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 "I do not search, I find." |
Rarely in the annals of history an artist becomes one of the
"figures of the century." But this is the case of Pablo
Ruiz Picasso. His name, his versatility, his art personify the
20th century, and is considered as the zenith of modern art.
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In his life time, Picasso had already become a synonym for "modern art." Today he still considered a myth, a legend of the arts; his poise as an artist is intricate and vibrant in a myriad of facets. Many persons played important roles in his life and have left us with testimonies. The abundance of existing documents about his life and his art, but above all to his individuality, allow us to access his art. Nevertheless, the formidable biographies are only a drop of information compared to the torrent of torrent of opinions, critiques, findings, and books about his arts for decades. |  |
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Picasso was born in Malaga on October 20th of 1881. Son
of a painter and master drafter, Picasso was trained so
that by the age of nine he began to paint and sketch. Under
the watchful eye of his father, and through his encouragement,
Picasso followed rigorous training in La Coruña, Barcelona, and Madrid, so much so that by
the age of 15, he had become a master drafter as well,
and his art ready to appear in galleries, and
expositions. In 1898 after being disillusioned, Picasso interrupted his studies at the Academy and begins to roam the artistic circles of Barcelona and Paris. It is at this time, that his name and art began to emerge. By 1901, Picasso holds his first exposition at the Vollard Gallery. Cézanne and Toulouse-Latrec influenced Picasso greatly into his "blue period". A time of solitude, and quiet despair. By 1904, Picasso had began his "rose period", during which he painted harlequins and circus performances in very warm colors. |
These spilled into his cubism, together with Georges Braque.
Picasso struck by the simplicity of the pre-Christian and African
art, began to experiment with space by simplifying nature with a
few basic shapes. At this time, he also experiments with
three-dimensional objects in two-dimensional surfaces. Yet, to
Picasso cubism becomes too formalized, and by this time (1930s),
he begins to add surrealism into his art, adding the use of the
double image, and the metamorphosed being. This is clearly seeing
in his famous Guernica. He continues with sculptures of welded
pieces and bronze cast from plaster . casts.
During World War II, Picasso portrays sombre scenes and still
life, and after the conflict, moves to Southern France where he
becomes interested in the Mediterranean classical cultures. This
period also opened a new chapter, in which, he begins to
experiment with ceramics and lithography.
The decades of the 50s and 60s, brought Picasso back to earlier
forms of expression, reiterating themes styles. By the time of
his death, Picasso was recognized universally as the foremost
artist of his era, and possibly of the century.
"Yo queria ser pintor, pero me convertí en Picasso"
Picasso playing with his sons Claude and
Paloma
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