Pablo Picasso: 150 Famous Paintings, Bio &

Quotes by Picasso

Pablo Picasso is probably the most important figure of the 20th century,
in terms of art, and art movements that occurred over this period. Before
the age of 50, the Spanish born artist had become the most well-known
name in modern art, with the most distinct style and eye for artistic
creation. There had been no other artists, prior to Picasso, who had such an
impact on the art world, or had a mass following of fans and critics alike, as
he did.
Pablo Picasso was born in Spain in 1881, and was raised there before going
on to spend most of his adult life working as an artist in France. Throughout
the long course of his career, he created more than 20,000 paintings,
drawings, sculptures, ceramics and other items such as costumes and
theater sets. He is universally renowned as one of the most influential and
celebrated artists of the twentieth century.
Picasso's ability to produce works in an astonishing range of styles made
him well respected during his own lifetime. After his death in 1973 his value
as an artist and inspiration to other artists has only grown. He is without a
doubt destined to permanently etch himself into the fabric of humanity as
one of the greatest artists of all time.
As an artist and an innovator, he is responsible for co-founding the entire
Cubist movement alongside . Cubism was an avant-garde art movement
that changed forever the face of European painting and sculpture while
simultaneously affecting contemporary architecture, music and literature.
Subjects and objects in Cubism are broken up into pieces and re-arranged in
an abstract form. During the period from approximately 1910-1920 when
Picasso and Braque were laying the foundation for Cubism in France, its
effects were so far-reaching as to inspire offshoots like the styles of
Futurism, Dada, and Constructivism in other countries.
Picasso is also credited with inventing constructed sculpture and co-
inventing the collage art style. He is also regarded as one of three artists in
the twentieth century credited with defining the elements of plastic arts.
This revolutionary art form led society toward societal advances in painting,
sculpture, printmaking and ceramics by physically manipulating materials
that had not previously been carved or shaped. These materials were not
just plastic, they were things that could be molded in some way, usually into
three dimensions. Artists used clay, plaster, precious metals, and wood to
create revolutionary sculptural artwork the world had never seen before.

Picasso's Early Life

Picasso was born in Malaga, Spain, to Don Jose Ruiz y Blasco and Maria
Picasso y Lopez. His baptized name is much longer than the Pablo Picasso,
and in traditional Andalusian custom honored several saints and relatives.
His father was a painter and a professor of art, and was impressed by his
son's drawing from an early age. His mother stated at one time that his first
words were to ask for a pencil. At the age of seven Picasso begin receiving
formal training from his father. Because of his traditional academic
training, Ruiz believed training consisted of copying of masterworks and
drawing the human form from live figure-models and plaster casts.
In 1891 at ten years old, the family moved to A Coruna where School of Fine
Arts hired Ruiz to be a professor. They spent four years there where Ruiz
felt his son surpassed him as an artist at the age of 13 and reportedly vowed
to give up painting. Though paintings by Ruiz still seem to have been
generated years later, Picasso's father certainly felt humbled by his son's
natural skill and technique.
Picasso and his family were horrified when his seven-year-old sister died of
diphtheria in 1895. They relocated to Barcelona and Ruiz began working at
its School of Fine Arts. He persuaded officials there to let his son take an
entrance exam for an advanced class and Picasso was admitted at the age of
just 13. At the age of 16 he was sent to Spain's foremost art school in
Madrid, the Royal Academy of San Fernando. Picasso disliked the formal
instructions and decided to stop attending his classes soon after he arrived.
He filled his days inside Madrid's Prado, which displayed paintings such as.