Pablo Picasso

Pablo Picasso was born in Málaga, Spain in 1881 and is widely considered one of the most transformative figures in modern art. A gifted artist from a young age, Picasso moved to Paris in 1904 and immersed himself in the avant-garde art scene, where he began a lifelong journey of innovation across painting, sculpture, printmaking, and ceramics. His ability to master traditional techniques while constantly reinventing his style set him apart from his contemporaries.

Picasso’s early work is divided into emotional color-driven phases: the Blue Period (1901–1904), marked by somber, melancholic tones and themes of poverty and grief; and the Rose Period (1904–1906), which introduced warmer hues and subjects like performers and harlequins. These stages reflected his psychological states and personal experiences, revealing how he used color and composition to explore the human condition.

In 1907, Picasso painted 'Les Demoiselles d’Avignon', a revolutionary work influenced by African masks and Iberian sculpture that broke from traditional perspective and marked the birth of Cubism. Alongside Georges Braque, he developed Analytical Cubism, deconstructing forms into geometric fragments, and later Synthetic Cubism, which incorporated found materials like newspaper and fabric, making collage a central modern technique and redefining the boundaries between fine art and everyday objects.

Throughout his 75-year career, Picasso continually adapted and experimented, responding to political events, personal relationships, and new artistic movements. His 1937 masterpiece 'Guernica' remains one of the most powerful anti-war statements in art history, portraying the horrors of the Spanish Civil War through distorted forms and stark symbolism. By the time of his death in 1973, Picasso had created over 50,000 works, leaving behind a legacy defined by emotional depth, technical mastery, and a relentless drive to redefine what art could be.