PICASSO

Picasso

Picasso

Introduction

In the Twentieth Century painting developed into an abstract and non-illusionistic style. In Art in the Western World, David M. Robb and J.J. Garrison say this is true in spite of the fact: the considerable amount of painting that occurred in this period which continues to adhere to the aesthetic of Renaissance realism. The image of objects conceived in a defined space no longer has power to move people as it once did, to stimulate their imagination or excite admiration. As in most artistic periods, the artists accepted this change before the general-public. Therefore, this accounts for the success of the old realism style painters. Robb and Garrison say, "naturally this holds true for the artists of our century somewhat more than for the general public which is slow in responding to changes, especially to aesthetic innovations.

Art and Change

The Fauve--wild beasts--group were the first to experiment with the new style in which the time honored renaissance convention of space representation was often wholly abandoned for a flat two-dimensional treatment. These men--Matisse, Rouault, Marquet, Braque and others--were popularly discredited and called Fauves or wild beasts. (Robb and Garrison, P. 609) Strong colors, and simplistic, distorted design characterized the group's work. They demonstrated the direction modern art would take in the twentieth century, but it was up to Pablo Picasso "to supply the basic grammar of modern art". Picasso did not work with the Fauves, choosing instead to work on a variety of styles, as he would his entire career. Robb and Garrison said, "his early painting from 1901-1904, like La Vie, is characterized by saturation of blue color with a corresponding melancholy pathos"(Mallen 2003 pp112). The picture represents both Picasso's classical training, and a hint of what was to come in the future. In the picture, there is a renaissance style realistic drawing of a nude couple and a woman dressed in a robe holding a baby. The woman with the baby and the nude couple are standing on either side and in front of two paintings. The painting on top is less realistic than the drawings of the couple and the woman with the baby. It is more abstract drawing of a nude couple, sitting on a rock, and embracing. The painting on the bottom is an even more abstract drawing of a nude figure. The painting represents the changes Picasso was going through at the time. Picasso influenced our culture in many ways, politically, socially, and creatively(Rubin 1980).

Pablo Picasso and the transformation of Art

Pablo Picasso was born in Malaga in 1881. He was the son of a respected art teacher. Thanks to his father's enormous influence at a young age, Picasso developed artistic skills quickly and was accepted into the Academy at Barcelona at age 14. Picasso advanced quickly and found school boring:

He painted his first great work, “Girl with Bare Feet” while studying at Barcelona. After two years of schooling, Picasso transferred for even for advanced tutelage. This did not hold Picasso's interest, so instead ...