1. Pablo Picasso
Founder of
Cubism

3. ART CRITICISM WORKSHEET
Write your… * first and last name * today’s date
* art period 1, 2, 3, or 4
* your grade level 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th
Now we will practice researching famous artists.
We will be discussing the artist Pablo Picasso and the paintings & sculpture he created.
Answer each question completely, thoroughly and in your own words.
Write on the back or on another sheet of paper if you need more room.

4. Sit back and watch the movie. Stay awake and pay attention.
MEET THE ARTIST
Pablo Picasso
Sit back and watch the movie. Stay awake and pay attention.
Hand out famous artist worksheet
About the Self Portrait Painting Self Portrait from 1907 by Pablo Picasso was painted around the same time as his famous Les Demoiselles d'Avignon painting. The portrait is mask-like and possibly influenced by African art, which the artist had a fascination with.

5. STEP ONE: THE ARTIST Pablo Picasso Spanish Malaga, Spain 1881 1973
What is the Artist’s Name:
Pablo Picasso
Spanish
What nationality (country) was the artist?
Malaga, Spain
Where was the artist born?
When was the artist born?
1881
When did the artist die?
1973
1900 – 1973
When did the artist create art? (time span) started ________ - ended ________

6. Something about the artwork.
Portrait of Dora Maar
was painted the same year as Picasso’s famous
Guernica.
Dora Maar, a photographer, grew up in Argentina and,
like Picasso, spoke Spanish.
Not only was she a friend of Picasso but she was his model for more than 10 years.
Photo of Dora Maar taken by artist Man Ray in 1936.

7. Pablo Picasso Portrait of Dora Maar Could Bring $50 Million
at May 3 Sotheby's Auction Sotheby’s May 3, 2006 evening sale of Impressionist and Modern Art in New York
will feature a stunning portrait by Pablo Picasso – Dora Maar au chat 7

8. STEP TWO: DESCRIPTION
In this step of art criticism you carefully make a list of all the things you see in the work. These include the following:

9. STEP TWO: DESCRIPTION
Art Form:
Painting
Art Movement:
Cubism

10. Credit Line  
Pablo Picasso, Portrait of Dora Maar, 1937 Oil on canvas, 92 x 65 cm (33” x 25”)
Musee Picasso, Paris, France.
Title:
Portrait of Dora Maar
Date of completion:
1937
Medium and/or process used:
Oil on canvas
Size:
33” X 25”
Owned or gifted by:
Musee Picasso fyi - Musee translates from French to Museum
Location of original work:
Musee Picasso,
Paris, France

11. STEP TWO: DESCRIPTION
Subject: (what is the work about?)
Portrait of a woman named Dora.

12. Objects: (what is in the work?)
STEP TWO: DESCRIPTION
Objects: (what is in the work?)
woman’s face, arms, hands, torso
chair
walls
ceiling
floor

13. Details: (look closer and what do you see?)
STEP TWO: DESCRIPTION
Details: (look closer and what do you see?)
In the foreground I see:
a woman
* she is impossibly shown in a profile and a frontal view
* she simultaneously looks away and at the viewer
* she is in a classical pose, elegant
and social * her head is inclined to the right
* her hand is on her right cheek
* she has very long, sharp finger nails
* the nose becomes an extension to the face

14. Details: (look closer and what do you see?)
STEP TWO : DESCRIPTION
Details: (look closer and what do you see?)
* the "far" eye seems to be looking
straight at us
the other eye is looking at herself
the eyelashes of this eye are
painted to emphasize this inward
direction, yet the pupil looks
straight out
* her hair is shoulder length and
curled up at the ends
* her right ear is a bee
* her elbows are reclining on the arms of the chair
* she is wearing an art-deco (style) patterned jacket
* she has on a checked skirt
Pablo Picasso. Portrait of Dora Maar. Oil on canvas Musée Picasso, Paris, France.

15. Details: (look closer and what do you see?)
STEP TWO : DESCRIPTION
Details: (look closer and what do you see?)
In the middle ground I see:
* she is sitting on a chair that
is flat. It seems like she would slide right off.

16. STEP TWO: DESCRIPTION
Details: (look closer and what do you see?)
In the background I see:
* the room in which she sits seems to small, but only add to making Dora the center of attention

17. Elements of Art used in the art work:
STEP THREE: ANALYSIS
Elements of Art used in the art work:
Lines
* arising from the point of the triangle in her skirt, are radiating black lines which look like a bouquet in front of and within the abstract shapes that look like flowers. * the straight vertical & horizontal lines in her skirt create a checkerboard effect
* there are many straight solid lines throughout the entire painting 17

18. STEP THREE: ANALYSIS
Elements of Art used in the art work:
Lines
* vertical lines on the back wall, horizontal lines in the side walls and diagonal lines in the ceiling.
* curved lines in the hair, face, neckline hands & fingers and the sleeves of her blouse
* the chair is made up of curved lines in the seat and the arms with straight vertical, horizontal & diagonal lines in the rest

19. Elements of Art used in the art work:
STEP THREE: ANALYSIS
Elements of Art used in the art work:
Colors
* her fingernails are bright red
* her jacket is black with a purple and green flower motif (design)
* one of her eyes are painted red while the other is green
* her face is painted white, yellow, red, blue, green, pink and black
* in her cheek, is a delicate pink apple with its small green leaf under the eye
* small yellow lemon within the apple – which I think represents the opposites of sweet and sour that can be in a woman

20. Elements of Art used in the art work:
STEP THREE: ANALYSIS
Elements of Art used in the art work:
Colors
* the brown chair is painted without any shading but has
black outlines and yellow highlights. * the walls, ceiling & floor are painted in a soft wash of pinks, yellows, blue and green

21. STEP THREE: ANALYSIS
Elements of Art used in the art work:
Shapes
her arms are painted in a flat inverted triangle shape
the back of her chair and her torso form one black rectangle with a triangles at its base.
her red checked skirt forms a triangle.

22. STEP THREE: ANALYSIS
Elements of Art used in the art work:
Shapes
the scarf hanging around her neck and falling in front creating a diamond
her eyes are almond shapes with circle pupils
the walls are rectangles while the ceiling creates a trapezoid along the top of the canvas

23. STEP THREE: ANALYSIS
Elements of Art used in the art work:
Forms
the arms of the chair create abstract forms
the ceiling, floor & walls seem to create a cube

24. STEP THREE: ANALYSIS
Elements of Art used in the art work:
Textures
the brush strokes of Dora and the chair are smooth and the paint is applied in a solid manner
the painting technique of the
room is applied in with a splotchy method creating an illusion of rough texture.

25. STEP THREE: ANALYSIS
Elements of Art used in the art work:
Space
foreground:
is occupied with the figure of the woman creating all positive space
middle ground
is occupied with the chair creating positive space
there is negative space in the chair created by the space within the X shapes under the chair arms

26. STEP THREE: ANALYSIS
Elements of Art used in the art work:
Space
background
the walls, floor and ceiling create solid positive spaces with no openings

27. STEP FOUR: INTERPRETATION
What message does this artwork communicate to you?
In this step you will explain or tell the meaning or mood of the work. Here you can make guesses about the artwork, as long as they appear to be supported by what you see in the work. Use your intelligence, imagination and courage.

28. STEP FOUR: INTERPRETATION
It is likely Dora Maar felt, as I usually do, like a different person looking at herself than she did looking at the world.
Or that the world saw her differently than she felt inside. Since Picasso depicts her simultaneously facing us, and looking within, he could be showing various thoughts and attitudes in Dora Maar.

29. STEP FOUR: INTERPRETATION
The way Picasso placed her sharp red-painted nails against the soft curve of her face makes me think Picasso wanted to depict the need for some woman to look beautiful and to be thoughtfully self-critical at the same time.

30. STEP FIVE: JUDGEMENT
Is this a successful work of art?
In this step you determine the degree of artistic merit. Were the art elements use in a successful aesthetics way. Do you like the work? Why or why not – be specific. No one can tell you what to like or dislike. You must make up your own mind.

31. STEP FIVE: JUDGEMENT
Personal Judgment I feel that this is an aesthetically successful painting.
The art elements are organized in a recognizable and interesting way making the art work easy to explore and understand.

32. STEP FIVE: JUDGEMENT
Personal Judgment I have enjoyed this painting since the 60’s which was the time for woman's lib.
I was a young adult forming my opinions of the world and my views of a modern woman's role during this revolutionary time in history.
I would be interested in exploring more art of this style by this artist.

33. STEP SIX: REFERRENCES
This is a research paper which means you should examine at least 3-5 resources for your information on each piece of artwork. This can include complete internet addresses, books including title and author, encyclopedia including title and page number, DVD titles and author, etc.

34. STEP SIX: REFERRENCES Internet Address: Books: Encyclopedia: DVD:
Books:
Picasso: His Life and Work, Roland Penrose, University of California Press
Encyclopedia:
DVD:
Dropping In On Pablo Picasso, Crystal Productions