Being the son of a painting teacher, Pablo Picasso had an early familiarity with the world of pictures. He studies under his father for a year, before he went to Paris to learn new styles and practise the same. He wanted to be an experimental painter. He had a good knowledge of Geometry and shapes; he evolved as a painter and learnt all the styles; ranging from the Blue period, rose period, the African styles and finally to cubism and surrealism and realism, of which he became a pioneer.
In the Blue period, Picasso mainly focused on the shades of Blue and bluish green depiction of the beggars and the prostitutes. In the Rose period, he gradually moved on to more colors like orange, red and pink and depicted more cheery depictions of circus people and acrobats. His inspiration for the Rose Period is a woman named Fernande Olivier. His transition from the depressing Blue period to the optimistic Rose period is an absolute evolution. Next came the African period- which were mainly inspired by geometry. The most important phase came next- the Cubism period. He focused on shapes and used monochromatic colors. In this period, Picasso also made collages in his style of art. He cut out portions of paper and used them in his paintings. This is called the Synthetic Cubism. As a painter, Pablo Picasso had a very Bohemian life and it is reflected in his work.
Picasso has made many prolific paintings-be it the Guernica, Dora Maar au Chat, The Weeping Woman, Jacqueline or Girl before a mirror. To analyze just one is indeed a tough task. But one of the most famous paintings is Guernica and its message about the devastating German bombing on the town by the same name in the Spanish Civil war is depicted beautifully. Picasso shows the innocent victims of the bombing, trying to live with all the implications of the war. It is an assortment of pastoral and epic styles. The painting is in Blue, black and white only, and its monochromatic tone sets for the sad mood of the situation. The oil painting is one of the most war-inspired paintings in the world and is currently kept at Museo Reina Sofia, Madrid.
There is an inherent tragedy about the painting from word go. There is the fierce bull, slaughtering the people away painfully- representative of the fascist German forces. There is a horse in the middle of the scene- writhing in agony and the large gaping wound on its body is the most striking feature of the painting. There is a bulb over the horse’s head, representing the bomb. There is a lady, with a lamp in her hand, horrified at the scene in front of her. The lamp represents hope and a new dawn. There are daggers, representing the killing of so many people. There is also a dove, representing further hope for a peaceful change.
The painting shows how deeply Picasso felt about the violence inflicted on thousands of people in the bombing. His 3. 5 meter into 7.8 meter oil painting brings out his angst, his protest and his anger towards the Fascists. He tries to say that innocent lives lost can’t be regained back and the sheer pain and torture faced are uncalled for. He uses few colors to set the somber atmosphere; he used each and every nuance to depict the devastation caused by the war. It is truly a masterpiece and a representation of Picasso’s mindset along with his sheer genius.
References:
1. pablopicasso.org.Web.21st October, 2014
2. eyewitnesstohistory .com.Web.21st October, 2014
