painted the La Guernica, a picture considered to be one of the greatest works of social protest ever created.

Read more:Cubism - context, characteristics and artists

Picasso Biography

Pablo Picasso was one of the founders of Cubism. [1]

The painter's full name is Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno Maria de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso. he was born on the day October 25, 1881, in Malaga, in the Spain.

The artist's parents were called María Picasso López, about whom almost nothing is known, and José Ruiz Blasco, painter, professor at the San Telmo School of Fine Arts and curator at the Municipal Museum. He had two sisters, Conchita and Lola.

Curiosity: when he was born, Pablo Picasso did not scream or move, giving the impression that he was not breathing. Worried, an uncle of his blew cigar smoke in his face, causing the baby to react and scream.

In 1891, the Picasso family moved to the city of La Coruña, where the then boy Pablo began to show his artistic skills. In 1897, they moved to Madrid, where Picasso studied at the prestigious Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando.

"Art is a lie that makes it seem true." (Pablo Picasso)

At the age of nine, in 1900, Pablo Picasso held his first artistic exhibition, at Els Quatre Gats, in Barcelona, ​​with his first painting the bullfighter. In June of the following year, he held a joint exhibition with his friend Carlos Casagemas, at Sala Parés, also in Barcelona. In the same month, Picasso organized his first exhibition in Paris, the capital of France.

Do not stop now... There's more after the advertising ;)

Passion for Paris

Enchanted with Paris for its cultural effervescence, at the age of 19 the Spaniard moved to the capital of France. By attending Parisian artistic and literary circles, she became friends with great artists, such as Henri Matisse, Joan Miró and George Braque. Initially, he took an interest in the Impressionist art style that was in force at the time.

Pablo Picasso lived most of his life in Paris, including dying in the city, on April 8, 1973, in Notre-Dame-de-Vie, in Mougins. Two days later, he was buried in the garden of his castle in Vauvenargues, southern France.

Personal life

Historians point out that Pablo Picasso was not very studious and that he preferred to express himself through drawings. Was curious worker and owner of a outstanding personality. He was also restless, observant and outspoken. He was a fan of a bohemian life, and his talent made him a lot of money, to the point of becoming multimillionaire. The biography of Pablo Picasso also indicates that, in his youth, he was a great user of opium, which smoked in large pipes.

Pablo Picasso wax figure at Madame Tussauds Museum, Thailand. [2]

In 1944, Pablo Picasso became a member of the Communist Party French. According to research, he took this attitude because of the indignation he felt with the fascism that was installed in Europe at that time.

For being affiliated with the Communist Party, in 1950 the painter won the prize Stalin of Peace and, in 1962, the award Lenin International Peace. He was a member of the party until his death.

wives and children

Picasso's first wife was the Ukrainian ballerina Olga Koklova. They married in 1918 and had a son, Paul. Years later, he had his second daughter, Maya, a result of his relationship with Marie-Therese Walter. She then had two more children, Claude and Paloma, with Francoise Gilot.

the french Jacqueline Roque she was the last wife of Pablo Picasso. They were married in 1961 and stayed together for over 11 years, until he died. Jacqueline was the artist's inspiring muse, who drew several portraits of her. It is estimated that there were more than 400 portraits.

See too: Van Gogh, Dutch Canon of 19th Century Painting

Construction

A picture of two acrobats and a dog (1905), exhibited at the MoMA museum. [3]

Many consider Picasso to be a unique, differentiated artist. He is one of the most famous painters in the history of art, especially in the 20th century. Bold, the Spaniard innovated by using different colors and shapes. He was linked to different artistic movements, such as Cubism, which he co-founded, and Surrealism.

See too:20th century Brazilian artists: Malfatti, Di Cavalcanti, Segal etc.

In addition to being a painter, Picasso was a sculptor, ceramist, poet and playwright. he was the first artist what achieved success using the media to promote his name and, with it, his commercial empire.

Pablo Picasso is the artist who has the most works in the entire history of art. Check some numbers, according to the guiness, book of records:

• 78 years of career

• More than 13 thousand frames

• More than 100 Mildeans

• Approximately 34,000 illustrations

• About 300 sculptures

• 350 stolen works

Check out some important milestones in Picasso's work below:

blue stage of picasso (1901-1904)

In 1901, a tragic episode marked Picasso's life: his great friend Carlos Casagemas committed suicide. Picasso was very shaken, which reflected in his art. At the time, he started to create arts that were increasingly dark and monochromatic, culminating in a period called the blue phase.

The works of Pablo Picasso from this phase are considered sad and melancholy, in shades of blue-green, and generally depict thin, haggard people.

Main works:

• Life (1901)

• Mother and child (1902)

• The tragedy (1903)

• The Beggar and the Boy (1903)

• The Old Guitarist (1903)

• The Celestine (1904)

Pink Stage of Picasso (1905-1907)

In 1904, Picasso falls in love with the Bohemian model and artist Fernande Olivier. Having her as an inspiring muse, he started to produce more cheerful pictures, in warmer tones, such as pink and orange.

At this stage, the artist painted female and circus figures, among other images. At the same time, he began to outline the style that would later be called Cubist.

Main works:

• The Young Harlequin (1905)

• The young man with a pipe (1905)

• The acrobat family (1905)

• Self portrait (1907)

Inspiration in Africa

Between 1907 and 1909, Picasso had contact with African sculptures and masks, which also had an effect on its composition. The board Avignon girls(1907) was his first masterpiece and the ultimate expression of African influence.

Also access:African culture - one of the roots of human culture

The Avignon Ladies it is considered a pioneer work in the Cubist movement. The painting took nine months to be made and represented an innovation in the history of art.

The board The Avignon Ladies (1907), exhibited at the MoMA museum. [4]

Cubism

Pablo Picasso is famous for being one of the founders of cubism, in 1909, together with the French painter and sculptor Georges Braque. This movement, also known as European vanguard, is known to be the art that allows a simultaneous viewing.

Cubism has two sides:

• Analytical Cubism (1909 – 1912): the works had brown tones, more neutral, and geometric shapes.

• Synthetic Cubism (1912 – 1919): the works had paper collages and pieces of string, which was a milestone in artistic history. The combination or synthesis of shapes was the main rule, the colors were stronger and more decorative.

Main Cubist Works by Pablo Picasso:

• Girl with Mandolin (1910)

• The Guitar (1913)

• The Three Musicians (1921)

• Woman in the Mirror (1932)

• Dora Maar with cat (1937)

• La Guernica (1937)

• Jacqueline with Crossed Hands (1954)

La Guernica

La Guernica is the main painting by Pablo Picasso. [5]

The board La Guernica, produced in May and June 1937, is the best known work by Pablo Picasso. According to research carried out, cubist painting recounts the horrors of Spanish Civil War, more specifically the German bombing of the city that gives the picture its name.
Studies show that, when developing La Guernica, Picasso wanted to draw the world's attention to the conflicted republican cause. By exalting the image of this political episode in a painting, Picasso created one of the greatest pieces of social protest of all time. If you are more interested in the topic of this topic, read our text: The history of painting La Guernica.

Surrealism

Although he has not actively participated in the surrealism, Picasso absorbed some characteristics of the style. He became friends with the greatest exponent of the movement, Salvador Dali.

See too: Salvador Dalí, Spanish painter and master of surrealism

museums

Several museums around the world extolled the work of Pablo Picasso. Check out some of them:

Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York (USA): in 1946, he held an exhibition to commemorate the 50 years of Picasso's career.

Picasso Museum in Barcelona, ​​Spain: to which the artist himself donated more than 900 works that were in his family's house located in the city. Among the works is the painting The girls.

Louvre Museum in Paris: in 1971, he awarded Pablo Picasso the title of only living artist to have a work of art exhibited there.

Image credits

[1] Reproduction / Picasso Museum

[2] Nuamfolio / Shutterstock.com

[3] MoMA Museum

[4] MoMA Museum

[5] nephthali / Shutterstock.com

By Silvia Tancredi
Journalist