Pablo Ruiz Picasso is one of the most influential 20th-century artists (Witham 9). Pablo Picasso and Innovation in Art is also arguably one of the most influential artists of all time. He was a painter, sculptor, ceramicist, and theater designer (Witham 9). Although Picasso was engaged in different art forms, he is popularly known as a painter. He produced thousands of paintings throughout his life (Clark 1). His paintings are quite elegant. Two key things that helped make Picasso one of the greatest 20th-century painters are his distinct painting style and artistic creation (Clark 1). Picasso’s contribution to art does not stop at creating great quality paintings. The artists helped invent new ways of painting and creating art (Clark 1). The new ways of painting and creating art have influenced many artists and wannabe artists today (Clark 1). The new ways Picasso helped invent are taught in art classes. Innovation is one of the qualities that helped make Pablo Picasso one of the most influential artists in the 20th century.
Picasso’s Life
Picasso was born on October 1881 in a place called Malago, Southern Spain (Witham 9). His father was named Jose Ruiz Blaso, while his mother was named Maria Picasso Lopez (Witham 9). Picasso was born into a middle-class family (Witham 9). His father worked as a painter (Witham 9). Blaso primarily specialized in the naturalistic depiction of birds and other game (Witham 9). Picasso’s father was an art professor. He taught the subject at a school of crafts. He also served as a curator at a local museum. Picasso’s father’s career greatly influenced his son’s interest in art (Witham 9). He picked an interest in art at a quite young age. As a boy, he would observe his father create impressive artwork. Picasso’s father formally introduced him to art when the boy was aged seven (Witham 9). He taught him to figure drawing and oil painting. As an art teacher, Picasso’s father believed proper art training was critical to producing great artists (Witham 9). Thus, he ensured that he provided the boy with quality formal art training. Formal and diligent art training at a quite early age is likely one of the main reasons why Pablo Picasso and Innovation in Art went on to become one of the greatest artists of the 20th century (Witham 10).
Picasso’s family relocated to La Coruna in 1892 (Witham 10). One year later, Picasso was accepted into a fine applied art school (Witham 10). The young student had an added advantage when attending art school as his father had trained him a lot in art, specifically painting. Picasso created his first oil painting in 1894, at 13. The following year, he created a portrait of his family (Witham 10). His earlier paintings were quite good that Picasso made some money selling the same on a small scale (Witham 10). Following the sad demise of Picasso’s young sister, the family moved to Barcelona, Spain, and the young artist transferred to an art school in Barcelona (Witham 10). His art education progressed quite fast. He was admitted into an advanced art class at the young age of 13 (Witham 10).
In 1897, Picasso was sent to the top school in Spain at the time, Madrid’s Royal Academy (Witham 13). However, the young artist was not quite keen on formal instructions. He quit the academy shortly after joining (Witham 13). After quitting school, he now focused a lot of his attention on creating art. In 1900, he visited France for the first time in the company of a friend (Witham 13). France was quite popular among young and upcoming artists at the time. It was no surprise that Picasso visited the country. In 1901, he returned to France and set up a studio (Witham 13). Picasso created most of his great artworks in France. Many people came to admire him. Some went to his studio to get art training from the great artist.
Picasso married his first wife, Olga Khokhlova, in 1918 (Witham 108). The couple was blessed with one child (Witham 108). However, the two separated in 1935 (Witham 110). Picasso got into a romantic relationship with the French artist Françoise Gilot which lasted from 1943–1953 (Witham 233). The two lovers gave birth to three children (Witham 233). Picasso sired four children in total. He married his second wife, Jacqueline Roque, in 1961 (Witham 233). The artist had a quite complicated love life. He was involved in affairs with several women during his first marriage to Khokhlova (Witham 234). The artist died in April 1973 in France at 91 (Witham 266). His death was attributed to heart failure and pulmonary edema (Witham 266). He had lived a quite long and interesting life. By his death, he had produced thousands of works of art. His great works of art and contributions to the field are celebrated to date.
Picasso’s Contribution to Innovation in Art
Picasso was not the kind of artist that would allow themselves to be constrained by the generally accepted ways of creating art (Dominiczak 1384). The artist would go against the tide and innovate on new perspectives and approaches to creating art. His willingness to develop new ways of creating art and new art forms made him one of the most innovative artists of the 20th century (Dominiczak 1384). Picasso’s innovations in art were largely influenced by his exposure to art from different parts of the world. For example, Picasso gained an interest in African art, and the art helped him learn some ideas that he employed to develop new ways of creating art (Dominiczak 1386). His innovation influenced many artists of his time and contemporary artists. Picasso’s fame is influenced by his artworks and the movements and styles that he helped innovate (Dominiczak 1384). Some of Pablo Picasso and Innovation in Art popular innovations in Art are Cubism, Constructed Sculpture, and collage.
Cubism
One of the most famous innovations that Picasso introduced was Cubism. The artist pioneered the cubist movement with his friend and artist Georges Braque (Witham 55). The two popularized the new style of creating art from 1907-1917 (Witham 55). Cubism was quite radically different styles than the art style that was prevalent in the early 1900s. Cubism was considered a revolutionary modern art style at the time (Witham 55). Picasso formed the new style in response to the world’s rapid changes at the time. One of the key goals that led the artists to invent and champion Cubism was to develop a new way of seeing which was aligned with the modern age (Witham 56). By creating and championing Cubism. Picasso and Braque challenged the conventional, realistic forms of art that were prevalent at the time. The realistic forms of art sought to copy nature. Conventional, realistic artists would depict people, animals, and objects almost as they appeared in reality (Witham 56). Picasso held the view that art should not always copy nature (Witham 56). He believed that artists ought not to be restrained by realistic forms of art (Witham 56). They should be free to use their creativity in art.
Cubist art is significantly different from the object that it seeks to represent. Picasso’s painting of cubism art involved simplifying objects into geometric components and planes (Witham 55). Different parts of the object in paintings or drawings would have geometric dimensions (Witham 55). The drawing and painting of objects using geometric components and planes result in distorted forms and figures. Cubism helped Picasso emphasize the difference between reality and paintings. Figure one below is an example of cubist art.
Pablo Picasso and Innovation in Art
Figure 1. Picasso’s Painting Titled “Girl With Mandolin,” 1910 (Masterworks Fine Art Gallery).
The painting depicted in Fig 1 above is called “Girl With Mandolin” (Masterworks Fine Art Gallery). Pablo Picasso and Innovation in Art made the painting in 1910, shortly after co-inventing Cubism and championing the same together with Braque. The painting is a perfect example of cubist art. The painting depicts a girl playing a medallion. However, the girl in the painting is different from how a girl appears in real life. Parts of the girl’s body are shaped in the form of geometric objects. Her head looks like an imperfect rectangle. What appears to be her breast is in the form of a circle. The mandolin is also quite different from how the object looks in real life. The painting’s background is also in the form of shapes and planes. Despite the objects in the painting looking quite distorted, one can generally see that the painting depicts a female and a musical object. The image achieved Picasso’s goal of creating art that is quite different from reality.
Fig 2. Picasso’s Painting is Titled “Large Bather with a Book” (Pablopicasso.org).
Fig 2 above is another good example of a cubist painting. The painting is titled “Large Bather with a Book.” Picasso created the painting in 1937, several years after championing the cubist movement with Braque (Pablopicasso.org). The image depicts a person sitting reading a book. Different parts of the individual’s body look like shapes. The book looks like a rectangle. The blue color, which is part of the image’s background, shows that the individual is sitting on a beach. Like Fig 1, the objects depicted in the image are quite different from how they appear in real life. Again, Picasso used Cubism to create art that is quite different from reality.
Collage Art
A new form of Pablo Picasso and Innovation in Art helped co-invent is collage art. He co-invented the new art form together with his friend and fellow artist Braque (Witham 64). The two invented collage as a new way of producing innovative art. Collage art regards artwork made up of gluing assorted materials on a board, paper, or canvas (Witham 64). The artist chooses the materials they want to use to create a collage. Examples of materials that have been used to create collage art include photographs, clippings, newspapers, solid objects, and pieces of fabric (Witham 65). The materials must be creatively pinned into a board, paper, or canvas to create an elegant artwork. Collage art is accepted as a form of art to date. Students in schools are sometimes required to create collages by pinning different materials on a board, canvas, or paper. Fig 3 below is an example of a collage created by Picasso.
Pablo Picasso and Innovation in Art
Fig 3. Bottle of Vieux Marc, Glass, Guitar, and Newspaper (Weiner Elementary).
Fig 3 above is an example of collage art created by Picasso. The artwork shows several materials pinned on a board. One of the objects on the board is a piece of old newspaper. The piece of the newspaper has the word “FIGARO” on it. Another object on the board is an abstracted form of a glass bottle. The abstracted glass is labeled “VIVEUX” close to the mouth. The third object in the collage is an abstracted form of guitar. The guitar looks like a gun. The fourth object on the board is a glass. Other pieces of paper on the board are quite difficult to identify. Picasso’s and Braque’s achievement was persuading their contemporaries that such an arrangement of objects could be regarded as art.
Fig. 4. A Collage Created by Braque (Weiner Elementary)
Fig 4. Above is another example of collage. The collage was created by Braque. The piece displays several types of materials on a board. One object pinned on the board is a painting of a knife. Another object pinned on the board is a painting of a mug. There are paintings of two fruits. The collage also has a painting of a small desk and a large one. There is also a piece of paper on the table with the word “LEJOUR.” Other objects in the artwork are wallpapers pinned on the board. The collage looks quite elegant. The image shows that collage art is indeed art.
Pablo Picasso and Innovation in Art
The third art form that Picasso invented is termed constructed sculpture or assemblage (Pablo-Ruiz-picasso.net). Assemblage regards artwork created through grouping together found or unrelated objects (Pablo-Ruiz-picasso.net). Picasso constructed sculptures by collecting debris of things that had been discarded as waste and sculpting them into artworks (Pablo-Ruiz-picasso.net). World War II led to immense destruction in France. Picasso was horrified by the destruction. He used some of the things that had been damaged by the war to create sculptures that helped illustrate to people the death and destruction that resulted from World War II. Fig 5 below is an example of a sculpture that Picasso assembled from waste following World War II.
Fig 5. Picasso’s Sculpture Named “GUITAR” (Pablo-ruiz-picasso.net).
Fig 5. Picasso’s Sculpture Named “GUITAR” (Pablo-ruiz-picasso.net).
Fig 5 above is one example of constructed Sculpture created by Picasso. It is one of Picasso’s earliest assemblages. The piece is titled “GUITAR.” He created the artwork in 1914 (Pablo-Ruiz-picasso.net). The assemblage is a guitar replica created using Pieces of wood, strings, and steel. The object looks quite different from a modern guitar. However, one can tell from simply looking at it that Picasso was trying to assemble a guitar. The artwork looks primitive. It lacks the sophistication often associated with art. Nonetheless, it can be regarded as a work of art.
Fig 5. Picasso’s Sculpture Titled “Death’s Head” (Pablo-ruiz-picasso.net).
Fig 5 above depicts an object that appears like a human skull. The Pablo Picasso and Innovation in Art object has a big hole on the side and several other holes on the front. Picasso produced the artwork in Death’s Head, 1944, one year before the end of World War II. He created the object using bronze. The object symbolizes the death that resulted from the fighting that occurred during World War II. The object helps people who were not there during World War II how destructive the war was. The object clearly looks like an artwork, even for a layman.
Conclusion
Pablo Picasso and Innovation in Art gained a lot of popularity in the world of art partly because of his artistic innovation. The artist helped create a new painting and drawing style and introduced new forms of art. The new painting and drawing style that Picasso helped create was Cubism. Working together with a friend, Picasso introduced a new style of painting and drawing that involves simplifying objects into geometric components and planes. A new form of art that Picasso co-invented is collage art. A particular type of art is created by gluing assorted materials on a board, paper, or canvas. Materials that have been used to create collage art include photographs, clippings, newspapers, solid objects, and pieces of fabric. The second type of art that Picasso invented is constructed Sculpture. Such art is created through grouping together found or unrelated objects. Constructed sculptures are created to date. The ability to innovate new styles and forms of art make Picasso one of the greatest artists in history.
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Read 8.4- Peer Review (pages 322-324 and 15.1- Introduction to Revising (pages 414-434). Then read Topic 16- Editing (pages 435-438).
This week’s objectives are about editing and revising our own work, as well as the work of our peers. This week you will work on evaluating your own work through drafting, revising, and editing skills. However, for peer to peer editing, let’s do some peer evaluations for the purpose of this discussion post.
For this discussion post, please post several pages (if not the entire paper) below. You can self edit it via comments noticing what edits you would like to revise or if you notice grammatical issues. Fellow peers will then also offer constructive criticism, just as you will edit theirs. Please edit at least two papers and pick papers that have not yet been edited if you can so that everyone ends up with a peer-evaluated paper. Please remember the importance of editing grammar, sentence structure, and organization/clarity in the essay- and offer feedback that is detailed and specific. While it is okay to say someone has a nice essay- you need to provide constructive criticism as well and offer ideas on how to improve their papers such as adding more to the introduction paragraph, clarifying information, following logical progression, finding sentence fragments, or feeling some more specific details would be better in some areas. Look at their in-text citations and be sure they are doing them correctly- if they are not, offer them advice on how to change them so they are formatted correctly. I will be checking VERY closely on the feedback you give and that is how you will get the full points for this discussion post.
Afterward, revise and improve your own paper before turning in the final draft due by Sunday.
Grading Criteria/Rubric for Discussion Posts:
You must participate in this- IT IS NOT OPTIONAL. These are due each Wednesday. In order to get credit- you must do two things. 1- Answer the discussion post with your own critical thoughts expected at the college academic level. A minimum of 10 in-depth and profound, polished sentences are expected in order to get credit. 2-You must reply and respond to at least 1 other student’s remarks. Each response must be at a minimum of 3 sentences. For example, “Yes, I totally agree,” or “You make a really good point” are NOT acceptable and will NOT count.
