Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso (1881 – 1973)

born in Malaga, Spain taught to paint by his father painter, draughtsman, sculptor Home where he was born

It is thought that Picasso was “born an artist”: his first word was "piz," short of “lápiz” the Spanish word for 'pencil.' His father, Ruiz, an artist and art professor, gave him a formal education in art starting at the age of 7. By 13, Ruiz vowed to give up painting as he felt that Pablo had surpassed him. His first major painting, an "academic" work is First Communion, featuring a portrait of his father, mother, and younger sister kneeling before an altar. Picasso was 15 when he finished it.

best known for co-founding the Cubist movement (with Georges Braque) Cubism: objects are broken up, analyzed, and re-assembled in an abstracted form the artist depicts the subject from multiple viewpoints

most famous works are Les Demoiselles d'Avignon (1907) and Guernica

Oil on Canvas; completed in 1907 Cubist style Influenced by African Masks Controversial – originally rejected by the art world Les Demoiselle d’ Avignon

Guernica – painted for the World’s Fair depicts the bombing of Guernica, Spain by Germans during the Spanish Civil War

Melancholy and sadness best characterized Picasso's Blue Period. Picasso's close friend, Carlos Casagemas, committed suicide Casagemas had shot himself in a Parisian café after having been refused by a woman he was in love with (he attempted to shoot her too). Picasso's produced a series of deeply sentimental paintings which comprise his blue period.

Picasso’s “Blue Period” consisted of many paintings in a blue, monochromatic color scheme The Old Guitarist 1903, oil on Panel And Femme aux bras Croises 1902

Blue Period” was followed by a “Rose Period” as he was coming out of his depression Boy with a Pipe, 1905

Picasso often reused canvases or painted over areas he disliked See the lady’s face behind/under the man’s neck? Raise your hand once you find the face!

Also influenced by circus performers – acrobats and harlequins – known in France as Saltimbanques. Family of Saltimbanques, 1905

Picasso is considered an ABSTRACT artist IN ART – Abstraction Means To: Simplify, reduce and/or rearrange imagery in a composition ABSTRACTION (Wikipedia): “The process or result of generalization by reducing simplifying the information content of a concept or an observable phenomenon.”

Three Musicians, 1921

Picasso Sculpture in Chicago

Dora Maar au chat, 1941 Picasso

La Danse, 1925 Picasso

Picasso’s famous peace dove

Your Final Painting Project is to Turn a Masterpiece… Diego Velázquez. Las Meninas (The Maids of Honor) or the Royal Family. 1656/57. Oil on canvas. Museo del Prado,

Into an Abstraction like Picasso Pablo Picasso. Las Meninas Oil on canvas. Museo Picasso, Barcelona, Spain

Other versions of Las Meninas by Picasso

Find a (highly realistic) Masterpiece Painting to Abstract

Using tracing paper draw and abstraction of your masterpiece by stretching, pinching, rearranging, changing proportions, and breaking it down into basic shapes. Think of this as combining all of the different boxes from the practice abstraction worksheets into one drawing.

Before completing our own abstractions, we will practice first! Complete 2 different Abstraction worksheets to practice your skills. Each box must look different and show neatly drawn, crisp, & clean shape outlines for full points.