Picasso Intro Yo

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Julio Espinoza

Intro to Drawing

March 31, 2009

Picasso and his Influence on Modern Art

One of the most influential contemporary artists in history is Pablo

Picasso. He was born in the Andalusain region of Spain on an October day in

1881. He survived numerous wars and lived a rich life. After ninety-one years

of life he succumbed to natural causes in April 1973. Picassos work has

mesmerized the masses for over a century and leaves us just as impressed

as when his imaginative works first surfaced. Within the art world, Picasso is

widely recognized as the founder of modern cubism. His work is modern yet

timeless, abstract at times, and invokes emotion. His art has penetrated the

mainstream and his name has become recognizable to households and

museums throughout the world. His interesting life influenced his works as

well as those he influenced in the artistic realm.


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Pablo Picasso has many well-known works that he has created though

out his life. Picasso was a painter as well as a sculptor. He is most recognized

for his Cubism works. One of his most popular paintings throughout his

history is Guernica (1937). Guernica is a painting of suffering people, animals

and buildings ruined by the violence and chaos of war. Guernica depicts the

bombing of the city Guernica, which happened during the Civil War. Picasso

created this large-scale mural for the Spanish display at many expositions.

This work depicts the tragedies and heartbreaks of war especially toward

innocent civilians. This work has claimed world-renowned status becoming a

reminder of the horrible catastrophes of war and the embodiment of peace.

Guernica is a black and white, mural sized canvas painting in oil.Picasso made many different sketches to guide him in making this painting.His sketches were also exhibited when the finalized painting was shown.Much of the subject matter in this painting has different meanings and forthe most part the meanings are allegories of war. There are countlesssubjects of symbolism and interpretations different to each individual.Guernica is one of the most powerful pieces of art known to history;therefore, Picasso deserves the recognition he has gained throughout time.


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Pablo Picasso has influenced many people though out his time. Hiscubism work especially influenced many art movements following his yearsof this genre. Along with influencing many people, George Braque and PaulCezanne influenced Picasso himself. Picassos work was categorized intoperiods. He is known mostly for his blue period, his rose period and cubism.

In his cubism period Picasso was greatly known for using monochromeneutral and brownish colors where he created works such as Les DemoisellesdAvignon, shown at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. This work wasconsidered to be one of his first cubist paintings, created during his Africaninfluenced period.

Picassos The Old Guitarist is an example of his work during his bluephase painted in 1903 following the death of his close friend. This period inhis life was considered Spanish influenced. Picassos blue period was from

the years 1901-1904, which followed by his rose period. These two periodswere the foundation of his cubism period. It is said that this painting beganas a portrait of a woman but ended up as an image of an old man with aguitar. Picassos blue period works are some of his most popular of all timeeven though he had difficulty selling them at the time. Beggars, prostitutesand drunks were some of his key subjects of the blue period. The OldGuitarist is claimed his most well known work of this period.


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Picassos rose period followed directly after his blue period from theyears 1904-1906. This time period signifies the cheerful orange and pinkcolors in contrast to the cold, blue colors of his blue period. It is suggestedthat he changed his style from somber to happy because he had a new ladyin his life. Now the harlequin was a comedic character shown in checkered

clothing became a personal symbol for Picasso. The rose period wasconsidered to be of a French influence. Garcon a La Pipe was one of the mostrecognized paintings made during his rose period. Picassos rose periodlasted for only two years, which he followed with his African influencedperiod where the well-known cubism period took place.

Picassos African influenced period took place from 1907-1909. Hepainted in a way, which was strongly influenced by African sculpture. Thisperiod has also been called the Negro period or the black period. Picassosinterest in this period was strongly influenced by Henri Matisse. Matissebrought back an African mask, which inspired Picasso to create many of his

works within this period. The mask Matisse brought back for Picasso, asmentioned earlier, inspired the painting Les Demoiselles dAvignon. Thispainting shows the beginning style of cubism along with the African inspiredmasks the figures faces seem to have.


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Here, Picasso uses the monochromatic colors to portray the nudeAfrican women created in the cubist style that Picasso was known for. Thewomen appear with slightly disjointed body shapes with piercing angles,which account for the begging of the cubist period. In Les DemoisellesdAvignon Picasso made a giant leap from traditional European style paintingtoward the development of Cubism and modern art, as we know it today.This painting was widely controversial and avant-garde. Les DemoisellesdAvignon lead to disagreement and anger even amongst some of Picassosclosest friends and art colleagues. Previous to this, nudes were associated tomythological beings yet this painting portrayed images of people

recognizable within the city of Paris. For this painting, Picasso had createdhundreds of studies and sketches in preparation for his final painting. Heacknowledged the importance of Spanish art and sculptural influence on thepainting. It is believed to this day that Picasso was widely influence byMatisse, especially his painting Blue Nude.

These years of Picasso lead us up to one of his most important periodsof his lifetime. Cubism is what initiated Picasso to be one of the worlds


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greatest artists. Cubism was created by Pablo Picasso himself with the helpof Georges Braque which revolutionized European painting and sculpturewhile inspiring movements in music and literature. One of Picassos mostfamous cubist pieces is Bottle, Glass, Fork. Exemplified in this painting,cubist work is filled with broken up objects, which are re-analyzed and re-

assembled into an abstract form. Instead of depicting objects from oneviewpoint, cubism allows the viewer to see the object from multiple vantagepoints to represent the subject in a greater context. There are randomangles, which represent a great sense of depth. Bottle, Glass, Fork is a greatexample of one of Picassos cubist paintings giving great detail of the formalelements used in creating a unique style known to this day.

Picasso had many stylistic periods of painting throughout his career.Different women as well as different artists of his life influenced theseperiods. His peers and audience alike admire him. Picassos impact onmodern art was not immediate, yet over time Picasso has become one of the

greatest and most renowned artists of all time. Generations to come will lookto Picassos work for inspiration. We have inherited a rich legacy of ideas aswell as a window into his personal life, which has broadened the horizons ofartists alike to new possibilities of avant-garde art.

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Picasso Intro Yo