Portrait of a Lady

Pablo Picasso was born in Mlaga, Spain in 1881. Many would agree to call
Pablo Picasso one of the greatest most influential artists of the 20th century. Pablo
Picasso was one of the greatest leaders for stylistic changes in art during this time.
He started paving the way for thinking outside the box. By age fifty he had become
one of the most well known names in modern art. Like most artists, he had several
different styles he used during his artist career. Pablo Picasso died at the age of 91
in 1973. Picasso had a way to transform what he saw and draw it as he felt while
still evoking an emotion out of the images he was paintings. The media started
calling Picasso the worlds greatest painter. He was becoming more and more
influential on the art world and the new direction that it would take in the 20th
century. Picassos mother once told him, If you become a soldier, youll be a
general. If you become a monk, youll end up as the pope. He later said, Instead, I
became a painter and wound up as Picasso (Pablo, Picasso).
Picasso had several periods or styles that he painted in. One of the first was
the blue period. During this period he primarily used a blue color palate. One of his
most famous pieces during this time is titled The Old Guitarist. The Rose Period was
his next period. This period is illustrated by roses within the piece, pinker tones and
an overall happier tone to these pieces. After this time he switched gears and
worked in cubism, which would carve a path for several artists to come after him.
Picasso also worked in classical styles, surrealism and also did several sculptures as
well. Different styles started to emerge as the artist experienced different things in

his life. Some of the style changes were due to some of the different women that
were in his life (Pablo, Picasso).
One of the beautiful things about Pablo Picasso is the way he used lines. For
instance, in this piece, Portrait of a Lady, so much is shown through the simplicity of
a few lines. Different thicknesses and the use of color evoke an emotion in this
piece, as well as keep the forms simple and beautiful. The use of line as well as the
lack of line in different areas of this picture keep is so intriguing. What you put into
a piece of artwork is almost as important as what you do not put in the image. We
can see that in this image by noticing what lines he consciously decided to put into
the image as well as taking note of the lines that he did not leave out. That would
allow the viewers mind to put it together.
It has been said that Pablo Picasso changed his women as often as he
changed his paintbrushes. In reviewing Picassos work one would find several of
different women. Some could be models, but several of them were love affairs he
had. Different relationships with women filtered into his art. Sometimes Pablo
Picasso would work simultaneously on different artworks and styles. Sometimes
some of the styles would be missed all within one painting (Wullschager, J).
Pablo Picassos legacy still lives on today. His artwork is all around the world
and people from afar go to see works by him. In all of his pieces he uses beautiful
lines that tell the story almost better than the image itself.

References
Andreae, C. (1999, Mar 22, 1999). Matisse and picasso's gentle rivalry. The Christian Science
Monitor, pp. 18.

Anne Chapman Callaghan. (2000). Pablo picasso. School Library Journal, 46(2), 113.

Morrison, A. (2006, Nov 13, 2006). Pablo picasso. Time International, 168, 72.

Muiz, A. M.,Jr, Norris, T., & Fine, G. A. (2014). Marketing artistic careers: Pablo picasso as
brand manager. European Journal of Marketing, 48(1/2), 68-88.

"Pablo Picasso." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2014.

Pablo picasso: His other art.(1994, Feb 19, 1994). The Economist, 330, 100-101.

WULLSCHAGER, J. (2004, Oct 30, 2004). Swept into the whirlpool few of pablo picasso's
children or grandchildren escaped the fallout from his life, or his death. Financial Times,
pp. 28.