1. Pablo Picasso

2. Background
Considered the Father of Modern Art and one of the greatest and most influential painters to ever live
Born October 25, 1881 and died April 8, 1973
Spanish Painter
Learned to paint at age 7
Moved to France at age 20
Challenged traditional artistic norms, even creating his own art movement
Father was a painter and a professor of art at the School of Crafts; by age 13 Picasso had all but surpassed his father’s skill as an artist
France was a huge mecca for art where many artists came to learn from the great masters
Picasso also had an ulterior motive in that he resented Spanish Dictator, Francisco Franco, and all the things he was doing to the Spanish people.
He felt like he needed to escape

3. Early Period Characterized by realism tinged by symbolist influence
Many of the portraits are of family members
During this time, he was poor, cold, and desperate
Realism taught painters to paint what they saw. Symbolist movement taught artists to challenge traditional color schemes to make landscapes and portraits look less realistic.
Green rolling hills might be painted purple, the sky green in the symbolist movement
He burned many of his paintings just to stay warm; a real shame to the world of art today
The first communion depicts his sister Lola
The First Communion
1896

4. Early Period Portrait of Aunt Pepa 1896 Science and Charity 1897
Portrait of Aunt Pepa called “without a doubt one of the greatest in the whole history of Spanish painting” by Juan-Eduardo Cirlot
Have students look at the realism
Portrait of Aunt Pepa
1896
Science and Charity
1897

5. Blue Period
Characterized by somber and depressed tones of blue and blue-green
Started in 1901 after his friend committed suicide
Often prostitutes and beggars are his subject matter
Blindness and sadness are recurring themes
The friend’s name was Carlos Casagemas
Have students look at her body language; what is she experiencing?
Blue Nude
1902

6. Blue Period
The Old Guitarist
1903
La Vie
1903

7. Cubist Period
Characterized by fractured, squarish 2 dimensional representations of 3D objects
Was a movement he co-founded
Described as both destructive and creative
Convey a sense of raw emotion and realism
Co-founder with Georges Braque who both used neutral tones and the idea of taking objects apart
Les Demoiselles was the first and was revolutionary, startling even Braque
Depicts five prostitutes
Reveals seduction and darkness in a wholly new and original way
Les Demoiselles d’Avignon
1907

8. Cubist Period
Three Musicians
1921
Self Portrait Facing Death
1972

9. Cubist Period Guernica 1937
Franco allowed the Nazis to bomb the town of Guernica during the Spanish Civil War
Reveals the chaos and suffering
Left to right: mother with dead child in hand
Bull represents the destructive power of the government
Dead soldier at the bottom
Eye of God is closed
Newsprint clippings
Broken sword speaks of battles lost
The flower is a sign of hope
The horse tramples on the people like the government did
Faces flee burning houses
Guernica
1937