麻豆约拍

Possessing a genre-spanning genius, artist Pablo Picasso saw the world in a new way.

1. He refused to be tied down

Picasso’s work spans a head-spinning variety of styles, genres, art forms and ideas. From drawing to painting, sculpture to poetry – and beyond – Picasso never allowed himself to be restricted. What’s more, he consistently evolved and changed his styles, taking influence from the places he lived – including Madrid, Barcelona and Paris – and the writers and artists he met along the way. Yet there was a coherent vision behind this creativity, a way of feeling the world that permeated all of Picasso’s art.

2. He invented a new way to represent reality

Rejecting the rules of painters who had gone before him, Picasso’s more abstract work led to him creating a new style of painting with a handful of fellow artists in Paris around 1907. Cubism was a new, complex response to the fragmentary way the artist perceived society and it inspired similar movements in architecture and literature. With the emergence of the Modern Art movement, Picasso helped to influence a whole new visual language fit for the 20th century.

3. He confronted rather than escaped the world

While some artists can be accused of cutting themselves off from the rest of society, the always politically-aware Picasso engaged with it. When his home country Spain was torn apart by civil war in the 1930s Picasso painted Guernica. This was in response to the bombing of a civilian population. It has a stark anti-war message – which still resonates today – and it brought the brutal conflict to a global audience.