Ignorant people often make remarks about avant-garde artists saying that they cannot paint and that is why they depict blocks and squares. Picasso can serve as an example to prove falseness and primitiveness of this statement. From a very young age he was able to portray a life model on paper with the highest resemblance. The talent lucky to be born into creative environment (the father of the brightest personality in the 20th century painting was a drawing teacher and decorator) developed in a flash. The boy had hardly learned to speak before he started drawing. read and see more
This is, perhaps, the first period in the work of Picasso, in relation to which we can speak about the individuality of the creator, despite the still sounding notes of influence. The first creative uplift was provoked by a long-lasting depression: February 1901 in Madrid Picasso learned that his close friend Carlos Casagemas had died. Picasso later recalled: “I started painting in blue when I learned of Casagemas's death”. read and see more
In Picasso’s work, the Rose Period was relatively short (from the fall 1904 until the end of 1906) and quite uneven. A large number of pictures were marked with a bright color; we see the advent of pearl gray, ocher, pink and red tones; there appeared new topics, such as actors, acrobats, athletes, and became dominant. The Cirque Medrano that was located at the foot of Montmartre hill certainly did provide a lot of material for the artist. Melodrama in its many manifestations (the suits, the accented gestures), a variety of different people, both beautiful and ugly, young and adult, returned the artist to the world of slightly transformed, but real forms, dimensions and spaces; paintings were once again filled with life as opposed to the characters of the Blue Period. read and see more
The first work by Picasso, which turned him towards a new figurativeness, was the Portrait of Gertrude Stein, 1906. By repainting it 80 times, the artist was desperate to depict the writer in the classical style. The artist was ready for a new creative period and ceased to be interested in life models. This piece can be regarded as the first step towards shape deformation. read and see more
Before Cubism, the lifelikeness was the major problem in the European art. Art had been evolving several centuries without bringing this concept into question. Even the impressionists, who started a new chapter in the history of painting devoted to light and fixation of fleeting impressions, were faced with the problem: how to capture the world on canvas. read and see more
Cubism gradually became Picasso’s internally lived experience and liberated his brush. He later said: “When I think about it, I’d say I’m an artist without style”. “Style puts constraints on the artist, forcing a single viewpoint on things upon him, the same techniques, the same formula, year after year, his life long”. This, of course, was not the case of Picasso, the desperate daredevil of art. read and see more
The two factors triggered at the same time: Picasso’s new muse Marie-Therese Walter, whose “fascinating face” he desiderated to picture, immediately notifying his new female friend that “we will do great things together”, and the closeness to the circle of Andre Breton. It was in the gallery of Pierre in 1925 that Picasso first took part in a group exhibition of the Surrealists (before that, his works were presented at the personal exhibitions only). read and see more
In 1936, a Civil war between the freshly formed republican government and the fascist regime of General Franco broke out in Spain. Picasso did all he could to support the anti-fascists: his canvas was his battlefield, and his weapons were the brush and paints. read and see more
In the peace time, in 1946 Picasso had made the picturesque ensemble from 27 panels and pictures for a castle of the
noble family Grimaldy in Antibes, it is a town on the Mediterranean seaside of France. The panel in the first hall is named
"The joy of life" and all series is represented as harmony of nature with existence - it is the representation of fauns,
naked girls, centaurs, fairy-tale creatures.. read and see more
During the later period of his creature he often appealed to a woman
portrait (portraits of Jacqueline Roque). In 1960 Picasso had drawn the different variations of themes by famous
masters of art - Vela'zquez, Goya, Manet - in the free scandal cubism manner. see more
16 March Ryan Cantrell from USA wrote: 'What am I looking at? Picasso with a 9-year-old????!!!! FREAK'
03 March Brett from USA wrote: 'What 9yr old signs his work like that. Very interesting.'
25 February Pepe from USA wrote: 'Este es el peor cuadro que he visto en mi vida. Un chaval con 15 años, no puede estar pensando solo en dibujar.'
20 December Jason from USA wrote: 'So I'm an art collector who's stumped. I have a lithograph I can't find anywhere on the internet. I have a large litho ( around 28" tall 23" wide) of Picasso's Mother Child 4 hands study but it's different than any other I've found. Fist off, it's a 3 color litho. It's also on Montvall laid paper on board. The print definitely has age to it but obviously no way to tell how old. I have looked for various water marks but haven't found any. Being laid paper on board makes it difficult. I had originally thought it may be printed in France by La Photolithography L Delaporte. Basically because the size was about the same and the 3 print colors were the same. However, the Mother Child litho doesn't have the information located at the bottom margin of the print like others I've seen. So after all that any thoughts?'
16 December luis from Usa wrote: 'Wow nice and where is the original signed'
02 November samarrajo from levenmouth wrote: 'the measurements of the painting are 163.7cm x 132.1cm making the bread, fruit and table almost life size. A nice detail to add into an art and design exam :)'
19 October Front side tail from levenmouth wrote: 'i think the artwork should be abeled to be viewed from all side :((('
21 September Pascal from New York wrote: 'Like everything, you must study or practice to appreciate. If you have eaten burgers and pizza your whole life, it may be difficult to appreciate sushi.'
16 July steve from USA wrote: 'Breathtaking as everything he's ever done. Rich vibrant colors and sharp visceral angles. Picasso is a master'
28 June Nikolai from Switzerland wrote: 'The painting is certainly impressive, to say the least. But what has always struck me as curious is that none of Picasso's other works from this period are anywhere near as accomplished as this painting. It is a well known fact that at one time it was a common practice in teaching painting, for the master to repaint areas of the student's work. In the case of this painting, I cannot help but wonder how much of it might have actually been painted by Picasso's father.'
14 June Ricardo Lapin from Switzerland wrote: 'How much perversion to treat a couple as if they were an object (a model, "muse", etc.) and be indifferent to painting their suffering over and over again, for years without doing anything to help her.'
24 May byats wurnt from Switzerland wrote: 'I think, when dealing with an abstract piece, one must take an approach similar to reading.
On the right, I can see buildings, a staple of modern life.
Warm colours, may indicate heat?
There's a curtain on the left harlequin.
Now we just have to make sense of it.'