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John Millen

'All children are artists. The problem is how to remain an artist once they grow up'
Pablo Picasso (1881-1973)
Artist / Superstar
Pablo Picasso is thought by many to be the greatest artist of the 20th century. He painted his first piece when a child, and his last just before he died at the age of 91. Picasso was a superstar of the art world, and during his final years, he had to shut himself away from his fans so he could get on with painting. 
When he died, he left behind an enormous collection that showed the innovation and energy he had devoted to art during his long and exciting life. 
First brushstrokes
Many great artists struggle to gain recognition during their lifetime, and only become famous after their death. But this wasn't the case with Picasso. He was born in southern Spain, and his father, an art teacher, encouraged young Picasso to draw and paint before he could write. 
At the age of 14, Picasso became a student at the School of Fine Art, in the city of Barcelona. The boy's painting skills, confidence and technical ability greatly impressed his teachers, and he exhibited his first painting in Madrid at the age of 16. Picasso painted and drew portraits of his family, landscapes, posters and religious subjects. 
A change of style
 Picasso's early painting style was realistic, following on from other Spanish painters whose work he was studying at art school. His first big exhibition was held in a cafe in Barcelona in 1900, and one of his paintings was selected to go on show in Paris, in France, at the World Fair. Picasso knew that Paris was the centre of European art so he decided to visit the city.
Up until that point, artists had tried to capture what things really looked like in their paintings. But Picasso wanted to get away from all that and instead paint the emotion of what he saw. He experimented with thick lines and flat colours, changing the style of his paintings completely.
Blue and pink 
Between 1901 and 1904, Picasso moved back and forth between Barcelona and Paris, where an exhibition of his work had been a great success. He began painting using only shades of blue, and choosing sad subject matter. During this 'Blue Period', Picasso completed more than 50 paintings. 
But Picasso never stayed with one painting style for long. By 1906, he was living in Paris and experimenting with using only the colour pink. 
The Young Girls of Avignon
Picasso's 1907 painting Les Demoiselles d'Avignon caused an uproar in the art world. No one had ever seen anything like it. Picasso had painted a group of young women with distorted limbs, mask-like faces and square bodies. It was completely different from any style that had been seen before. 
 He now began to break up everything he painted into geometric shapes with straight lines and strange angles. This new style of painting was named 'cubism', and opinion on it was divided. 
A life of art
Picasso had a long life, and every minute of it was dedicated to moving art forward. He was always experimenting with new styles, trying to discover new ways in which to express himself as an artist. His vast output of work was a major influence on design and art in the 20th century. And he continues to fascinate art lovers even today. 
You can see 56 of his works on display at the Hong Kong Heritage Museum until July 22.
Picasso Fact File
Change ONE word or number in each of these statements to make them correct.
1 Pablo Picasso was born in the south of France.
2 His father was a music teacher.
3 Picasso began painting as a teenager.
4 He became a student at art school when he was 18.
5 At the start of the 20th century, Madrid was the centre of the art world.
6 During his 'Grey Period', Picasso painted sad subjects.
7 Picasso was a pioneer of the 'square' style of art.
8 Picasso had a limited influence on 20th century art.
Answers:
1. France - Spain; 2. music - art; 3. teenager - child; 4. 18 - 14; 5. Madrid - Paris; 6. Grey - Blue; 7. square - cubism; 8. limited - massive/huge



Modern-eyed master