Pablo Picasso – A Man More than Just Cubism
1880’s Spain – the man of many styles and emotions
Barcelona gave Picasso adventure, but France gave him his freedom.
A Rebel, a Genius
Teach your kids a few fun facts about Pablo:
Who Was Pablo Picasso?
Pablo didn’t like the ordinary or rules…
Picasso did not like the restraints of “school” and “education” but instead roamed the streets. He was accepted to a prestigious art school at 14 years old (very rare – the school made an exception) and yet he did not attend classes but instead skipped out on any rules/classes and found café “The Four Cats” with a rebel group that painted and explored Barcelona, Spain.
Picasso surpassed his father in art skill and was accepted in multiple prestigious schools but in the end, did what he wanted. His blue period was depression in Paris, France in his own art studio after his best friend died (a fight over a girl they both loved and his friend was shot), his paintings not selling. Then his Rose period a few years later, he met another woman in France who was married and a model (uh-oh), she became his muse for the more “questionable” pieces of erotic art later on.
Ultimately, Picasso painted what he saw, what he felt, and took the emotion of the moment and made dramatic pieces of art that his friends often questioned and many did not sell until long after his death.
Picasso Art Lesson:
Fun Activity for all ages:
Activity I used is Courtesy of Teachers Pay Teachers – Anna Sunshine ——–
Roll dice and design a funny face, then fill in the face with funky colors and designs.
Materials needed:
Pencil, paper and crayons/colored pencils or other medium, we used a dark colored pencil to outline the face after we colored it in.
Also note we watched pieces of this episode on Young Picasso from Magellan TV series Exhibition on Screen: History’s Greatest Painters and we discussed some highlights of his art and life.
Some parts showed nude paintings from the time period and discussed Picasso’s “questionable” art but overall, was very informative and interesting.
How our activity turned out…
Helpful Websites:
- His Biography, Famous Paintings and More – Britannica
- His Paintings and Art Biography
- Lots of Google images courtesy of blogs, National Geographic and more! Just a quick search you can find thousands of pictures and videos.
This fun, light hearted short clip from National Geographic shows how Pablo Picasso became a genius. A quick video for younger kids to get a general overall idea.
All of these videos were short, helpful and engaging for the younger two who remembered quite a lot from it and it helped them with the activity more. They understood and could embrace the “cubism” aspect.
In the end, even our opinionated and less-than-thrilled teen liked this activity. He hasn’t been too impressed by art, but he found that he really enjoyed this activity.
The clear options and fun rolling of the dice to pick a face, made it creative but structured. Would definitely recommend. This is an art activity that truly works with all ages.
