Pablo Picasso 1881 - 1973

History of Picasso Pablo Picasso was born in Malaga, Spain, in 1881 and died in France in 1973. His father was an art teacher at the local school and wished for Picasso to become a great artist one day. He was accepted into the Barcelona School of Fine Arts after only one exam and at the age of 14. By the time he died at the age of 92, he had created 22,000 works of art in a variety of forms including sculpture, ceramics, mosaics, stage design and graphic arts.

A Brief History of Picasso His style changed more over the period of his life than any other great artist. He was always trying new and different things. With the changing of his styles, even his father thought that his paintings were too strange. His relationships often influenced his mood and art styles. Many of his portraits were of his wives, companions and children. He was also said to have a good business sense…he was said to pay even small amounts owing in cheques…

The Early Works of Picasso… Lola, the artists sister (1899-1900) The young Picasso frequently pressed his family into service as models. This portrait of his sister shows him beginning to use charcoal and pencil more boldly and freely.

The Blue Period (1903-5)… Woman and Child by the Sea (1902) Shortly after moving to Paris from Barcelona, Picasso began to produce works that were suffused in blue with a sad tone. The psychological trigger for these depressing paintings was the death of Picasso's friend Casagemas. The Blue Period work is quite sentimental, but we must keep in mind that Picasso was still in his late teens, away from home for the first time, and living in very poor conditions.

The Rose Period(1905-6)… Lady with a Fan (1905) The Blue period ended when he fell in love with a girl named Fernande Olivier and the Rose period began which was romantic and more delicate. In 1905-6, Picasso's paintings began to lighten, bringing in a distinctive beige or "rose" tone. The subject matter also is less depressing. Here are the first appearances by the circus performers and clowns.

Analytical Cubism(1907-25) Girl with a mandolin (1910) Cubism is Picasso painting people and things quite differently from how they really looked.

Picasso the Legend… Portrait de Francoise (1946) By the late '30s, Picasso was the most famous artist in the world.

Late works… Self Portrait (1972) In the last two decades of his long career, Picasso produced more work than at any other time of his life. This late period tends to be overlooked, but contains some of the finest of Picasso's paintings. Some people say Picasso was creatively lazy at this point, but a close look at the work is very rewarding and depicts an artist with a love for what he does.

Picasso began to express space in strong geometrical terms. The Three Musicians (1921)

Picasso Polka By Greg Percy A fun way to learn about Picasso! Greg Percy – art teacher/musician

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Picasso Polka By Greg Percy One eye looks straight ahead The other to the right My arm is where my leg should be My pants are kinda tight I don’t know what is wrong with me I guess Picasso painted me It looks like I’ve been in a fight! Chorus One eye is looking sideways…Picasso Polka The other’s looking my way…Picasso Polka It might be sorta cubie…Picasso Polka May be rose, may be blue…Picasso Polka My head it once was round But now it is a square My elbow has three bends in it My foot looks like a chair I don’t know what is wrong you see I guess Picasso painted me It looks like I’ve been in a fight! Chorus Repeat Chorus My hair is kinda blue My house is kinda blue The sky is sorta blue I’m thinking he was blue! I don’t know what is wrong you see I guess Picasso painted me It looks like I’ve been in a fight! Picasso Polka By Greg Percy