Pablo Picasso Research paper

Research Paper 1: Biography
February 14, 2011

The Artist, Pablo Picasso

Pablo Picasso was an artist that was extremely popular, even while alive. To him, painting was a way to say everything in a way that words couldn’t. He has gone through various painting periods, where his art was different, but he said he would always paint in the present (Boutang and Daix, 1999). Pablo Picasso is one of the greatest artists of all times, and will remain that way.

Pablo Ruiz Picasso was born October 25, 1881 to Jose Ruiz Baiasco and Maria Picasso Lopez in Malaga, Spain. By 1901 he dropped Ruiz in favor of Picasso because he believed it sounded more distinguished than Ruiz. Picasso’s early drawings were of pigeons, bullfights, and Hercules (McCully, 1997). In 1891 at the age of 10 he started studying art with his father at La Coruña. His father recognized Picasso’s talent so he helped him instead of furthering his own talent. In 1895 the family then moved to Barcelona for the father’s teaching position, and Picasso studied art there as well. Picasso then moved to Barcelona where he continued to be an artist but not in the school setting. He then moved to Paris with his studio roommate, Carles Casagemas. Unfortunately, Casagemas was depressed about a failed love affair and committed suicide. Picasso had lost a close friend and since he was not there at the time he thought that he abandoned him (McCully, 2011).

After Casagemas death, Picasso went through a Blue period between 1900 and 1904, where he used blue in his paintings primarily. He did three paintings related to his friend that had died. One painting was called The Burial of Casagemas. Other paintings in his Blue Period were about syphilitic whores and pregnant women that he met in his visits to the Saint-Lazare women’s prison in Paris (McCully, 1997). Then he moved to Paris in 1914, which signified an ending to the Blue Period. He met his mistress, Fernande Oliver in 1904, which inspired several artworks before Cubism began. Instead of painting with blues, he began painting with pottery, flesh, and earth tones that then became known as the Rose Period (McCully, 2011).

The starting point of Cubism was him painting Les Demoiselles d’ Avignon in 1907. He began painting faces of people mask like, which was influenced by African art. Les Demoiselles d’ Avignon was not the normal beautiful women but were prostitutes. Afterwards, he had collectors and dealers that wanted the painting but instead he rolled it up for several years. He then met Georges Braque who with him developed Analytical Cubism. Many of the paintings looked like geometric shapes (McCully, 2011). Many of Picasso and Braque’s paintings look very similar (Boutang and Daix, 1999). Picasso and Braque began gluing papier collé and other material onto canvases in 1912. Still life and heads were the main subject matter of both painters during this time. Unfortunately, in 1915 his latest mistress, Eva (Marcelle Humbert) died. The painting dedicated to her, Harlequin, showed his grief of a half Harlequin and half Pierret with an easel with an unfinished canvas against a black background (McCully, 2011).
Then, World War I began which separated many of Picasso’s circles of artist friends; some went to the war front while others went to their native countries. Picasso remained in France, where he met a new friend Erik Satie. They created a theatrical event with Sergey Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes that was called Parade. Picasso was in charge of the sets and costumes. Although he disliked traveling, he agreed to travel to Rome, regarding the production. He then met his dancing wife there, Olga Kokhlava. The play was considered an attempt that undermined the solidarity of French culture (McCully, 2011). July 12, 1918 Picasso married Olga Kokhlova. January 1921 Picasso’s only legitimate child, Paulo was born (Boutang and Daix, 1999). Picasso’s studio was very dirty and the cleaning lady was forbidden to disturb the dust. On the other hand, his apartment that he shared with his wife and son was immaculate and had impeccable décor that they could entertain Persian society (Boutang and Daix, 1999).

Picasso’s next mistress was Marie- Thérèse Walter. He enjoyed being with her because his life was less hectic with her than with Olga. His next child, Maya was born on September 5, 1935 (Boutang and Daix, 1999).
Although he did not live in Spain, he did support it because it was his native country. In 1937 he made a series of etchings called Dream and Lie of Franco and the proceeds went toward the support of the Republican cause. Guernica was a mural painting named for the Spanish town Basque that was bombed in 1937 by the Fascists. In the painting there was the bullfight, gorged horse, the fallen solider and screaming mothers with dead babies. The bull represented the hope to overcome Fascism. Dora Maar worked with him to finish Guernica in just three short weeks (McCully, 2011).

In 1943 he met a young painter, Françoise Gilot and she became his next lady friend. They had two children together, Claude in 1947 and then Paloma in 1949. They moved to the Mediterranean and his paintings during this time identified with that because of the vivid colors related to both living in the Mediterranean and his happiness with Gilot. Although he is known for his paintings he also did ceramics. His plates, jugs, and vases were made and then altered by being reshaped, painted, gouged out, scratched, or marked by fingerprints. As a result, they were regarded as useless (McCully, 2011).

After World War II in 1953 Gilot and their two children left Picasso. In 1954 he met Jacqueline Roque in the pottery shop where he did his pottery. They eventually married in 1961. She was the inspiration for his later work. In 1958 Picasso bought a castle in Vauvenargues, that they were both later buried in (McCully, 2011).

Pablo Picasso was an artist that was even able to support himself while alive, unlike some artists that are not popular until after they have died. Picasso’s paintings varied based on what was going on in the world, such as war, to which mistress he was with. His artwork spanned more than 80 years. One of his paintings called La Lecture from 1932 recently sold for more than $40 million, which was a portrait of Marie- Theresa (McCully, 2011). Although since then there have been great artists, none have come close to the level that Picasso was of.




References
Boutang, P. A., & Daix, P. (Producers), & Philipe, P. (Director). (1999). 13 Days in the Life of Picasso [Video cassette]. France: Fox Lorber Centre Stage.
McCully, M. (2011). Pablo Picasso Biography. Retrieved February 8, 2011, from Encyclopaedia Britannica website: http://www.biography.com/articles/Pablo-Picasso-9440021
McCully, M. (1997). Pablo Picasso: The early years. USA Today Magazine, 126(2626), 38. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.