| Extraordinary Spanish sculptor and painter Pablo Picasso was born on October 15 in 1881. He is one of the most recognized and noteworthy of all artists in the 20th century. He is best known as the founder of cubism, an art technique that he actually developed with Georges Braque. Picasso produced around 13,500 paintings or designs during the course of his professional life. In addition, he created 100,000 prints, 300 sculptures or ceramic pieces and 34,000 book illustrations. Pablo was considered a child prodigy. The tiny Museo de Picasso in Barcelonia is devoted mostly to Pablo's early works. He was considered an artistic rebel from word go. Early in his career, he studied the works of Gustave Courbet, Manet, and Toulouse-Lautrec. The Guinness Book of World Records has named Pablo Picasso as the most prolific painter of all time. Interestingly, the artist suffered from dyslexia.
Picasso and War in Spain. Guernica. Second World War (1937-1945):
Since the 1930s, the bull, Minotaur , which was a key topic and image appeared in the creative works of Picasso. The artist created a series of work with this character (Minotauromaquia", 1935), thus, Picasso interprets the myth about the Minotaur as he sees it. For Picasso, the bull, Minotaur – is the destructive forces of war and death.
The apogee of this theme was the famous Picasso's painting "Guernica" (1937). Guernica is a small town in Basque in the north of Spain, which was almost wiped out by German aircraft on May 1, 1937. This huge (nearly eight meter long and three and half in height) monochrome (black, white, gray) painting was first exhibited at the national pavilion of Spain at the World Exhibition in Paris.
One day, the Gestapo organized a search in the home of Picasso. The Nazi officer, seeing the photo of "Guernica" on the table had asked: "Are you done?". "No," - replied the artist - "You have done".
During this period, Picasso created monsters and series of monsters "Dreams and Lies of General Franco" (1937) (in 1936, during the Spanish Civil War, Picasso supported the Republicans and opposed the supporters of General Franco) and a number of paintings on similar themes: "Night Fishing at Antibes" (1939), "Weeping Woman" (1937) (last picture, he painted from Dora Maar, Yugoslavian photographer woman, whom the artist met in 1936; she became famous because she photographed Picasso's "Guernica" works).
During the second world war, Picasso lived in France, where he becomes closer to Communists , members of revolt (in 1944, Picasso enrolled himself in France's Communist Party). During this period, he created paintings with the same leitmotif of the bull, war and death. "Still Life with Steer's Skull" (1942), "Morning Serenade" (1942, National Museum for Modern Art, Pompidou Center, Paris), "Battle" (1944-1945, Museum of Modern Art, New York) and the sculpture "Man with a Lamb" (1944), which was erected later in front of old Roman cathedral on trading square of Walloris in South France.
Post-War Period (1945 - 1960)
Even during peace, in 1946, Picasso made a picturesque ensemble, consisting of 27 pictures and paintings for the castle of the prince's family Grimaldi in Antibes – a resort town on the Mediterranean coast of France. The picture in the first room is called "The Joy of Being" and the entire series is maintained in the same spirit of harmony with nature and being - images of fauns, naked girls, centaurs, and fantastic creatures.
In 1946, Picasso met young artist Francoise Gilot, and moved with her to Grimaldi's castle. Françoise soon gave birth to son Claude and daughter Paloma. Picasso dedicated painting "Woman Flower" to Françoise (In 1953, Françoise separated from Picasso with her two children due to his complex nature and constant mood swings and Picasso could not bear the separation, which is reflected in some of his works during that period - for example, in a series of ink paintings, depicting a disgusting old dwarf buffoon contrasting with a young and beautiful girl).
In 1949, Picasso painted his famous "Dove of Peace" for the poster for the World Peace Congress in Paris, and in 1951, he created the political painting "Massacre in Korea" (Picasso Museum, Paris). Since 1947, Picasso lived in the south of France, in Walloris, where in 1952, he painted allegorical symbols of war and peace on the walls of an old chapel and he called all this "Temple of Peace". In the same Walloris, Picasso took up ceramics. He created his favorite characters - Centaurs, fauns, bulls, doves, women and made anthropomorphic jars. The so called "Ceramic studios" are still prevalent in this small city in the South of France and these studios continue to keep the brand "Picasso" and replicate the product, invented by artist. In 1958, already a recognized and renowned artist, Picasso created a monumental composition "The Fall of Icarus" for the UNESCO building in Paris. In 1961, almost 80 yr old Picasso married a 34 year old beauty Jacqueline Roque. She inspired him to paint a series of portraits, in which her chiseled profile of a Sphinx can be observed. For both of them, Picasso bought a villa in Cannes.
In the 1950s, Picasso painted numerous variations on the themes of the famous masters - Velasquez, Goya, Manet in a free scandalous cubist manner: "Young Ladies on the Banks of the Seine, after Gustave Courbet" (1950, Art Museum, Basel), "Women of Algiers, after Delacroix" (1955), "Las Meninas, after Velazquez " (1957), "Luncheon on the Grass, after Manet" (1960). |
I can't think of an educated person (except for my art teacher) who
hasn't heard of Pablo 
