Though they were difficult for the artist to sell at the time, today Picasso’s Blue Period paintings are among his most popular and highly prized. Lonely figures with El Greco-like features, such as his famed The Old Guitarist from 1903 (Art Institute of Chicago), pervade these works. The painting considered the first of his Blue Period, The Death of Casagemas (Musée Picasso, Paris), reflects the profound psychological impact of the unexpected suicide of his friend, after which Picasso sank into a deep depression. So named for the blue and grey color palette that pervaded these works, Picasso’s creations from the Blue Period tended towards themes of poverty, seclusion and melancholy. Known as the Blue Period, it began in late 1901 and lasted for about three years when he lived intermittently between Paris and Spain. It is believed that the suicide of his friend Casagemas is what spurred the first great stylistic period of the artist’s career.
However, his style would soon take a dramatic turn for the modern. Executed in an academic style, they differ significantly from the paintings that are associated with the artist today. His earliest paintings from this period largely reflect the influence of his father. Picasso’s first exhibition took place in Barcelona in 1900, and that fall he traveled to Paris for the very first time, dramatically expanding his artistic circle. At the age of 17, he became closely associated with the group of modernists who gathered at the café Els Quatre Gats (The Four Cats), including the Catalan Carlos Casagemas (1880–1901). In 1895, Picasso and his family moved to Barcelona, where he studied at La Lonja, the academy of fine arts. His earliest known painting, The Picador, was composed by the artist in 1890 at that same age amazingly, the bullfighter was a theme that he would return to time and time again throughout his career. Thanks to the teachings of his father, he was skilled in oil painting by the young age of eight. He grew up surrounded by art, and naturally he began to draw at an early age. Read on to learn more about the life and development of this master of his craft.īorn on October 25, 1881, in Málaga, Pablo Picasso was the son of the academic painter José Ruiz Blasco. Though some critics claim faults in certain periods of his work or even his personal relationships, he unquestionably remains one of the most consummate geniuses in the whole of art history. But his legacy runs far deeper than simple dollar and cents can describe. His Les Femmes d'Alger ("Version O") claims a place among the ten most expensive paintings in the world, having achieved $179.4 million at auction in 2015. Artists continue to emulate his works, while his prints and paintings hang in homes and museums around the world. He was certainly one of the most diverse, creating works of art in a dizzying array of styles and media throughout his nearly 80-year long career. One could argue that Pablo Picasso was the most influential artist to have ever lived.
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