Every child is an artist - Picasso

‘The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up’.

Pablo Picasso 1881 – 1973 was a Spanish painter, whose

impact on art is tremendous. His free spirit, eccentric style, his disregard for what others thought of his work made him a catalyst for artists to follow. “Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.”

His most famous works are  Les Demoiselles d'Avignon and Guernica.

Picasso demonstrated extraordinary talent in his early years, painting in a naturalistic manner through his childhood. His style changed as he experimented with different techniques, and ideas.

Picasso took an entrance exam for an advanced arts class. What took students a month, at just 13, Picasso completed in a week and secured admission. As a student Picasso lacked discipline. By 16 he disliked formal instruction and stopped attending classes at art school at Madrid.

Picasso went to Paris in 1900 and spent most of his adult life there. Picasso’s work is categorised into periods.

The Blue Period (1901–1904) was characterised by sombre paintings in shades of blue and blue-green, only occasionally warmed by other colours. The subjects were influenced by his own experiences of poverty and grief.

The Rose Period (1904–1906) was characterised by a lighter tone and style utilising orange and pink colours. The clown usually depicted in checkered clothing became a personal symbol for Picasso. There is an upbeat and optimistic mood in these paintings.

The African-influenced Period (1907–1909) begins with his painting Les Demoiselles d'Avignon. Picasso repainted the faces of the two figures after being impressed by African artefacts. When he displayed the painting, the universal reaction was shock and revulsion.

Analytic cubism (1909–1912) was a style of painting Picasso developed using monochrome brownish and neutral colours. He took apart objects and "analysed" them in terms of their shapes.

Synthetic cubism (1912–1919) was characterised by cut paper fragments pasted into compositions, marking the first use of collage in fine art. The paintings depicted highly geometric and minimalist Cubist objects.

He is one of three artists credited with defining the elements of plastic arts. This led society toward advances in painting, sculpture, printmaking and ceramics by physically manipulating materials that had not previously been carved or shaped. “Art is a lie that makes us realise the truth."

His astonishing range of paintings, drawings, sculptures, ceramics , costumes and theatre sets, made him well respected during his own lifetime. “Every act of creation is first of all an act of destruction." He is the most prolific genius in the history of art. His career spanned over a 78 year period.

He produced several variations of paintings of Old Masters. “Good artists copy, great artists steal.”

Picasso’s paintings from his final years are now considered as the beginning of the Neo-Expressionism movement. “I do not seek. I find.”

Picasso is seen as a magician - an artist who was able to transform everything around him at a touch and a man who can also transform himself, elude, fascinate and mesmerise us.

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Published in Colour Canvas issue of August 2018