On October 25th, 1881, I was born in the Spanish city of Málaga on the south coast of spain. My mother was Doña Maria Picasso y Lopez and my father was Don José Ruiz Blasco.
SPAIN
SEVILLE
MADRID
BARCELONA
MALAGA
To honour many relatives and saints, I was given a very long name. In full, my name is Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima
Trinidad Martyr Patricio Clito Ruíz y Picasso
In 1897, when I was 16, I moved to Madrid to attend the Royal Academy of San Fernando. I quickly became frustrated with the school’s focus on classical subjects and techniques, and so I again began spending my time exploring the city. I felt I could learn so much more by painting the things I observed outside than I ever could in class.
cafeteria
In 1900, I visited Paris for the first time with my friend and studio mate Carlos Casagemas. Paris was the art capital of Europe and it was here that I discovered brilliant colours and flamboyant fashions. Although it was just a short trip, it was filled with inspiration.
In 1907 I painted “Les Demoiselles d’Avignon”, which was full of abstraction and distortion. This signalled the start of a new art style that would become known as Cubism. From 1907 to 1917 I, along with my good friend and fellow painter Georges Braque, experimented with geometric shapes and multiple viewpoints. The result was collage-like paintings that seemed to defy physics.
From 1927 onwards, I became caught up in a new movement, Surrealism. One of my most well-known works was completed in 1937, during the Spanish Civil War. Painted in black, white and grays and featuring a minotaur, it is called “Guernica”
It is a Surrealist depiction the devastating bombing of the town by German bombers supporting Franco. My take on the horrors of war has been deemed one of the greatest paintings of all time.
There’s one thought I would like to leave you with, and it’s that you should never be afraid to try new things. One of the ways you can keep life interesting is to constantly reinvent yourself. Always try new colours, techniques, fashions, and then make them uniquely your own.
Picasso is born on 25th October in Málaga, Spain.
He moves to Madrid to attend the Royal Academy of San Fernando.
Picasso’s family moves to Barcelona and he attends the School of Fine Arts.
Picasso stays with friend Manuel Pallarès in Horta de Ebro as he recovers from scarlet fever.
BARCELONA MADRID
Casagemas passes away and Picasso’s “Blue Period” begins.
Picasso visits Paris with friend Carlos Casagemas.
“The old guitarist” is completed.
Picasso paints “Blue Nude”.
QUESTIONS
Q1. According to legend, what was Picasso’s first word?
Q2. How old was Picasso when he attended the Royal Academy of San Fernando in Madrid?
Q3. What illness did Picasso have in 1898?
Q4. In which city was the “The Four Cats cafe?”
Q5. Whose death inspired Picasso’s “Blue Period”?
Q6. Which art style did Picasso create with his friend Georges Braque?
Q7. What was the occupation of Picasso’s first wife, Olga?
Q8. Picasso’s “Classical Period” come after what?
Q9. What was Picasso’s most famous Surrealist painting called?
Q10. In what year did Picasso pass away?
