Picasso (1881-1973)
Considered by some to be the greatest artist of the 20th century, Pablo Picasso represents
the epitome of Cubism in modern art. In his artwork, Picasso made a complete turn away
from realism, and attempted to catch the essence of his subject matter as best as
possible. An extremely prolific artist, Picasso produced over 20,000 pieces of artwork
during his lifetime. His most famous work is El Guernica, a painting depicting
the horrors of the Nazi bombing of the Spanish town of Guernica during the Spanish Civil
War.
"A Spanish artist whose importance in the history of art is
uncontested is Pablo Picasso. His extensive artistic
production during his lengthy career covered a wide range of
media (painting, sculpture, ceramics, prints, and drawings) and
styles. He made staggering contributions to the
development of abstraction and to new ways of representing the
surrounding world.
Picasso
was a precicious student who had mastered all aspects of
late-nineteenth-century Realist techniques by the time he
enetered the Barcelona Academy of Fine Art in the late 1890's.
His prodigious talent led him to experiment with a wide range of
visual expression, first in Spain and then in Paris, where he
settled in 1904. Throughout his career, Picasso remained a
traditional artist in making careful preparatory studies for
each major work. He characterized the modern age, however,
in his enduring quest for innovation, his lack of complacency,
and his insistence on constantly challenging himself and those
around him. Picasso revealed this modernity in his
constant experimentation, in his sudden shifts from one style to
another, and in his startling innovations in painting, graphic
art, and sculpture, among other media."
- Gardner's
Art Through The Ages,
11th edition, Vol. II, p. 1011
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