Pablo Picasso: Cubism & Other Forms
Cubism
In 1907 while studying in Paris, picture of a young woman of Avignon, Southeastern France was painted by Picasso in a unique style never seen before. The angles in the painting were queer with shockingly exaggerated physical features that hardly resembled a real woman. This painting was the beginning of the style created by Picasso which came to be known as Cubism. Other painters of his time started adopting this style in their paintings. Picasso meanwhile continued with his experiment on cubism using paper and other materials on his later paintings, a form of art that came to be known as ‘collage’.
Changing Styles
Picasso was ever experimenting to evolve new styles of art. He was impressed by the Greek and Roman statues which he saw at those places and made the human figures in his paintings to resemble those ancient statues. The human subjects of his art reflected the solidity of the statues that inspired him. He was also drawn to Surrealism which is borne out by the distortions of the subjects in his painting. He also recreated old paintings with new interpretations. Picasso’s genius was not confined to painting and drawing alone. He was also a sculptor and worked on ceramics. Designing of costumes and stages for theatres and dance performances were other art forms he explored. His paintings on the theme of war including the famous ‘Guernica’ reflected his intense dislike for war.
Prolific Art
Within his lifetime Picasso came to be recognized as the world’s most famous painter which was not the fate of the other great artists who preceded him. His creations numbering over 20000 during a period of 70 years are testimony to his prolific art. He became the most high profile artist and person in his time and his works of art sold at very high prices. When Picasso died in 1973 at the age of 91 he was still producing his great works. His works are found in famous museums as well as in private collections.
