Analysis of How Pablo Picasso Pioneered a Revolutionary Style of Modern Art – Cubism

Introduction

Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Martyr Patricio Clito Ruíz y Picasso, also known as Pablo Picasso, was a Spanish sculptor, ceramicist, and painter born in Málaga, Spain, on October 25, 1881. He was considered to be one of the most influential artists of the 20th century as he carved the path to a new revolutionary style of modern art, the cubism art movement. By challenging conventional art of drawing real-life form, Pablo Picasso took a giant leap in transforming art and the world. Some of Picasso’s artwork such as the “Girl with Mandolin”, “Three Musicians”, and “Three Women” depicts his revolutionary style (Richardson, 1991).

Early Years and Artistic Training

Picasso showed extraordinary talent in his early years, painting in a creative temperament, where the lines are astonishingly solid, and the image undoubtedly bears the “mark of the artist individuality”. Picasso’s early works were so astonishing that his parents did not refuse the idea of allowing him to pursue an artistic career. In 1895, he began studying at the School of Fine Arts in Barcelona. In 1897, he was enrolled in The Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando, Spain's top art academy at that time (Penrose, 1981). This foundational education laid the groundwork for his innovative contributions to art.

The Advent of Cubism

Before the era of cubism, painters painted from a single point of reference; however, this is not the case as we interact with real-life objects. Life is complex and can only be represented from multiple vantage points. For example, “we might see a tree off in the distance, and as we approach it, our perspective of the tree changes” (Steinberg, 1972). Pablo Picasso recognized this fact and was searching for ways to portray real life fully on 2D planes. He started pushing boundaries, defying what art was at that time by painting the subject from multiple perspectives. Picasso also used monochromatic color spaces and simple geometric shapes in his artworks, which created flatness to imply that all perspectives are equal. These approaches create a “simultaneous depiction of many views on a single picture surface.” This era of experimenting and innovations is called ‘analytical cubism’ and is considered to run from 1908 to 1912 (Golding, 1959).

Synthetic Cubism: Further Experimentation

After Pablo Picasso invented ‘analytic cubism’ in 1912, he continued experimenting with his works in a phase often identified as ‘synthetic cubism’, attempting to create something even more realistic, something that could portray real life, which was at that time “complex and ambiguous”. Picasso started incorporating everyday scraps such as newspapers or magazines as his materials, which gave a critical sense of reality. He also started reintroducing depth and vibrant color spaces back into his works, which gave a sense of excitement and playfulness that was absent in his early cubism works. These methods create an effect of ‘ambiguity’ in the mind of the viewer, expressing the contradiction between illusion and reality (Chilvers, 2004). Synthetic cubism marked a significant evolution in his work, emphasizing collage and abstraction to capture the essence of modern life.

Conclusion

Pablo Picasso’s journey through art was a testament to his relentless pursuit of innovation. From his early years of astonishing talent to his groundbreaking work in both analytical and synthetic cubism, Picasso redefined the boundaries of art. His legacy lives on as a beacon of creativity and a reminder of the transformative power of challenging conventions.

References

• Chilvers, I. (2004). The Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists. Oxford University Press.
• Golding, J. (1959). Cubism: A History and an Analysis, 1907-1914. Faber and Faber.
• Penrose, R. (1981). Picasso: His Life and Work. University of California Press.
• Richardson, J. (1991). A Life of Picasso: The Prodigy, 1881-1906. Random House.
• Steinberg, L. (1972). Other Criteria: Confrontations with Twentieth-Century Art. Oxford University Press.