Pablo Picasso is considered one of the most famous and extraordinary artists of the twentieth century. The price of famous paintings and revolutionary picasso collage artworks reaches millions of dollars. This man left a deep impact on art, and most prominent art experts are still trying to fully understand the depths of his talent. But when you look at some of the artist’s paintings, it may be challenging to understand what is depicted there. Let’s have a better look together and try to unravel the mystery of the uniqueness and high value of his art pieces.
The first reaction to the paintings
To understand the paintings of Picasso, it is important to remember the first impression of the drawing you see and what feelings it evokes. Try to evaluate the narrative of the image from your point of view and the point of view of the author.
To decipher what the artist wanted to show, it is worth observing:
- colors used;
- characters and objects;
- image structures.
It is there that you can understand the feelings and meaning of creativity.
Content and context
Most of the artist’s works are scenes captured in memory. He often depicted his wife and lovers, the sceneries he once observed from afar, and the world in which he lived. To better understand Picasso paintings, you need to ask yourself who is depicted in them, where, and why in this particular way.
For example, in “Night Fishing in Antibes,” you can see two men in a boat fishing at night by a gas lamp light and two different women waiting at the dock. One of the women greets the men with obvious grace, while the other holds a bicycle, eats ice cream, and watches the scene. It is possible that the women represent Picasso’s mistress and wife.
Such a bright person as Picasso could not help but include personal details, events, and even himself in his works. To understand Picasso’s work, you need to think about what he experienced. Returning to the same “Night Fishing in Antibes”, we can assume that behind the two men hides the image of the artist himself.
One is a man who holds the spear tightly but does not strike to kill the fish, and the second is a distorted, lost, wavy figure tied with a rope by the leg. Two completely different spectrums and both are parts of Picasso.
Features of Picasso’s paintings
Whether it was his signature cubism, surrealism, collage, or realism, Picasso did not follow any particular style but looked for the best way to express his ideas. To evoke different emotions, he often used a combination of several very different styles in one work.
In the painting “Night Fishing in Antibes,” the fisherman’s hand with a spear is drawn quite realistically. But as the viewer’s gaze moves on to other objects, realism starts to expand towards cubism, and the whole world in the painting shifts from the real to surreally distorted.
The influence of progress
To understand the extravagant paintings of Pablo Picasso, we should remember that in the 20th century, photography practically overtook oil portraits on canvas and even the artists themselves from the market. Picasso took this as an opportunity to offer something extraordinary that no photographer could do. He had found a way to combine different points of perception in his paintings, creating portraits with disproportionate facial features scattered all over the head.
In addition to the rapid development of technological progress, history itself had put pressure on this genius man. One of his masterpieces, Guernica, shows how much Picasso’s work was influenced by the historical era in which he lived. The fresco depicts the terrible suffering of the war victims.
Influence of the artist’s work
Naturally, many artists who have legendary status are subjects of imitation and inspiration. It’s no secret that many artists around the world are trying to imitate Picasso’s unique style, and some are even stooping to plagiarism and passing off their work as the original.
To name one more important area influenced by Picasso, many faction brands use multicolored diamonds and abstract shapes in their collections. Some even completely devote their collections to cubism and don’t hide their intentions to pay tribute to Picasso’s work. There are thousands of very obvious replicas of the elements from the artist’s works, along with subtle cues on the catwalks of multiple fashion houses and the shelves of mass market stores.
Conclusion
They say that a man of genius is a genius in everything, which is true for Picasso. His life story, works, and art style keep living on after his death. Despite the fact that there is a huge number of people who do not understand or do not like his work, Picasso’s influence on modern culture cannot be ignored.
Also read: What are The Characteristics of Modern Art
