My visit with Picasso

Yesterday I went to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (the VMFA) here in Richmond.  My mom and I went to see the Picasso exhibit from the Musee National Picasso in Paris.  Picasso lived in Spain and France most of his life.  He was told to paint in the classical style, but he liked to paint in his own way.  Picasso invented cubism, modern art, and created collages.  

Picasso didn't stay with one style of painting for long.  In one year, he might do at least three different styles of painting.  His first period, the Blue Period, came after the death of his friend.  He depicted sad and depressing scenes, usually in blue.  After the Blue Period he entered his Rose Period, and he depicted scenes of circus performers and other serene images.  

From there, Picasso's paintings and sculptures became more abstract.  Picasso was heavily influenced by African art, and began to incorporate African designs into his own pieces. He once said, "Bad artists copy.  Good artists steal."  In his work, you begin to see mask-like features that look chiseled and  lots of jagged strokes that look like carved sculpture.  His most radical painting Les Demoiselles d'Avignon was created in 1907 and it showed five women in a brothel - two of the women in the center have mask-like features, while the other three look like they have actual masks on.  Even though this work was not in the VMFA show, there were many other paintings and sketches that demonstrate this new style.  

Some of his art work conveys different meanings if you look at them from multiple perspectives.  It was astonishing to actually see these amazing pieces done by Picasso.  My favorite pieces included the goat sculpture (as you can see at the top of this post) made out of recycled materials and the portrait of Dora Maar in which Picasso used lots of brilliant colors on her face.  "Colors, just like features, follow the changes of emotions," Picasso said, and in looking at this picture, her expression seems calm, but the colors are very vibrant and exciting.  She looks very self-assured and the colors hint at her artistic energy.  As Picasso said, "Are we to paint what's on the face, what's inside the face, or what's behind it?"  Here, he paints her emotions and spirit. 

If you have no background knowledge about Picasso, you might be confused by what you're looking at.  It was helpful to read about him first.  My mom taught me a lot about his life and work, which helped me understand him better.  We also watched a great BBC show on You Tube:  Modern Masters:  Picasso, and I read the book Pablo Picasso:  Breaking the Rules by True Kelley.  All this helped me really understand and enjoy his work.  If you go to see the Picasso exhibit, be prepared to be blown away by his awe-inspiring works of art!