|
Pablo Picasso was born in 1881, in Malaga, Spain. The son of the artist, Jose Ruiz, Picasso was a child prodigy. His talent was so great that at the young age of 14, Picasso was admitted into the Academy of Fine Arts, after finishing the month long qualification examination in one day. Then, after attending the Academy of San Fernando in Madrid, Picasso returned to Barcelona in 1900 where he mingled with and was deeply influenced by the city's intellectuals and fellow artists at the cabaret Els Quatre Gats. That same year Picasso had his first show, and also made one of his first of many trips to Paris. In 1901, influenced by his exposure to these culture rich cities, Picasso's "Blue Period" and Rose Period" followed. In 1907, Picasso created his unforgettable "Les Demoiselles d'Avignon", the groundbreaking work that introduced the Cubist Movement. Picasso soon began creating sets and costume design in theatrical productions. In the 1920's, married to his wife Olga, and living in Paris, Picasso creativity was in full swing. He produced spectacular works of art in Cubist, Surrealistic and Classical styles. In 1936, the Spanish Civil war, and Nazi Germany's bombing of the civilian target Guernica, Spain in 1937, deeply affected Picasso. The result was his creation of the incomparable expression of the disasters of war in the monumental painting, "Guernica." In the years that followed, living in the south of France with his new wife Jacqueline, Picasso concentrated on producing lithographs in addition to his extraordinary creations of sculpture, painting, drawing etc. Picasso worked until his death in 1973. Picasso was perhaps the most original, creative and productive artists of the twentieth century. His works are displayed in every important modern museum in the world and his influence on artist's who followed him is unprecedented. |