For nearly 80 of his 91 years, Picasso devoted himself to an artistic production that contributed significantly to the whole development of modern art in the 20th century, notably through the invention of Cubism in about 1907. He was not only a master painter but also a sculptor, printmaker, ceramics artist, etching artist and writer. Picasso lived through two World wars, sired four children, appeared in films and wrote poetry. His career spanned over a 78-year period in which he created: 13,500 paintings, 100,000 prints & engravings and 34,000 illustrations.
Although he lived the majority of his adult years in France, Picasso was a Spaniard by birth. He attended the School of Fine Arts in Barcelona, where his father taught, at the age of 13 and then moving on to Spain’s top art academy at the time, in Madrid.
In 1900 he moved to Paris, living in poverty, sometimes reduced to burning his paintings to stay warm.
As one of the greatest influences on the course of 20th– century art, Picasso often mixed various styles to create wholly new interpretations of what he saw. His continual quest for passion in his many romantic liaisons throughout his life inspired him to create innumerable artworks. Picasso is not just a man and his work. He is always a legend, almost a myth. In the public view he has long since been the personification of genius in modern art.
Pablo was married twice and had three partners – one being Dora Maar, a French photographer, painter and poet. She was depicted in a number of Picasso’s paintings and she herself still painted into her 80s.
Francoise Gilot was Picasso’s partner between 1943 and 1953. She was only 21 years old when she first met Pablo Picasso, who was 61 at the time. She is a French painter, best known for her long, stormy relationship with Picasso, with whom she had two children, Claude and Paloma. Gilot, now 99 years old, lives in New York where she still paints. In her own words: “For me, painting is as natural as breathing. I usually breathe. I don’t stop breathing. It’s very easy. It happens every day. The ability to work with your hands, to tell about your feelings, that’s what it is.”
“It took me four years to paint like Raphael, but a lifetime to paint like a child.”
Pablo Picasso
