Pablo Picasso

In Malaga, Spain, on October 25, 1881, Pablo Ruiz Picasso was born. In the early years of his life, he lived with his family between Málaga and La Corua. There he discovered his love of drawing and painting. What sort of youngster was Picasso? When did he begin painting?

Pablo found school to be boring and failed to pay attention. In his book Picasso, Portraits and Memories, Sabartès, a friend of the artist, recalls how the young Malagasy child screamed every morning when the maid carried him to school. He spent his time in class sketching and cutting out paper figurines. He was given permission to bring in a pigeon, which he continued to draw in a classroom corner. Picasso created his first oil painting when he was just 8 years old. "The Little Yellow Picador" was the title. Different persons are depicted in the background, the youngster applies himself to the composition with a desire for perspective, and there is a strong spontaneity of line, backed by the color yellow and the specifics of the picador on his horse's outfit. Pepe, who frequently brought Picasso to the shows, sometimes gory, is likely to blame for Picasso's fascination for bullfighting. Pigeons and bullfighting scenes were mostly his favorite themes when he was 9 years old.

Picasso has been taking drawing classes at Corua's Fine Arts School since 1892, all the while completing his traditional studies. He kept honing his drawing techniques and experimented with new tools including pastels and pencils. Pigeons, hands, and his sister Lola—one of his early favorite models—are among the recurring subjects. He published "La Corua" and "Azul y Blanco," two diminutive illustrated periodicals. Picasso painted "The Barefoot Girl" when he was just 13 years old. The "sitting woman" motif, which is declined and revived throughout his work, makes its debut here.