Leonardo Da Vinci • Rembrandt Van Rijn • Claude Monet • Vincent Van Gogh • Pablo Picasso • Georgia O’Keeffe

Masterpiece Society Art Appreciation: Pablo Picasso

Masterpiece Society Art Appreciation: Pablo Picasso © 2017 Alisha Gratehouse. All Rights Reserved. Copyright Notice: This curriculum may not be reproduced, displayed, modified, stored or transmitted in whole or in part, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical or other- wise, without prior written consent of the author. One copy of this curriculum may be printed for your own personal use. Most images in this lesson are from Wikimedia Commons and are public domain. Fair Use Notice: This curriculum may also contain copyrighted images, the use of which is not always specifically authorized by the copyright owner. However, for the purpose of art appreciation and enrichment, we are making such material available. We believe this constitutes “fair use” of any such copyrighted material for research and educational purposes as provided for in sections 17 U.S.C. § 106 and 17 U.S.C. §107. No copyright infringement is intended.

FIGURE 1 - MUSÉE DU LOUVRE, PARIS, FRANCE

“We cannot measure the influence that one or another artist has upon the child’s sense of beauty, upon his power of seeing, as in a picture, the common sights of life; he is enriched more than we know in having really looked at a single picture.” – Charlotte Mason

“Being an ‘agent of civilization’ is one of the many roles ascribed to teachers. If we are to have any expectations of producing a well-educated, well-prepared generation of deep-thinking, resourceful leaders, then it is essential to give students an opportunity to review, respond to, and ultimately revere the power of the human imagination—past and present. There may be no better way to promote this than to study, understand, and exult in masterpieces.” – Joseph Matthew Piro

Table of Contents

About Masterpiece Society Art Appreciation ...... 5 How to Use This Curriculum ...... 7 Observation & Evaluation Questions ...... 11 Pablo Picasso Biography ...... 13 Cubism ...... 17 Fun Facts About Pablo Picasso ...... 21 Pablo Picasso Quotes for Copywork ...... 22 Masterpiece #1: Violin Collage ...... 24 Violin Collage Enrichment Activity ...... 32 Masterpiece #2: Woman with Cap ...... 35 Woman with Cap Enrichment Activity ...... 43 Masterpiece #3: Woman with Yellow Hair ...... 46 Woman with Yellow Hair Enrichment Activity ...... 50 Art Terms to Remember ...... 52 Recommended for Further Study ...... 54

About Masterpiece Society Art Appreciation

Masterpiece Society Art Appreciation is an “open-up & go” art enrichment curriculum created with the busy mom in mind. Although the lessons coordinate with my online art courses, you do not need to purchase the art course to get a well-rounded knowledge of: • the master artist • several of the artist’s famous works • his or her artistic techniques • the art movement in which he or she created

However, if you’d like to delve even further, the art lessons will be the “icing on the artsy cake” and will help your kids and teens form an invaluable relationship with the artist, as well as giving them a deeper understanding of the methods they used.¹

This eBook will be all you need for this study because I include: • internet links to virtual museums, galleries and artwork • internet links to other helpful websites† • printable templates (which can also be used as coloring sheets for younger students) • additional enrichment materials • recommended books for further study† • recommended videos/movies for further study†

†Please Note: Although we love many of the works of the master artists, we may or may not agree with how they lived their lives. Some of the recommended videos, books, or webpages touch on certain facets of their lives that may be unsuitable for children. Please use your own discretion as a parent.

My desire for this art appreciation curriculum is threefold: • to ignite a love, even passion, for the old masters and their works • to encourage kids and teens to actively engage in the art process and have FUN doing so • to inspire them to utilize and further develop their own God-given creativity

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¹ If you are interested in purchasing the art lessons to coordinate with this art appreciation curriculum, click here. The lessons allow your student(s) to go much deeper than your typical artist study. Students will create three unique works of art per artist that will help them explore their creative talents.

How to Use This Curriculum

These lessons are written for elementary through middle school students, although they can be adapted for younger children and even teens. (See below.)

Use these lessons as: • a stand-alone art appreciation curriculum – great for morning time / morning basket or afternoon teatime! • a supplement to your family’s Charlotte Mason art and artist study • a “no mess” art course – simply use the templates as coloring pages for preschoolers and kindergarteners to “create” alongside older siblings (older students can use templates to transfer patterns for painting projects, or they may prefer to color in with pastels or colored pencils) • part of a unit study • part of your history studies • as an accompaniment to Mixing with the Masters art course

General Art Appreciation Tips & Suggestions:

When studying an artist, it is important to look at several of their works in order to define his or her particular “style.” Each volume of the Masterpiece Society Art Appreciation studies three different works of the artist with internet links to even more of his or her pieces.

Feel free to print out a copy of each work of art (included) and place it inside a page protector in a three-ring binder. This will become your “Art Appreciation” notebook. Various notebooking pages are also provided throughout each volume.

Let your student observe each work of art without you saying much (if anything). This allows the art to speak on its own. Simply encourage them to look closely and observe each piece. Does the work have a story to tell? You can encourage them to describe what they see, what they like or dislike. For a more in-depth study, please see below.

Move as slowly or as quickly as you feel is necessary for your student to form a connection with each artist and his or her work. This curriculum is yours to adapt and adjust as you see fit. Adjust it to your education style. Modify it to your student’s specific needs or tastes. Make it fun!

The most important thing isn’t to learn dull, dry facts about art and artists, but rather to instill and cultivate a love of beauty while helping to develop your student’s ability to “see.”

If you want to study one artist over the course of a few weeks, there is plenty more information under the “Recommended for Further Study” links at the end of the lessons.

As you study more and more artists and their bodies of work, it is important to allow your student(s) to compare and contrast their styles and pieces. What are their similarities? What are their differences?

This will ensure a “review” of each artist and their works, and will help your student form relationships with each one while providing a more comprehensive knowledge and appreciation of art.

Additionally, find ways to expose them to the great art masterpieces on a regular basis whether it’s via coffee table books, wall calendars, posters or prints. If possible, visit local art museums, and at the very least, visit the official websites of famous art museums (several museum links are included at the end of lessons). Our goal is simply to ignite a love for beautiful art in each student, and that will happen over the process of time.

Adapting for Different Ages:

The Masterpiece Society Art Appreciation curriculum is geared towards upper elementary and middle school students. But is easily adapted for all students. Below are a few suggestions:

Preschool/Early Elementary

• When studying the artist’s works, simply let them observe the painting (you can tell them the name of the piece and the artist who painted it if you wish) and have them tell you what they see, what they like or dislike. • Encourage them to create their own version of the piece (drawing, coloring, finger-painting, watercolor, etc.). • Print out an art template (included) and let them color it while their older siblings are learning.

Upper Elementary/Middle School

• Have them read an age-appropriate biography of the artist’s life. • Encourage them to study each piece included in this volume, learning its name, the period in which it was painted, the mediums and techniques with which it was painted, etc. • Print out copies of each piece, any notebooking pages (and fill in), any other relevant information to their study and place it in their “Art Appreciation” binder. • Have them answer a few of the “Observation & Evaluation Questions” (pp. 11-12) about each piece. • Print out the art template (included) and color in with pastels or colored pencils or use template to transfer a pattern to a canvas to paint. • For students who would like more in-depth art lessons, purchase the corresponding Mixing with the Masters art course.

Older Teens/High School

• Assign an age-appropriate biography for them to read about the artist. • Have them research each work of art to find out more interesting facts about it. • Encourage them to compare and contrast the artist’s various other works, as well as comparing and contrasting them with the works of other artists. • Let them create their own “Art Appreciation” notebook, decorating and “curating” it as they desire.

• Have them answer several of the “Observation & Evaluation Questions” (pp. 11-12) about each piece. • Print out the art template (included) and color in with pastels or colored pencils or use template to transfer a pattern to a canvas to paint. • For students who would like more in-depth art lessons, purchase the corresponding Mixing with the Masters art course.

A Note about Viewing Art Pieces Online I have endeavored to link artwork from the museums in which they are housed or Wikimedia Commons, which only uses public domain works when possible. Whenever you click on a hyperlink within this curriculum and are taken to the artwork, remember to hover the cursor over the painting. If the cursor shows a plus symbol (+) on it, click again and the painting will be magnified so that you can view it in greater detail.

A Note about Pronunciations After testing several different websites and videos for native pronunciation of proper nouns, I decided to go with “Google Translate.” This site is streamlined and easy to use, and doesn’t have unwanted pop-ups. Additionally, the pronunciations are made by native speakers from the countries of origin. Whenever you see (pronunciation) after a name or place throughout this curriculum, simply click on the hyperlink and it will open up to Google Translate. Then click the “Listen” icon in the lower left hand corner of the left box to hear the correct pronunciation.

A Note about the Lives of Artists It bears repeating: Although we love many of the works of the master artists, we may or may not agree with how they lived their lives. Some of the recommended videos, books, or webpages touch on certain facets of their lives that may be unsuitable for children. Please use your own discretion as a parent.

Observation & Evaluation Questions

Teaching your child or teen to “see” sometimes requires a bit of prompting and/ or probing. Use this list of questions if you want to take each lesson even further. (Pick and choose a few questions. Don’t feel compelled to inundate your kids with the entire list.) If you are utilizing this curriculum with multiple students, these questions will help create some rich discussions of art.

Observe: 1. Look at this work of art. Describe what you see. What else do you see? 2. What is the mood of this painting? How does it make you feel? 3. How would you describe the lines? Shapes? Colors? 4. What stands out most to you in this painting? Why? 5. What interests you most about this work of art? 6. How would you describe the people/place/things depicted in this piece? 7. How is this picture different from real life? 8. Is there anything this painting reminds you of? 9. Tell me about the colors in this piece. Which color is most prominent? 10. Which part of this painting do you think is the most important part? 11. How do you think the artist created this piece? 12. If you could meet the artist, what questions would you ask him/her about this painting?

Understand: 1. What do you think is happening in this painting? 2. Does this painting tell a story? What do you think that story is? 3. If you were inside this painting what would it feel like? What sounds would you hear? What fragrances (or odors) would you smell? 4. What do you think it would be like to live at the time of this painting?

5. What do you think the artist is trying to convey or communicate in this painting? 6. What do you think the artist’s mood was when he/she created this piece? Why? 7. What do you think this painting is about? Why? 8. If you were able to name this painting what would you call it? 9. What interests you most about this piece?

Compare: 1. How is this painting like/different than others by this artist? 2. How is this painting like/different than paintings of other artists? 3. Is this painting like/different than real life? How?

Evaluate: 1. What do you think is good about this painting? 2. What do you think is bad about this painting? 3. Would you consider this a “great” work of art? Why or why not? 4. Does this piece inspire you? Why or why not? 5. What do you think is worth remembering about this piece? 6. Do you think this piece would inspire someone else?

Pablo Picasso Biography

Pablo Picasso (pronunciation) was born on October 25, 1881 in Málaga (pronunciation), Spain. From an early age, he proved to be an artistic child prodigy. (Click here to see a beautiful painting Pablo did at the age of 15 of his sister’s first communion. Be sure to click on the cursor to enlarge it so you can see all of the intricate details.) His father, who was an artist and art teacher trained him first, then he was sent to art school in Barcelona and Madrid.

At the age of nineteen, Picasso moved to Paris, where he quickly found like-minded painters. His work began to attract serious attention and praise by the time he was twenty. However, after the untimely death of a close friend, Pablo’s works became cold and depressing. Almost all his paintings were in various shades of blue, depicting sad subject matter. This became known as his “Blue Period,” in which he sold very little paintings and almost starved. (Click here to see The Old Guitarist, an example from the Blue Period.) As Pablo spent more time in Paris, he made new friends and fell in love. His painting became much warmer, or rosier. This phase is called his “Rose Period,” and he began to sell more paintings. (Click here to see Boy with a Pipe, an example from the Rose Period.) Picasso began to experiment with bold, new art forms, and after acquiring the valuable patronage of the American siblings Leo and Gertrude Stein, he took his art to a whole new experimental level. It was through the Steins that he met French artists, Henri Matisse (pronunciation), with whom he’d become lifelong friends. Inspired by the "primitive" art of African and Oceanic cultures, Picasso began to create in a radically new style, producing such works as, Les Demoiselle d’Avignon

(pronunciation), Head of a Sleeping Woman, and Vase of Flowers, (among others) in 1907. And inspired by French painter, Paul Cézanne (pronunciation), along with the collaboration of friend and fellow-artist, Georges Braque (pronunciation), he developed a modern style of art known as Cubism. In Cubism, subjects are analyzed, broken down into basic shapes, then reassembled in abstract form. Perspective becomes lost as the artist portrays the subject from multiple viewpoints. Always the artistic innovator, Picasso would go on to try various other art forms. Here are a few: • Neoclassical, a style of art that drew inspiration from the “classical” art and culture of Ancient Greece or Ancient Rome. Click here to see The Lovers, an example of his work in the Neoclassical style.

• Surrealism, an art movement that attempted to express the workings of the subconscious mind. Surrealism is characterized by fantasy imagery and strange contrasts of subject matter. Click here to see Young Girl Throwing a Rock, an example of his work in the Surrealist style.

• Collage, the art of gluing papers and found objects to a substrate, such as cardboard or wood, invented by Picasso and Braque. This process gave paintings more texture than they had ever had before. Click here to see A Bottle of Vieux Marc, Glass, Guitar, and Newspaper, an example of his work in Collage.

• Assemblage, an artistic form made by grouping found or unrelated objects together to create a new piece of three-dimensional art, invented by Picasso. Click here to see Baboon and Young, an example of his work in Assemblage.

Be sure to click on the cursor/magnifier to enlarge so you can better see the objects Picasso used to create this bronze sculpture. For example, the baboon’s head is made from two of Picasso’s son, Claude’s toy cars with

their undersides together. Can you guess any other objects he used in this sculpture?

• Sculpture – Picasso created over 1200 sculptures. Click here to see the Chicago Picasso, a sculpture he created in and donated to the city of Chicago.

• Ceramics – Picasso created approximately 2,880 ceramic sculptures later in life. Click here to see some examples of some of his ceramic pottery.

Pablo Picasso died of a heart attack on April 8, 1973, at the age of 91. Though his personal life was quite controversial, Picasso made valuable contributions to art throughout his entire life, and is known as one of the greatest artists of the 20th century.

Pablo Picasso (1881-1973)

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Cubism

Between the years of 1909 and 1911, Pablo Picasso, along with his artist friend, Georges Braque, developed a modern style of art known as Cubism. In 1907, a year after the death of French painter, Paul Cézanne, Picasso attended a retrospective of Cézanne’s work. A retrospective is an art exhibit that covers an artist’s entire career, showing all the works he or she has produced throughout the years. Picasso had been familiar with Cézanne’s art, but it was at that moment when he realized the full impact of his artistic accomplishments, and from that point on, “Cézanne’s influence gradually flooded everything” in Picasso’s art. What inspired him most was how Cézanne took elements from nature and simplified them into basic geometrical shapes and forms. In Cézanne’s work, Picasso discovered how to streamline a subject matter, reducing it down to its basic, essential shapes. So, he began experimenting with these techniques together with his friend, Georges Braque, resulting in the “invention” of Cubism. These two artists began to look at people and objects differently. In an effort to depict three-dimensional things on a flat, two-dimensional canvas, they would break down the subject into the most basic of shapes, then reassemble them in abstract form, painting from different angles. Perspective was lost as the artists portrayed their subjects from multiple viewpoints. Picasso’s style would evolve throughout the next seventy years of his artistic career, but he would continue to borrow from Cézanne’s art and reinterpret his style over and over.

Two Types of Cubism Within the Cubist movement, there were two different types: Analytical Cubism and Synthetic Cubism.

1. Analytical Cubism was the first stage of the movement. In this particular style, the artist would analyze (or study) the subject matter and break it down into different blocks. He would look at the blocks from various angles, then reconstruct the subject, painting it from different viewpoints.

An example of analytical cubism is Picasso’s painting from 1912, Ma Jolie (pronunciation), meaning “My Pretty Girl.” Click here to view the painting, then click again on the cursor/magnifier to enlarge it even more. Do you see a woman with a guitar in this piece?

From the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), where this painting is housed:

“The central triangular mass subtly indicates the shape of a woman’s head and torso, and a group of six vertical lines at the painting’s lower center represent the strings of a guitar, which the woman strums.”

2. Synthetic Cubism was the second stage of cubism, which introduced the idea of “collage” (adding other materials such as colored paper, newspapers, sheet music, and more) to represent the different blocks of the subject. Synthetic cubism introduced brighter colors and a lighter mood to the art.

An example of synthetic cubism is Picasso’s piece, Three Musicians, painted in 1921. (Click here to view the painting.) This is a “collage painting” with flat planes of color intricately arranged on the canvas. It resembles cutout paper, but it is actually an oil painting.

The piece shows a harlequin, a mime, and a monk (who most experts believe to be Picasso and his poet friends, Guillaume Apollinaire (pronunciation) and Max Jacob). It is difficult to see where one “musician” ends and the other

begins. This is thought to represent the harmony of music as the musicians play together.

Famous Cubist Artists Besides Pablo Picasso and his friend Georges Braque, other artists in the Cubism movement were: Juan Gris (pronunciation), Fernand Léger (pronunciation), Robert Delaunay (pronunciation), and Jean Metzinger (pronunciation).

Fun Facts about Cubism • Cubism was inspired by Paul Cézanne. • Cubism inspired the Abstract Art movement. • Picasso also created Cubist sculptures. • Popular subject matter for Cubists included people, musical instruments, bottles, glasses, and playing cards. • There were very few landscapes painted in the Cubist style.

Cubism

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Fun Facts About Pablo Picasso

• Picasso's full name is Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Martyr Patricio Clito Ruíz y Picasso! 23 words in his name! Click here to hear the pronunciation. (Bonus points if you can say his full name 10 times fast!)

• His first word was, “pencil,” or more accurately, “piz,” short for lápiz, the Spanish word for pencil. (Pablo could draw before he could talk!)

• He was an unruly pupil in school. Although he was very intelligent, Pablo had trouble obeying his teachers. He spent much of his time in “detention” in what he called the “calaboose,” a bare cell with only a bench inside it, where he would draw ceaselessly.

• Picasso held his first art exhibition at the age of 13 in the back of a small umbrella shop.

• Pablo was such an amazing artist by age 14, mastering painting with photo- graphic precision, that his father (who was an artist and art teacher) gave up painting altogether.

• In 1911, Pablo Picasso was accused of stealing the Mona Lisa. He was taken in for questioning, but later released and cleared of any involvement.

• More Picasso paintings have been stolen than any other artist's. In fact, 550 of his works are currently listed as missing.

• Pablo Picasso produced an estimated 50,000 works in his lifetime, and is considered the most prolific Western artist ever.

• Picasso also wrote poetry. Between 1935 and 1959 he wrote over 300 poems.

Pablo Picasso Quotes for Copywork

• “Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.”

• “It took me four years to paint like Raphael, but a lifetime to paint like a child.”

• “Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.”

• “The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.”

• “To draw, you must close your eyes and sing.”

• “The chief enemy of creativity is 'good' sense.”

• “Bad artists copy. Good artists steal.”

• “He can who thinks he can, and he can’t who thinks he can’t. This is an inexorable, undisputable law.”

• “I do not seek. I find.”

• “Others have seen what is and asked why. I have seen what could be and asked why not.”

• “Love is the greatest refreshment in life.”

• “Every act of creation is first an act of destruction.”

• “I paint objects as I think them, not as I see them.”

Masterpiece #1: Violin Collage

Introduction In the section entitled, “Cubism,” we talked about two types of this art form: analytical and synthetic. Analytical cubism came first. The artist analyzed and examined the shape and form of the subject matter, then broke it down into smaller fragments of shapes painted onto the canvas from different viewpoints. Ma Jolie, which we looked at earlier, is a famous example of analytical cubism. Synthetic cubism moved beyond this to include the use of “collage” to represent the different blocks of the subject. This piece simply titled, Violin, is an example of synthetic cubism.

Background The word collage comes from the French word, coller (pronunciation), meaning “to glue or paste,” and is the art of gluing papers and found objects to a substrate, such as canvas, cardboard, or wood. This process gave paintings more texture than they had ever had before. Although evidence suggests that collage techniques were used during the Victorian era, as early as the 1860s, most people credit Georges Braque and Pablo Picasso for the invention of it. In any case, they are the ones who brought it to the forefront of modern art. The story goes that Braque was on holiday in Provence, and at that time, he was working on a cubist guitar drawing. He was planning to sketch the grain of the wood by hand, but while in a local shop, he stumbled upon a roll of “oilcloth” with a woodgrain pattern on it. (Oilcloth is a cotton fabric that has been treated with oil and pigment in order to make it waterproof, and is used as tablecloths or shelf covering.) So instead of sketching the woodgrain, he purchased the cloth, cut it out in the shape he wanted, and glued it to the guitar drawing. And voilà, collage was born!

Of course, it didn’t take too long for his buddy, Picasso, to integrate collage into his artwork. He immediately began using oilcloth in his pieces as well. Then their friend and fellow artist, Juan Gris, began to add other elements such as wallpaper, sheet music, newspaper, bottle labels, and more to his pieces. Gris called these pieces papiers collés (pronunciation), or “pasted papers.”

Still Life with Chair Caning The piece, Still Life with Chair Caning, created by Picasso in 1912, is considered to be the first collage work in the history of art, but if the story of Braque making his guitar piece is true, then perhaps this one is just the first acknowledged collage work in the history of art. (Click here to see a larger version.) Picasso glued a portion of oilcloth (with a woven cane seat pattern) to an oval canvas, painted a cubist still life design over it with oils, then surrounded the entire piece with a glued-on length of rope.

Violin Collage Our focus piece, Violin, was created the same year as Ma Jolie and Still Life with Chair Caning (1912). It is actually one of several stringed instrument pieces that Picasso created that year. And out of all of them, this is one of the more simplistic ones, rendered in charcoal on cardboard with newsprint glued on. Click here to see a larger version of the Violin.

Guitar and Violin Art

From the early days of his art, Picasso enjoyed including guitars or violins (as well as other instruments) in his pieces. (Do you remember the Old Guitarist painting from his “blue period”?) Let’s look at a few other works featuring stringed instruments that he created all in the same year (1912). This piece (left) is entitled, Violin and Grapes. It is painted in oils on a canvas. Click here to see it larger.

This piece (right) is called, Guitar, and is rendered in oil paints and charcoal on an oval canvas. Click here to see a larger version. (Be sure to click the cursor/magnifier to enlarge it even more.)

This piece (left) is titled, Guitar, Glass, and Bottle of Vieux Marc, and was painted with oils on canvas. You can see it bigger by clicking here.

This piece of collage art (right), is known as Guitar, Sheet Music, and Wine Glass. It was created with wallpaper, sheet music, newsprint, colored paper, charcoal, and ink. Click here to see it enlarged. (Be sure to click the cursor again to view it even bigger.)

And this one (left) is called, Still Life with Violin and Fruits. It was created with chalk, charcoal, oil paints, watercolor, and newsprint on corrugated cardboard. Click here to see this piece up close.

This collage (left) is known as, Bottle of Vieux Marc, Glass, Guitar and Newspaper. It was created with decorative papers, newsprint, charcoal, and ink. Click here to see a larger version. Be sure to click the cursor again to super-size it. Can you read the French writing on the newsprint?

And finally, this guitar “sculpture” (right) constructed from cardboard, paper, twine, and coated wire, which Picasso cut, folded, threaded, and glued together. Even though he experimented with collage, this piece is actually an assemblage. Picasso interpreted the Cubist style of multiple perspectives and geometric form into a three- dimensional collage piece. Click here to see this guitar enlarged.

These are just a sampling of the many guitars and violins created in 1912. Can you tell which ones are analytical cubism pieces and which ones are synthetic? Why? Which works of art do you like the most? Do you think you could create art like these?

More Information Would you like more information on analytical and synthetic cubism? Check out the book and video recommendations under “Recommended for Further Study” at the end of these lessons.

Violin Collage

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Violin Collage Enrichment Activity

If you would like to enrich your study of the Violin Collage with a “no fuss” art activity, simply print out the template on the following page. Older students can use it as transfer pattern for painting projects, or they may prefer to color in with pastels, charcoals, or colored pencils. Younger students can use it as a coloring page to “create” alongside older siblings. For in-depth art lessons on each of the masterpieces we study in this volume, check out my Mixing with the Masters art course.

Masterpiece #2: Woman with Cap

Introduction Pablo Picasso was creative and versatile – always experimenting with new techniques and mediums, as well as pushing the boundaries of art. And around 1924, he became interested in a new style of art known as Surrealism. Although he didn’t become a member of the Surrealist movement, he did incorporate some of their ideas into his paintings.

Background The word, “surrealism” was first mentioned in a letter in 1917 (three years before the art movement began) by poet and art critic, Guillaume Apollinaire. He wrote: “All things considered, I think in fact it is better to adopt ‘surrealism’ than ‘super- naturalism,’ which I first used.” (Apollinaire, who was a close friend of Picasso, is also credited for coining the term Cubism.) Surrealism was more than just an art movement. It was a cultural movement that affected literature, music, and film, as well as political and social thought. It attempted to express the workings of the subconscious mind, including random thoughts and dreams. Surrealist art is characterized by fantasy imagery and strange contrasts of subject matter. Rather than thinking too much about what they were painting, artists set their imaginations free, experimenting with diverse ways of being spontaneous, and not worrying whether or not their art made sense.

Picasso and Surrealism Although he is most recognized for founding the Cubist movement, Pablo Picasso experimented with Surrealism as well. One of Picasso’s most famous examples of

© 2017 Alisha Gratehouse, masterpiecesociety.com 35 his Surrealism works is his anti-war painting, Guernica (pronunciation), which he painted in 1937 after the Nazis bombed this village in his home country of Spain. Click here to see it on a larger scale.

But he actually began experimenting with Surrealism a decade earlier. Being friends with several of the Surrealist artists, their influence over Picasso was unavoidable. And they regarded him as their “artistic stepfather.”

In 1927, Picasso began a painting his new “muse,” Marie-Thérèse Walker. A muse is someone who inspires creativity in an artist or poet (taken from classical mythology, the Muses were the nine daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne, who presided over the various arts and sciences).

Mediums and Techniques Woman with Cap was painted in 1934 using oil paints on canvas. I love how it looks like a 4-year old colored it with crayons. Picasso once said, “It took me four years to paint like Raphael, but a lifetime to paint like a child.” I think he was already well on his way to painting like a child with this piece. Don’t you? Notice in this painting (and the others to come) how you see the face both full on and in profile, bringing in elements of cubism – different perspectives and

Marie-Thérèse Walter Picasso began a series of captivating paintings with Marie-Thérèse as his model, but these paintings were unlike any other portraits before them. His goal was not to capture her beauty, but rather to reimagine her face and figure in innovative ways. He combined his own ideas with surrealist elements. Before we look at some of the portraits of Marie-Thérèse, I want you to see an actual photograph of her so you will know she was a real person. (I wouldn’t want you thinking she was a freakish alien after seeing some of the ways Picasso painted her.) Below, left, is the “real” Marie-Thérèse. I think the painting of Woman with Cap bears a striking resemblance – don’t you?

This painting (left), Bust of a Young Woman (Marie-Thérèse Walter), is one of the first paintings Picasso did of her. It was completed in 1927.

The painting, (below, right), is entitled, Seated Woman in a Red Armchair, and was painted in 1931.

And this painting (left), was created the same year as our focus piece (1934), and obviously, in the same style. It’s called, Woman Turned Right.

Now, this painting (right), actually resembles her just a bit – at least Picasso got the hair and eye colors closer. But I think the place- ment of the eyes is a wee bit off. The title is simply, Portrait of Marie-Thérèse Walter, and it was painted in 1937.

This painting (left) is entitled, Woman in Beret and Checked Dress, and was also painted in 1937.

And the painting on the right is untitled. Again, it was painted in 1937.

This is another untitled painting of Marie-Thérèse (left), who looks more like Henry VIII, in my opinion. It was also painted in 1937.

The painting (above, right) was created in 1938. It is untitled.

And, this painting (left) is called, Marie-Thérèse Leaning, and was painted in 1939.

These are just a sampling of portraits from Pablo Picasso’s surrealist period. Some have referred to this time as his “monster period.” After seeing a few of these paintings, you can understand why. What do you think about Picasso’s style? Do you like any of these portraits? If so, which one(s)? What do you like about them? What do you dislike about them?

However distorted or odd these portraits seem, Picasso always portrayed Marie- Thérèse Walter as peaceful, docile, and kind-looking. He wasn’t as kind to other women though. For example, this painting of Dora Marr (left) entitled, The Weeping Woman, makes her look tormented and in pain.

More Information Would you like more information on Picasso’s surrealism period? Check out the book and video recommendations under “Recommended for Further Study” at the end of these lessons.

Woman with Cap

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Woman with Cap Enrichment Activity

If you would like to enrich your study of Woman with Cap with a “no fuss” art activity, simply print out the template on the following page. Older students can use it as transfer pattern for painting projects, or they may prefer to color in with pastels, charcoals, or colored pencils. Younger students can use it as a coloring page to “create” alongside older siblings. For in-depth art lessons on each of the masterpieces we study in this volume, check out my Mixing with the Masters art course.

Masterpiece #3: Woman with Yellow Hair

Introduction In 1933, Picasso’s friend, a photographer known as Brassaï (pronunciation), visited his studio and commented on the vast amount of works he found there. He said, “He opened the door to one of those immense naves, and we could see, radiant in white, a city of sculptures…I was astonished by the roundness of all these forms. A new woman had entered Picasso’s life: Marie-Thérèse Walter.”

Background Pablo Picasso’s lifestyle was highly controversial. He wasn’t always the nicest person – especially to women. When he loved them, he treated them like they were the greatest thing ever, but when he grew tired of them, he could be very cruel. His portraits of the women in his life are like a glimpse into his personal diary. And the period during which Picasso painted Marie-Thérèse Walter is unlike any of his other ones. In most of the portraits of her, there is a brightness, a gentleness, and a sense of contentment. She inspired him to move from the harsh geometrical patterns of pure Cubism, to soft, curving lines and scrolls. He began to infuse his art with color, pattern, and design. As one writer put it, the art Marie-Thérèse inspired in him was “the most enchanting” of all his art. He portrayed her reading, reclining, sleeping, gazing into a mirror, or simply sitting and smiling at him. He painted her face on many occasions as both the full moon and crescent moon together, combining the different perspectives of cubism with surrealism in a way only Pablo Picasso could.

Mediums and Techniques In Woman with Yellow Hair, Picasso creates a graceful, curvaceous figure in an elegant style that is quite different than the paintings of Marie-Thérèse which we looked at in the previous lesson, or any of his earlier portraits of women, for that matter. This piece is rendered in oil paints on canvas. You can see the thick brushstrokes Picasso used when painting it by clicking here to view a larger version. Be sure to click the cursor/magnifier to super-size the painting, then use the scrollbars to navigate around it. Picasso contrasts the rounded, organic shapes of her body, hair, and face against the straight lines of the tablecloth. Her hair is yellow (as the title of the painting suggests), but her body is painted in a pinkish-lavender hue, giving this painting a soft, playful feel. How does this painting make you feel? What do you think about the color choices Picasso used? Does this piece seem more surrealist and dreamlike to you? Does it make you feel peaceful or do you just want to curl up and take a nap too?

Compare and Contrast Picasso’s lifelong friend (and sometimes artistic rival), Henri Matisse, painted a similar picture called, The Dream in 1940. Matisse is one of the “founding fathers” of Fauvism (pronunciation), an art movement that began in Paris at the turn of the 20th century. It incorporated bright, expressive, and vivid colors along with bold, distinctive brushstrokes. By comparing these two paintings, we can see that Matisse’s use of intense color had influenced Picasso. And perhaps Picasso’s simple lines influenced this painting by Matisse. Below are both paintings side-by-side:

How do these two paintings compare? How do they contrast? Is their one you like better than the other? Why or why not?

Fun Fact Woman with Yellow Hair is one of the paintings in which Picasso is said to have hidden Marie-Thérèse’s initials. Look at the piece again. Can you find the M and the T? (Hint: They may look more like: ‘m’ and ‘t’.)

More Information Would you like more information on Picasso’s surrealism period? Check out the book and video recommendations under “Recommended for Further Study” at the end of these lessons.

Woman with Yellow Hair

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Woman with Yellow Hair Enrichment Activity

If you would like to enrich your study of Woman with Yellow Hair with a “no fuss” art activity, simply print out the template on the following page. Older students can use it as transfer pattern for painting projects, or they may prefer to color in with pastels, charcoals, or colored pencils. Younger students can use it as a coloring page to “create” alongside older siblings. For in-depth art lessons on each of the masterpieces we study in this volume, check out my Mixing with the Masters art course.

Art Terms to Remember

Below is a list of terms and definitions that we discussed in this study of Picasso:

1. Assemblage – an artistic form made by grouping found or unrelated objects together to create a new piece of three-dimensional art

2. Collage – the art of gluing papers and found objects to a substrate, such as cardboard or wood

3. Cubism – style of art in which subjects are analyzed, broken down into basic shapes, then reassembled in abstract form. Perspective becomes lost as the artist portrays the subject from multiple viewpoints.

4. Fauvism – an art movement that began in Paris at the turn of the 20th century. It incorporated bright, expressive, and vivid colors along with bold, distinctive brushstrokes

5. muse – someone who inspires creativity in an artist or poet (taken from classical mythology, the Muses were the nine daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne who presided over the various arts and sciences)

6. Neoclassicism – art movement that drew inspiration from the “classical” art and culture of Ancient Greece or Ancient Rome

7. oilcloth – a cotton fabric treated with oil and pigment in order to make it waterproof, used as tablecloths or shelf covering

8. retrospective – an art exhibit that covers an artist’s entire career and all the works he or she has produced throughout the years

9. Surrealism – art movement that attempted to express the workings of the subconscious mind and is characterized by fantasy imagery and strange contrast of subject matter

Recommended for Further Study

Want even more enrichment materials to complement your Pablo Picasso study? Here is a list of resources:

(Please Note: Although we love many of the works of the master artists, we may or may not agree with how they lived their lives. Some of the recommended videos, books, or web pages touch on certain facets of their lives that may be unsuitable for children. Please use your own discretion as a parent.)