The Picasso Blue Period



The Picasso Blue Period spanned from about 1901-1904 and encapsulates all of his art created during this time including portraits, still life and sculpture. Picasso paintings from that era carry many unique and telling signs, and some of them are the most famous and sought after works that he ever produced. If you're thinking to buy some new home décor, take a look at the information surrounding this fascinating period of the artist's life.

As mentioned, the Picasso Blue Period lasted from 1901 to 1904, a time when he was still just in his young 20s. It's so called because in his paintings the color blue was predominant in many of them. But more than just blue and blue shades, the feelings of blue, that is melancholy, sadness and the like are also dominant. After all, humans always associate colors with feelings and meanings, and even today people might say they are "feeling blue" when they are a bit sad.

Perhaps the cause of the usage of blue in Picasso paintings during this time was the death by suicide of his friend Carlos Casagemas. Casagemas shot himself in the head in a bar in Paris in the beginning of 1901 and Picasso created several paintings about this event and what it meant to him.

The Picasso Blue Period was also influenced by Spain, and the artistic movements and artists during that time. This is despite the fact that during this time Picasso lived and worked from Paris. Really, the Picasso Blue Period is all about Picasso's transition from classical painting to more abstract works. He was really just beginning to delve into the world of abstract art and new ways of expressing himself outside of the classical realm.

Later his Cubist Period would develop into other abstractionism art. Likewise, so did the emotional influnces from the Spanish Civil War in his giant painting of Guernica.

The use of colors and symbolism and other depictions in many of these works were the start of this revolution. Despite his young age he was already achieved as a classical painter, and he was exploring new means of expression. He is really the first artist to give his paintings all a lens of a single color or tone, so to speak.

Many of the most famous and most beloved Picasso paintings were from this time period. These include works like:

  • Self Portrait
  • The Old Guitarist
  • Portrait of Soler
  • Las Dos Hermanas
  • Portrait of Suzanne Bloch
  • The Death of Casagemas
  • Evocation
  • The Absinthe Drinker
  • The Tragedy
  • Life
and of course many others as well. With all of these different options you're sure to find one poster for sale that calls to you and will make a great addition for your home office.

Hopefully now you know a bit more about the Picasso Blue Period, how it came about and what it all meant. The biography of his art career is loaded with other artistic periods including the very famous Cubism Period. It was the beginning of his change towards abstract art, and many of the works showcase a great deal of melancholy and sadness. Some of the most famous and beloved Picasso paintings were from this time period, and many people continue to use them to decorate in their homes, offices, studios and other settings as well.

Famous Italian Artists

Caravaggio
This artist was a realist in the age of Idealization while he was violent, criticized and a widely imitated realist in Europe.

Famous French Artists

Cezanne
Paul Cezanne helped forge the Impressionist movement to greatness with help from Renior and Monet but it wasn’t always easy.

Henri Matisse Art Gallery
The Henri Matisse Art Gallery of a creative genius and Favist artist extraordinaire.

Impressionist Art Gallery
Browse the Impressionist art gallery of selected prints by the artists that changed the art world forever.

Picasso Art

Pablo Picasso Famous Paintings
Some Pablo Picasso Famous Paintings include Guernica, Guitar, doves, flowers from the Rose Period, Cubism, and Surrealism.

Claude Monet Famous Paintings
The best of Claude Monet Famous Paintings are in Venice, his garden lilies, haystacks, the seascapes, and the Argenteuil series. The Impressionists in Paris started the Impressionism movement.

MC Escher Paintings

MC Escher Biography
The MC Escher biography reveals a life devoted to his artwork with tessellations, mathematically inspired and always intriguing.

MC Escher Paintings
MC Escher Paintings was an artist; created tessellations with extraordinary math skills. The graphics of MC Escher artwork continued to develop with his popularity.

MC Escher Artwork of Tessellations
The images in MC Escher artwork and tessellations are fascinating scenes with optical illusions, waterfalls, reptiles, castles, stairs, and spheres.

Click here to leave Picasso Blue Period for more links to artists and their online art galleries, art prints and art posters. Browse the links found at the bottom of Famous Painting Artists.