Sixth Grade
Worksheets
The Cubism of Picasso
Pablo Ruiz y Picasso
Reading Comprehension for October 25
Although he died in 1973, Pablo Ruiz y Picasso remains one of the 20th century's most famous artists. He made drawings, etchings, and sculptures, and also wrote poetry and plays. He was one of the inventors of the art form of collage, and he helped found the art movement known as cubism. He even made it into the Guinness Book of World Records for creating the most pieces of art!
At a young age, Pablo Picasso's parents recognized his talent. His father was José Ruiz, a Spanish artist and also an art professor. Ruiz became his son's first drawing teacher. Little Picasso was said to be smart and sensitive. He had a pale face set with dark, observant eyes.
When Picasso was 14, he painted a series of small religious-themed pictures. He was doing classical art. In 1900, before he turned 20, Picasso moved to Paris, France. That's what many artists did; Paris was a magnet for artists. When he first arrived, he was poor, so he lived with the poet Max Jacob, who was also poor. They took turns sleeping in the one bed they had. Jacob slept on it at night, and Picasso slept on it during the day. They were so poor that when it was cold, they burned some of Picasso's drawings for warmth! This was not a good time in Picasso's life. A friend of his committed suicide, and that affected him as well. This bad time moved him into what is called his blue period. It lasted from 1901 - 1904. During this time the artist used lots of blue in his artwork. Looking at those paintings may make the viewer feel depressed.
