Pablo Ruiz Picasso was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist, and theatre designer.
He was born on October 25th, 1881, in Spain and died on April 8th, 1973, in France, where he spent most of his adult life.
Picasso’s full name is Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de Los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso.
Throughout his life and career, Picasso created more than 20,000 paintings, drawings, sculptures, ceramics, and other art pieces, such as theatre sets and costumes. He began making art early in his childhood, perhaps because his father was a painter and professor of art.
At 16, he attended a prominent art school called the Royal Academy of San Fernando in Madrid, Spain. Still, he decided to stop attending classes because he wanted more artistic and creative freedom.
The Art of Pablo Picasso
What Materials did Picasso use?
Picasso used traditional materials, such as oil paint, chalk, and charcoal, and more unusual materials, such as newspapers, sand, and sawdust. In addition, he also used found objects, such as the seat and handlebars of a bicycle, in his sculpture “Bull’s Head.”
Picasso liked experimenting with new materials and techniques in his artwork to challenge the status quo. For example, Picasso was one of the first artists to make a collage. His 1914 painting “Pipe, Glass, Bottle of Vieux Marc” combined traditional materials such as graphite, India ink, and gouache with a piece of newspaper glued to the canvas. Picasso and his contemporary, Braque, were both responsible for creating the modern idea of the collage.
Picasso’s sculptures also used a large variety of materials. His early sculptures were modeled in clay and wax. However, he also used wood, ceramic, and bronze. For example, in his 1914 series of sculptures, “Glass of Absinthe,” Picasso cast six bottles of Absinthe in bronze and decorated them with real spoons. Another unconventional sculpture is Picasso’s “Guitar.” This sculpture featured planes of sheet metal and metal wires. Sheet metal is a common material for buildings, but it was not commonly found in fine art and sculptures.
What is Pablo Picasso’s most famous piece of art?
Picasso’s most famous piece of art is a Guernica painting.
Not only is it Picasso’s most famous piece, but it’s also one of the most famous art pieces in the world in general. Moreover, it’s the most Google-searched piece of art!
Guernica was painted in 1937 and took Picasso around a month to complete. He painted it while at his home in Paris as a response to the bombing of Guernica, which is a Basque Country town in northern Spain. Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy attacked the city by order of Spanish Nationalists during the Spanish Civil War, which made it an important and political piece of art.
Famous art by Pablo Picasso
- Family of Saltimbanques (1905)
- Ma Jolie (English title: My Pretty Girl) (1912)
- La Vie (Life) (1903)
- Girl Before a Mirror (1932)
- Three Musicians (1921)
- Le Rêve (The Dream) (1932)
- The Old Guitarist (1903)
- The Weeping Woman (1937)
- Les Demoiselles d’Avignon (The Young Ladies of Avignon) (1907)
Click the image below to explore Pablo Picasso’s art with an interactive PowerPoint, suitable for ages 5+. What do your children think about these paintings?
Why is Picasso important?
Pablo Picasso was the most dominant and influential artist of the first half of the 20th century. He is known for pioneering the Cubism movement alongside a French painter named Georges Braque. He also invented the collage art style and was a prominent figure in the Symbolism and Surrealism artistic movements.
Cubism
Picasso began experimenting with his artistic style, and in 1907-1917, he successfully pioneered a new art style and movement called Cubism. It is believed that this was Picasso’s response to an ever-changing world and that he was also inspired by African art and the modern urban life of Paris.
Through Cubism, Picasso challenged conventional, realistic, and traditional art forms. He wanted his art to reflect the modern world and to emphasize the difference between a painting and reality.
To create this effect, he used bright colors and unusual shapes, which eventually developed into the style that we now call a collage.
Famous Picasso quotes.
‘The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily lives off our souls.’
‘The world today doesn’t make sense, so why should I paint pictures that do?’
‘Everything you can imagine is real.’
‘All children are artists. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.’
‘Art is a lie that makes us realize the truth.’
