Picasso experienced the exploration of modern schools in the first half of the 20th century and the test of life in two world wars, and his artistic and political beliefs were honed, thus being respected by people all over the world.
Picasso was born in Malaga in southern Spain. Influenced by his father Jose Ruiz blasco, an art teacher, he began to learn painting on 189 1. Picasso is his mother's surname. He entered the Barcelona Academy of Fine Arts at the age of 15, and then transferred to the san fernando Academy of Fine Arts in Madrid. He came to Paris from about 1900 to 10, and began to observe the poor and pay attention to their lives. When he was still in Barcelona, Picasso had an insight into the artistic trend in western Europe, and the "Four Cats" cafe where local intellectuals set foot was also his frequent place. After coming to Paris, his vision has been broadened. From cubism (including analytical cubism and comprehensive cubism) to expressionism, surrealism, structuralism and even pop art, he dabbled everywhere. With the changes of life and times, he often practices repeatedly in his favorite genre, showing his strong and tireless energy and personality characteristics of advocating the trend of the times. He once said, "When you are in trouble, you can only rely on yourself. You are a sun with a thousand rays of sunshine in your stomach and nothing else. "
Why does this artist have so much energy and have such a great influence on modern art in the world?
First of all, Picasso did not leave the folk life, and he always took root in the national and folk arts. He loves his hometown of Andalusia and knows its customs. He collects the Ming Dynasty artworks of the ancient Irian people and has deep feelings for the traditional Spanish culture.
Second, although he received a strict university-style education, he never left the lower class. From the blue period in his early years to the pink period after he settled in Paris, he made great contributions to society.
His works are influenced by African black art, primitive art, oriental art and Cezanne. From 1906 to 1907, he began to explore the formal structure of painting and created the cubist style. Picasso worked hard all his life and created a large number of works of art, estimated at over 60,000 pieces. More importantly, his works are diverse in style, ingenious and inexhaustible, but he always maintains his own rough and bold artistic style.
Guernica is a mural created by Picasso and 1937. At that time, Picasso was entrusted by Spain to make decorative paintings for the Spanish Pavilion of the Paris International Expo the following spring. On the afternoon of April 26th, the German Nazi Air Force helped Spain's reactionary leader Franco bomb the Basque ancient capital city of guernica in northern Spain. This is the first time that innocent poor people have been bombarded indiscriminately, and more than 2,000 poor people in the town have been massacred. This barbaric atrocity shocked the world and caused strong protests and merciless condemnation from international public opinion.
As a humanist, Picasso didn't care much about politics. During the Spanish Civil War, Franco's regime turned to fascism, but Picasso resolutely sided with * * *. The atrocities of the German fascists strongly shocked Picasso. He was filled with indignation and resolutely put down his other work and immediately devoted himself to creation. After a month and a half, I finally created guernica, which shocked the painting world.
A few days ago, he drew 25 sketches, and the final picture was 349.3 cm high and 776.6 cm long, which just filled one of his studios. Picasso used a variety of styles and techniques, with semi-realistic, cubist, moral and symbolic images, and ruthlessly exposed the barbaric atrocities of fascism with complex scenes. Although some geometric figures have a wide range of lines and complex meanings, people can understand that their strong expression effect is no less than a masterpiece of realism.
On the right side of the photo, a woman, with her hands in the air, apparently jumped off a burning building and tried to escape. Another woman is running wildly, and they are all shrouded in panic and despair. There is a mother on the left, holding a blown baby and crying at the sky. She is a symbol of human suffering. At the top right, a woman leaned her head out of the window and held an oil lamp forward, trying to show everything in front of her in the light and let the world see the cruelty of fascism. An eye-like light cast from a height gives off a dazzling sawtooth-like light, which strengthens the tragic atmosphere of pain and distortion, like a cold dream. On the ground was the broken limb of the fallen soldier, who died unsatisfied. There is a broken handle on the broken arm and a flower on the sword, which is a mourning for the hero. Above the center, an injured horse is neighing. It raised its head and opened its torn mouth. It was terrified in the explosion, representing people struggling in pain. Several arrows fell from the air, stinging the struggling people and animals. The bull's head at the top left, with ferocious eye movements and threats in indifference, is a typical symbol of evil, representing cruelty and darkness.
In the form of picture combination, Picasso adopted the decomposition stereo composition method; In the tone of the picture, he only used black, white and gray, and the tone was gloomy and scary, full of tragedy. In terms of artistic techniques, symbolic techniques are adopted. In composition, it is obviously futile to explain it with the whole of classical painting and taboo rules. The picture is full of content for us to observe, so that our eyes have to look at it, which seems chaotic, but it is not. This unique composition better expresses the content of the work and sets off the theme of the work. All the images transcend time and space and are full of resentful protests. The works mercilessly expose the heinous crimes of the war of aggression and the barbaric atrocities of fascism, and reflect the author's sympathy for human disasters. As Picasso himself said, "I draw objects according to what I want, not according to what I see."
It is the theme and extraordinary artistic techniques of the work that endow it with immortal value, making it one of the most important works in the art history of the 20th century, with real popular significance and using popular language. Before Spain failed to end the fascist rule, according to Picasso's wishes, guernica could only be exhibited in new york, USA. After the public exhibition, peace-loving people in the world rushed to tell each other, and people felt the painter's awakening in the face of cruel political reality for the first time. Picasso once published an article in the French "Literary Newspaper" and said, "What do you think an artist is, an imbecile? If he is a painter, he only has a pair of eyes? If you are a musician, you only have one pair of ears? If you are a poet, you have only one mood? If you are a boxer, do you only have muscles? On the contrary, artists are also politicians. He will always pay attention to the disasters of joys and sorrows and deal with them from all aspects. How can they not care about others, how can they isolate themselves from the rich life with an indifferent attitude of escaping from reality? No, painting is not only created for decoration, but also a powerful weapon to resist and attack the enemy. " These words show that Picasso attaches great importance to the social significance of art.
Some people didn't quite understand the obscure meaning in guernica at first, and asked Picasso if the poor horse and cow head represented the suffering people and the brutal fascism. Picasso said: "The bull is not a fascist, but it symbolizes cruelty and darkness ... The horse represents the people ... guernica is symbolic and moral. That's why I want to use images like bulls and horses. This mural wants to clearly express and solve a problem, so I used symbolism. " In an exhibition, he said that the symbolism used in painting was "ordinary". "Only when the most extensive commonness is full of the strongest emotions can great works of art beyond all factions and types be born." The artistic value of this painting is also here.
Guernica was later exhibited in Norway, Britain and the United States, and the response was very strong. In the 1940s, with Picasso's consent, it was lent to the Museum of Modern Art in new york. At the same time, he told the public that a Spain that regained democracy and freedom is the natural hometown of this painting. 198 1 At the beginning of the year, according to Picasso's wishes, this work was finally sent back to his hometown and displayed in the Prado Museum in Madrid. At the beginning of the exhibition, it was partially destroyed by gangsters and has now been restored.
For fascists who committed heinous crimes in World War II, this work is conclusive evidence of their crimes. During his stay in France, Nazi occupation forces repeatedly interfered with Picasso's paintings, and then uncharacteristically "visited" the painter, trying to "care" Picasso's life and provide him with fuel for heating in winter. Picasso flatly refused to say, "Spaniards are never cold." When the German ambassador to Paris saw this painting by guernica, he asked Picasso, "So this painting was originally painted by you?" Picasso replied coldly, "No, this is your masterpiece." Maintain an artist's patriotism and integrity.
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Guide people's freedom
Guiding People's Freedom reflects the revolution of 1830 and is one of Delacroix's most romantic works. The painter praised the revolutionary movement in which workers, petty bourgeoisie and intellectuals participated freely and enthusiastically. The image of a woman holding a tricolor flag as a symbol of the god of freedom highlights the characteristics of romanticism here. She is healthy, strong, resolute, beautiful and simple, and is leading the revolutionary ranks of workers and intellectuals to forge ahead bravely. Strong light and shadow, rich blazing colors, dynamic composition and other dramatic effects have formed a strong, tense and passionate atmosphere, making this painting vivid and wonderful.
This painting is set in the French Revolution of July in 1830. 1830 On July 26th, King Charles X cancelled Parliament, and the citizens of Paris revolted in succession. From 27th to 29th, in order to overthrow the Bourbon dynasty, fight against royalists and occupy the palace, it was called "three glorious days" in history. In this battle, a girl named Clara Lessing first raised a tricolor flag symbolizing French harmony on the barricade; Teenage Aler was shot down while inserting the national flag into a bridge next to Notre Dame. The painter Delacroix witnessed this tragic and intense scene and was filled with indignation. He decided to draw a picture for it as a permanent memorial.
The scene of street fighting shown in the painting is finalized by the painter on the basis of hundreds of sketches of the barricade war of the "July Revolution". One of the most striking symbols of freedom is a goddess who wore a red Giria hat during the French Revolution, held a gun in her left hand and a tricolor flag fluttering in the wind in her right hand. She is the center of the painting and the focus of the audience. On the left side of the goddess, a teenager came running with two guns, symbolizing the young hero Ale; The college student on the right, wearing a black coat and a tall hat, is the painter himself, clutching a rifle in his hand and his eyes flashing with the desire for freedom.
This painting is magnificent, with compact structure, rich and hot colors, bold and unrestrained pen and strong appeal. 183 1 may 1 caused a sensation when it was exhibited in Paris. The German poet Heine wrote a hymn for this painting. After that, the painting had some interesting experiences. 183 1 year, this painting was acquired by the French government and exhibited in the Luxembourg Palace for several months. Later, due to the change of the situation, it was returned to the painter himself. 17 years later, 1848, the February Revolution broke out in France, and the French people demanded that this painting be exhibited again in the Luxembourg Palace. In June of the same year, workers in Paris revolted, and the painting was removed by the government on the grounds that it was inflammatory. It was not sent to the Louvre until 1874. It accused the German Nazi Air Force of bombing the Spanish town of guernica during the Spanish Civil War in the 1930s, killing thousands of innocent civilians, effectively exposing the evils of war and the atrocities of fascism.