The Picturesque Paintings of Pablo Picasso

Think of an artist, a painter, a sculpturist, it doesn't matter which medium we’re talking about here, just think art. What are some artists that come to mind?

More than likely not, the name Picasso popped into your head.

Born in 1881 in Malaga, Spain, Pablo Ruiz Picasso was one of the most influential artists in the 20th century and before he even turned 50 years old, he had become the most well known name in modern art. It is said that throughout his 78 years of art career, he has produced roughly 147,800 pieces in his life and this includes painting, prints and engravings, sculptures and ceramics, and illustrations.

Because his art career lasted 78 years, Picasso’s works were divided into five main periods: the Blue Period which started in 1901 and lasted until 1904, the Rose Period which followed from 1905-1907, Cubism which proceeded from 1907-1925, Classicism from 1920-1930 and finally Surrealism which consists of his works from 1926 and onwards.

Cubism is without a doubt his most acclaimed type of art style as he and his fellow artist friend Georges Braque coined the term cubism and brought it to life through various pieces between 1907 and 1914.

Cubism was a 20th century avant garde art movement that consisted of geometric forms in the form of cubes to create two dimensional works of abstract. This new visual art language changed the face of European painting and made its way to many artists around the country who adopted this style of abstract art.

Here are some of Picasso's artworks that features the cubism style in the Picasso Museum in Barcelona

With such an influence in the art world, many art museums around the world have dedicated their exhibitions towards his works. But one museum that stands out from the rest is the Museu Picasso located in Barcelona, Spain which houses 4,251 of his works. This museum stands out because not only does it exhibit his works, but it has a section dedicated to his earlier works which can’t be found in other museums.

MUSEU PICASSO

Founded in 1963, Picasso himself donated more than nine hundred of his early works to the Museu Picasso in the 1970s.

Pictures of Picasso donating his earlier works to Barcelona and the city council

When we first step into the museum we are immediately faced with a wall filled with his sketches from his earlier years. They’re all simple sketches that center around realism art.

Never seen before sketches from Picassos' earlier years that are displayed in Museu Picasso

His first painting was Le Picador (1890) which he drew when he was only 9 years old. This oil painting on wood captured his artistic skills at such a young age as he continued with more works throughout the years.

We then enter a room that centers around a big painting called the First Communion. This is Picasso’s first recognized piece of work that he painted when he was attending La Lonja School of Art, it was also his first large oil painting.

The First Communion: Picasso's first recognized piece of work

Bob Stortz, a visitor who came all the way from New York to Barcelona to visit Museu Picasso was amazed by Picasso’s “astonishing little drawings and paintings [from] when he was a teenager between 1898 and 1901”. Stortz studied art history and was very familiar with Picasso’s mature work but he never got a chance to see his earlier works from when he was just learning. “That stuff has never left this museum and this is a rare opportunity to see him develop his youth.”

Picasso started painting and drawing in a realistic manner but then in his later works he broke away from realism and just started going crazy, which is how cubism was coined.

As we pass on through the museum we see more of his works throughout his lifetime as he slowly transitions between different styles.

Some of my favorite works by him were the ones that painted the real landscapes of Barcelona. Because this made me feel a deeper connection with his works as we are in the city of Barcelona and we may have passed by the same places that he has and seen the same things that he has that later inspired him into producing this work.

With the museum, there are multiple rooms to explore. I asked a local tour guide at the museum which area of his work she thinks we should focus on the most. She said “I think people should pay more attention to Las Meninas along with his earlier works in the first room.”

Museum Picasso has provided its viewers with never seen before works from his earlier years along with his collection of works titled Las Meninas.

LAS MENINAS

A look into the room of Las Meninas in Museu Picasso as many speculators enjoy his works

Developed towards the later part of his life, Picasso performed a comprehensive analysis of Las Meninas by Diego Velazquez. He reinterpreted and recreated it a total of 58 times and there is a room in Museu Picasso that is specifically dedicated towards his attempts at Las Meninas.

Picasso was inspired by Velazquez multiple times and each time he focused on a different aspect, from rhythm to color to movement along with a constant play of imagination from the artist himself.

PICASSO’S LEGACY

With so many artworks of Picasso’s displayed around the world, he has touched the hearts of many through his works starting from the ripe age of 9 years old. Through the evolution of time we can also see the transitions of his style of art as he went through many different periods of art throughout his 78 year career.

To learn more about Picasso is his website that goes into more details about his life and his works specifically.

If you ever have the opportunity to visit a Picasso Museum or view any of Picasso’s artworks, I highly recommend you do it because his pieces will forever leave a lasting impression on our minds.

-Zexi Zhang