The Old Guitarist, The Tragedy, Three Musicians and many others by Pablo Picasso (1881 - 1973)
Lesson Option 1:
Pablo
Picasso Gogh Play
(The
narrator should be an adult)
Narrator:
Pablo Picasso is known as an artist who was a rebel, an innovator and the
greatest experimenter with art. His life spanned the evolution of
Expressionistic Art to Modem Art. While most of his fame rests largely on
his paintings, he also made important contributions in sculpture and pottery.
(show self-portrait)
Picasso:
Hello, I am Pablo Picasso. I was born on
Picasso’s Mom:
Hello, my name is Maria Picasso Lopez. I am known for my wit,
sensitivity, and of course, my intelligence. My son Picasso showed
artistic talent as a child. He began to draw as soon as he could hold a
pencil.
Picasso:
I remember my first oil painting was of a bullfight. I did that
when I was 9.
Picasso’s Mom:
He was a very strong willed child and manipulated his father and me in
order to get his own way. He was unwilling to accept any kind of authority
and wouldn't tolerate rules and regulations.
Picasso’s Dad:
He wasn't interested in school so he received poor grades. The only
interest he had was painting. He also decided he would only use his
mother's family name of Picasso.
Picasso:
I was so talented that I was accepted at the Barcelona Fine Arts Academy
at age 14. After only 2 years they couldn't teach me any more so I went to
Narrator:
At this time in his life he was impressed with the work of El Greco, a
famous artist of that time, and his painting reflected the elongation and somber
emotional tone of him. He returned to this style during his "Blue
Period". Which pictures are from his blue period? (The
Old Guitarist and The Tragedy point out but don't discuss yet) 1901-1904 is known as Picasso's Blue Period.
In Picasso's life he painted many styles and
colors known as "periods" such as Blue, Rose, Classic, Cubist, and
others. Which painting is from each period? Classic (Mother and
Child and Head), Cubist (Three Musicians and
Still Life and The Aficionado
and Portrait of
Kahnweiler)
Narrator:
Picasso gained the reputation of a rebel because as each new period or
movement became accepted, he would break from it and change it. His early
pictures are easy to understand, but his later works are more difficult. Each
person must find his own meaning. Picasso said, "To draw you must close
your eyes and sing."" Looking at his pictures can you see what he was
thinking?
Student:
By the 1900's there was no Realism in art. The concern was for emotional
ideas about the human condition, not realistic portrayals. This period of art is
called Expressionism. Picasso went to
Paris
at this time and was influenced by the Expressionists.
Many artists of the early 1900's had a strong social sense and used their
art to protest the unfairness of the human condition. Many of his pictures
depicted hunger, loneliness, old age or poverty.
Narrator:
This painting is called The Tragedy. What colors are in this
picture? (Mostly blue and white, some rose color on the boy) What are the people
doing? Who do you think they are? Which person is less sad than the others?
(the
boy) What do you think is the story of the tragedy here? Does the water suggest
anything? (drowning, boy leaving home, poverty)
Look at The Old Guitarist. This painting is hanging in the
Picasso: I loved musicians and circus people.
Clowns and acrobats were often
subjects of my paintings.
Narrator: What is the only object in the picture that isn't blue? (guitar)
Why? (he
loved music) How would the painting change if the colors used were pastel
colors?
Picasso’s Mom: Picasso loved women.
He was married several times and had several
girlfriends throughout his long life. Picasso said, "The work that one does
is another way of keeping a diary." When he was in love and happy his
pictures reflected that joy.
Fernande:
Hi! My name is Fernande Olivier, I was the first woman to make an
impression on Picasso. I met him in
Picasso’s Dad: Picasso never stayed with one art form for very long.
As soon as it
became popular or accepted he went on to create something new. He was always a
rebel. He once said, "I do not seek, I find."
Narrator:
Look at these prints: Guitar, Glass and Fruit Dish and
Still Life with Head. Picasso is considered the father of Cubism, an
attempt to show on the flat surface of a canvas how much space an object, like a
table, really filled. He painted the top of a table and the sides of the legs to
fill the space in the painting the way the table filled the space in his room.
Picasso began Cubism in 1907 and returned to it many times during his life. How
are these pictures different than the ones seen before? (more color, no realism)
What are some of the other objects in these pictures? (bottle, paper,
picture on a wall, fruit bowl, tablecloth, pallet hanging on a hook)
Do you think Picasso had a sense of humor?
Analytical Cubism, Facet Cubism and Collage Cubism were the next phases
Picasso went through. (Show Portrait of Kahnweiler and The
Aficionado)
What do
you think about these? Do you like them? Analytical Cubism deconstructed objects
into their components. This was a means to depict different viewpoints at the
same time.
Student:
A collage is many different items pasted together. There were two stages
of Collage Cubism. The first was pasting actual newspaper onto the canvas and
drawing things around it. The second phase Picasso did was to draw items on
canvas to look like they were pasted on.
Olga:
In 1917, while Picasso was experimenting with Cubism, he met and married
me, Olga Khokhlova. I influenced his paintings during the 1920's. Picasso
returned to a classical style of painting, but also went back to Cubism. This
caused many people to dislike Picasso. They didn't like him switching styles so
quickly. However, one painting brought him much fame, Three
Musicians, painted in 1921. Picasso did several sketches and paintings
before the final painting was completed. Notice how they are slightly different.
Can you tell who the musicians are? (a
harlequin, a pierrot, and a monk)
Student: The harlequin and pierrot are French clowns who never speak while they
perform. The monk is a quiet religious man. Harlequins always wear a diamond
pattern and are funny. Pierrots are usually dressed in a floppy white suit,
monks are usually dressed in black or brown.
What instruments are they
playing? (harlequin - violin,
pierrot - clarinet, monk - accordion)
What type of art did Picasso
use here? (Cubism and Collage)
How do you know?
Narrator:
Picasso is remembered as one of the most important artists of the modem
age.
Lesson Option 2:
Picasso is known as an artist who was a rebel, an innovator, and the greatest experimenter with art. His life spanned the evolution of Expressionistic Art to Modern Art. While most of his fame rests largely on his paintings, he also made important contributions in sculpture and pottery.
Picasso was born October 25th of 1881 in Malaga, Spain. His father, Jose Ruiz Blasco was a painter and a teacher and a teacher of painting. His mother's name was Maria Picasso Lopez. She was known for her wit, sensitivity and intelligence. Can you see any humor in Picasso's pictures? Can you find any sensitivity for people?
Picasso showed artistic talent as a child and began to draw as soon as he could hold a pencil. He was allowed to experiment with his father's artist tolls. His first oil painting of a bull fight was painted at the age of 9. He was unwilling to accepted any kind of authority and wouldn't tolerate rules and regulations. He wasn't interested in school, so he received poor grades. The only interest he had was painting. He soon used only his mother's family name of Picasso.
Picasso was so talented that he was accepted at the Barcelona Fine Arts Academy at age 14. After only 2 years, they couldn't teach him any more, so he went to Madrid and entered the Royal Academy. At this time he was impressed with the work of El Greco, a famous artist of that time, and his paintings reflected the elongation and somber emotional tone of El Greco. He returned to this style during his "Blue Period". Which pictures are from his blue period? (The Old Guitarist and The Tragedy) 1901-1904 is known as Picasso's "Blue Period".
In his long life Picasso painted in many styles and colors known as "periods" - such as Blue, Rose, Classic, Cubist, and others. He gained the reputation of a rebel because as each new period or movement became accepted, he would break from it and change it. His early pictures are easy to understand, but his later works are more difficult. Each person must find his own meaning. Picasso said, "To draw you must close your eyes and sing."
By 1900 there was no Realism in art. The concern was for ideas and concepts, emotion and the human condition, not realistic portrayals. This period of art is called Expressionism. Picasso went to Paris at this time and was influenced by the Expressionists.
Many artists of the early 1900's had a strong social sense and used their art to protest the unfairness of the human condition. Many of his pictures depicted hunger, loneliness, old age, or poverty. This painting is call The Tragedy. What colors are in this picture? (mostly blue and white, some rose color on the boy.) What are the people doing? Who do you think they are? Which person is less sad than the others? (boy) What clue does Picasso give you? (a softer look and a rose colored wrap around him) What do you think is the story of the tragedy here? Does the water suggest anything? (drowning, boy leaving home, poverty)
Look at The Old Guitarist. This painting is hanging in the Cincinnati Art Museum. What kind of lines do you see? (horizontal, resting lines) Why do you think Picasso made the old man in such an awkward position? (to show the sadness of old age and poverty)
Picasso loved musicians and circus people. Clowns and acrobats were often subjects of his paintings. What is the only object in the picture that isn't blue? (guitar) Why? (he loved music) How would the painting change if the colors used were pastel colors?
When Picasso was in love and happy his pictures reflected that joy. The first woman to make an impression on Picasso, was Fernande Olivier, whom he met in Paris. Picasso's work seemed to change to a softer look and he used more of a rosy color. This is called his "Rose Period". This period lasted about 1 year from 1905-1906. (show pictures of the rose period: Head and some from a book) How are the rose period pictures different than the blue period ones? (softer, more tenderness)
Picasso never stayed with one art form for very long. As soon as it became popular or accepted, he went on to create something new. He was always the rebel. He once said, "I do not seek, I find." Look at these prints: Guitar, Glass, and Fruit Dish and Still Life With Head. Picasso is considered the father of Cubism, an attempt to show on the flat surface of a canvas how much space and object, like a table, really filled. He painted the top of a table and the sides of the legs to "fill" the space in the painting the way the table filled the space in his room. Picasso began Cubism in 1907 and returned to it many times during his life.
How are these pictures different than the ones seen before? (more color, no realism) What are some of the other objects in these pictures? (bottle, paper, picture on wall, fruit bowl, table cloth, pallet hanging on a hook) Do you think Picasso has a sense of humor? Analytical Cubism, Facet Cubism, and Collage Cubism were the next art phases Picasso used. (Show pictures in the book of Factory in Horta, Pipes Cup, Coffee Pot, etc.)
What is a Collage? (Many different items pasted together) There were two stages to Collage Cubism. The first was pasting actual newspaper onto the canvas and drawing things around it. The second phase Picasso used was to draw items on canvas to look like they were pasted on. "Guitar, Mask, Newspaper"
In 1917, while he was experimenting with cubism, Picasso met and married Olga Khokhlova. She influenced his paintings during the 1920's. Picasso returned to a classical style of painting, but also went back to cubism. This caused many people to dislike Picasso. They didn't like him switching styles so quickly. However, one painting brought him much fame, "Three Musicians", painted in 1921. (Show two pictures) Picasso did several sketches and paintings before the each final painting was completed. Notice how they are slightly different. Can you tell who the musicians are? (a harlequin, a pier rot, and a monk)
The harlequin and pier rot are French clowns who never speak while they perform. The monk is a quiet religious man. Harlequins always wear that diamond pattern and are funny, pier rots are usually dressed in a floppy white suit, monk are usually dressed in black or brown. What clues does Picasso give you to let you know who these people are? What instruments are they playing? (harlequin - violin, pier rot - clarinet, monk - accordion) What type of art did Picasso use here? (cubism and collage) How do you know?
Activity
Have you ever had a blue period? A rose period? If so, what would you paint? If so, what would you paint? Allow students to brainstorm as to pictures that would be will represented in a blue or rose period. Students will draw with crayon and "wash" with a blue or rose paint.
or
The painting The Three Musicians is in the 2nd grade drawer. Contact 2nd grad coordinator to make sure you can borrow the print. Have students make face collages from magazine/pictures. Discuss different views at same time, like front view nose with a side view of mouth. Picasso made many collages.
or
Using the poster puzzle of The Old Guitarist found in art closet, give each student one piece (there are 30) to copy on a 7 1/2 x 9 sheet of paper). Each poster piece is numbered on the back. Each student should number their paper. Give them about 15 minutes to copy and color their piece. Make sure they draw with the paper turned vertically, not horizontally. Use pastels, charcoal or colored pencils. You may want to ask the students to raise their hands if they like to draw and give the more difficult pieces to them. You also may want to pre-draw the design on the paper. Ask children why they think Picasso made the old man in such an awkward position? (sadness of old age and poverty) ask what object is blue and why? (guitar and he loved music) Put poster together while children group and put together puzzles of van Gogh's prints (located in art closet).
