Pablo Picasso

Welcome to our fine art related articles covering some of the great fine artists of all time. In this article, we look at the renowned artist, Pablo Picasso.

The Spanish painter and sculptor was born in the Andalucian city of Malaga (Spain) in 1881.

His full name, which is typically long-winded as was the Spanish tradition of the time and includes saints and his patents names is Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Martyr Patricio Clito Ruíz y Picasso.

He lived a long and fascinating life, and finally passed away on 8th April 1973.

The most popularly known of his work as the founder of the cubist movement are the proto-Cubist Les Demoiselles d'Avignon (1907) as well as his depiction of the German bombing of Guernica which occurred during the Spanish Civil War, Guernica (1937).

After studying art in Madrid, the young Picasso travelled to Paris, then the art capital of Europe, in 1900. There he studied

In 1901, Picasso returned to Madrid, where he founded the magazine Arte Joven (Young Art) along with Francisco de Asís Soler. Only five issues were ever published, with Soler soliciting articles and Picasso illustrating the journal with grim cartoons that mostly depicted the state of the poor.

The first issue of the magazine was published 31st March 1901. The artist by this time had begun to sign his work simply "Picasso."

In 1904, Picasso met Bohemian artist Fernande Olivier, who became his mistress and appeared in many paintings from his Rose period.

His subsequent fame, which generated a period of prosperity, Picasso left Olivier for Eva Gouel (real name Marcelle Humbert) for whom he included declarations of his love in many of his Cubist works. In 1915 she died prematurely at the age of 30, for which Picasso was devastated.

Picasso had several mistresses in addition to being married twice and fathered four children by three women. Claude and Paloma were by Françoise Gilot, Paulo with Olga Koklova and Maya with Marie-Thérèse Walter.

Pablo Picasso died in Mougins, France, during a dinner where he and his wife Jacqueline were entertaining friends. His final words are reputed to be "Drink to me, drink to my health, you know I can't drink any more."

Janice White

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