Pablo Ruiz Picasso (1881 – 1973) Picasso was born in Malaga, Spain. His mother said “pencil” was his first word. His father was an artist and art teacher who recognized that Picasso was talented when he was 2 years old.

At a young age, Picasso’s father encouraged him to paint. At the age of 15 he was admitted to a famous art school. He struggled there because he didn’t want to learn by copying the work of others which was the way of teaching art at the time. In Spain he saw the art of the famous Spanish artists. When he moved to Paris, France he was influenced by many of the artists we have studied (like Manet and Ingres).

He painted this self- portrait in He was 15 years old. How do you feel when you look at this self-portrait? How do you think he is feeling?

Compare the self-portrait by Manet on the left with the one of Picasso on the right. Remember, Manet painted this self-portrait 4 years before he died in Picasso painted his self-portrait in 1896 when he was 15 years old. Do you see the influence of Manet?

Picasso painted the picture on the left in The one on the right was painted by Manet. What do you notice?

The Blue Period During this period, Picasso was a starving young artist in Paris. One of his closest friends, a poet, killed himself. Why do you think this period is called the blue period? How do you feel when you look at this painting? Why? How do you think Picasso was feeling when he painted in this “blue” style?

During this period, Picasso was depressed, hungry, and lonely. He painted pictures of homeless people, hungry people, lonely people -- ALL in BLUE. Do you think that he communicates his feelings to the viewer?

The Rose Period Picasso fell in love for the first time in How do you think this affected his art? Why do you think this period is called “rose?”

During this period, Picasso painted in pinks and oranges. He also introduced the theme of clowns and harlequins, which he used through the rest of his career. How does this show how he was feeling?

The African Period At this time the French were exploring Africa and sending home African masks similar to this one. How do you think these masks might have influenced Picasso’s work?

Look at the faces of the women in these paintings? Can you see the influence of the African masks?

Analytic Cubism With a friend and fellow painter, Georges Braque, Picasso developed a new style of painting called Cubism. In analytic cubism the artist uses geometric shapes to communicate with the viewer. For the first time, artists did not use color, but shape to show how they were feeling.

Can you see the guitar player in this image? Why do you think that Picasso and his friend Braque wanted to paint in this way? How do you feel when you look at this painting? Do you like it? Why or why not?

What do you think Picasso painted in this picture? How can you tell?

Synthetic Cubism At this time, Picasso and his fellow cubists began using collage for the first time ever in “fine art.” He used, fabric, newspaper, wall paper. What do you see?

Look at these still life paintings? Remember that Manet said to give the impression of what you are painting? Do you think Picasso was interested in giving you an impression of what he was painting?

Picasso’s style continued to change over the rest of his life. Consider this self- portrait painted, approximately 50 years later and one year before he died. What changes do you see from the earlier work we have looked at?

Which is your favorite period? Why? Do you like Picasso’s work? Why or why not?