Pablo Picasso

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Pablo Picasso

Pablo Picasso was probably the most famous artist of the twentieth century. During his
artistic career, which lasted more than 75 years, he created thousands of works, not only
paintings but also sculptures, prints, and ceramics, using all kinds of materials. He
almost single-handedly created modern art. He changed art more profoundly than any
other artist of this century.

First famous for his pioneering role in Cubism, Picasso continued to develop his art with
a pace and vitality comparable to the accelerated technological and cultural changes of
the twentieth century. Each change embodied a radical new idea, and it might be said that
Picasso lived several artistic lifetimes.

Picasso was born on October 25, 1881, in Malaga, Spain, son of an artist, Jose Ruiz, and
Maria Picasso. Rather than adopt the common name Ruiz, the young Picasso took the
rarer name of his mother. An artistic prodigy, Picasso, at the age of 14, completed the
one-month qualifying examination of the Academy of Fine Arts in Barcelona in one day.
From there he went to the Academy of San Fernando in Madrid, returning in 1900 to
Barcelona, where he frequented the city's famous cabaret of intellectuals and artists, Els
Quatre Gats.

The years of 1901 to 1904, known as the "blue period" because of the blue tonality of
Picasso's paintings were a time of frequent changes of residence between Barcelona and
Paris. During this period, he would spend his days in Paris studying the masterworks at
the Louvre and his nights enjoying the company of fellow artists at cabarets like the
Lapin Agile.

1905 and 1906 marked a radical change in color and mood for Picasso. He became
fascinated with the acrobats, clowns and wandering families of the circus world. He
started to paint in subtle pinks and grays, often highlighted with brighter tones. This was
known as his "rose period."

In 1907, Picasso painted "Les Demoiselles d'Avignon,"...