10 Fun Facts About

Pablo Picasso
By Alex in Art, Neatorama Exclusives on Oct 25, 2008
www.NexTag.com/Pablo-Picasso

Guernica by Pablo Picasso (1937)

1. Picasso's Full Name Has 23 Words

Picasso was baptized Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios
Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Martyr Patricio Clito Ruíz y Picasso. He was named after various
saints and relatives. The "Picasso" is actually from his mother, Maria Picasso y Lopez. His father is
named Jose Ruiz Blasco.

2. When He Was Born, The Midwife Thought He Was Stillborn

Picasso had such a difficult birth and was such a weak baby that when he was
born, the midwife thought that he was stillborn so she left him on a table to
attend his mother. It was his uncle, a doctor named Don Salvador, that saved
him:

'Doctors at that time,' he told Antonina Vallentin, 'used to smoke big cigars,
and my uncle was no exception. When he saw me lying there he blew smoke
into my face. To this I immediately reacted with a grimace and a bellow of
fury'"

3. Picasso's First Word: Pencil

It's like Picasso was born an artist: his first word was "piz," short of lápiz the Spanish word for 'pencil.'
His father Ruiz, an artist and art professor, gave him a formal education in art starting from the age
of 7. By 13, Ruiz vowed to give up painting as he felt that Pablo had surpassed him.

4. Pablo's First Drawing

Le Picador by Pablo Picasso (1890)

At the tender young age of 9, Picasso completed

his first painting: Le picador, a man riding a horse
in a bullfight.

La Première Communion by Pablo Picasso (1896)

His first major painting, an "academic" work is First

Communion, featuring a portrait of his father,
mother, and younger sister kneeling before an
altar. Picasso was 15 when he finished it.
5. Picasso was a Terrible Student

No doubt about it, Picasso was brilliant: artistically, he was years ahead of his classmates who were
all five to six years older than him. But Picasso chafed at being told what to do and he was often
thrown into "detention":

"For being a bad student I was banished to the 'calaboose' - a bare cell with whitewashed walls and
a bench to sit on. I liked it there, because I took along a sketch pad and drew incessantly ... I could
have stayed there forever drawing without stopping"

6. Picasso's First Job

Picasso signed his first contract in Paris with art dealer Pere Menach, who agreed to pay him 150
francs per month (about US$750 today).

7. Did Picasso Steal the Mona Lisa?

Actually no, but in 1911, when the Mona Lisa was stolen from the Louvre, the police took in Picasso's
friend, the poet Guillaume Apollinaire. Apollinaire fingered Picasso as a suspect, so the police hauled
him in for questioning. Both were later released.

8. Cubism: Full of Little Cubes

Le Guitariste (The Guitarist) by Pablo Picasso (1910)

In 1909, Picasso and French artist Georges Braque co-founded an art

movement known as cubism. Actually, it was a French art critic Louis
Vauxcelles who first called it "bizarre cubiques" or cubism, after noting
that Picasso and Braque's paintings are "full of little cubes."

9. Picasso was a Playboy

Being a famous artist certainly helped

Picasso get the girl. Girls, in fact - many,
many girls. Here's a short list of known wives
and lovers of Picasso:

• Fernande Olivier (Picasso's first love. She was 18; he was 23.)
• Marcelle Humbert AKA Eva Gouel (She was 27; Picasso was 31.)
• Gaby Lespinasse (He was 34; I don't know how old Gaby was, but she was young, that's
for sure!)
• Olga Khokhlova (Picasso's first wife; she was 26 and he was 36 when they met.)
• Marie-Thérèse Walter (She was 17; he was 46.)
• Dora Maar (She was 29; Picasso was 55.)
• Françoise Gilot (She was 21 when she met Picasso, who was 61.)
• Geneviève Laporte (One of Picasso's last lovers. She was in her mid-twenties and a
French model of Picasso, who was in his seventies when the affair started.)
• Jacqueline Roque (Became Picasso's second wife. She was 27 and he was 79.)

Le Rêve (The Dream) by Pablo Picasso (1932)

Marie-Thérèse Walter was Picasso's model for Le Rêve. In 2006, casino magnate Steve Wynn agreed
to sell the painting for $139 million, but accidentally put his elbow through the canvas the day before
the sale was to be completed!

10. Picasso's Car

Okay, it's not exactly his car, but I couldn't

resist. Last year (2007), 44-year-old mechanic
Andy Saunders of Dorset, England, spent six
months converting his old Citroen 2CV into a
cubist work inspired by Pablo Picasso!
 10 Fun Facts About Pablo Picasso
By Alex in Art, Neatorama Exclusives on Oct 25, 2008
www.NexTag.com/Pablo-Picasso

. Studio Art . Appel . Kronyak . Langlitz . Teig .

Name: _____________________________________________ Period: _______________ Date: __________________

Quarter 1, Homework # 3 DUE DATE: ____________________________________ Grade: ________________%

Directions: Answer the following questions based on the reading about Pablo Picasso. Write in complete
sentences. Questions 1-10 are worth 7 points each. Please write neatly!

1. Who was Picasso named after?

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2. Describe what happened when Picasso was born?

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3. What was his father’s profession?

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4. When did Picasso’s formal education in art begin?

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5. How old was Picasso when he completed his very first painting? Describe the painting (Le Picador 1890)
in your own words. How does it differ from the painting (La Première Communion 1896) he did 6 years
later?

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6. Why did Picasso often get in trouble and was sent to detention during school? Why did he like going to
detention?

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7. How much did Picasso’s first job pay per month?

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8. What was Picasso accused of doing by his friend, Guillaume Apollinaire?

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9. Picasso and which other artist co-founded the art movement, Cubism? How would you describe Cubism?

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10. What happened to the painting, Le Rêve?

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Directions: This part consists of a drawing exercise that is worth 30 points and should take at least 20-30
minutes to complete. Using the knowledge you learned from the reading and an object as your subject
matter, complete the following:

• Draw your object from observation in the box below.

• Then break it into cubes.

• Color the different areas using value.

• Answer the questions that follow.

DRAWING

How well do you think your picture resembles Cubism?

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How does your drawing compare to Picasso’s painting, Le Guitariste?

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