Do you recognize this animal? Thick lines and soft shadows describe a massive body. Dark crescent shapes form two pointy horns. A wavy tail sweeps across its back. The creature pictured here is a bull, one of the artist Pablo Picasso's favorite subjects.
Picasso grew up in Spain and attended many bullfights with his father. These lively events made a lasting impression on him, inspiring him to produce hundreds of artworks on the subject over his long lifetime. He created drawings of Minotaurs (half-man, half-bull creatures) and often included bulls and toreros (bullfighters) in his paintings. He even made a sculpture that looked like a bull's head out of the seat and handlebars of a bicycle!
The artist learned how to draw and paint from his father, who was an artist and teacher. Picasso began to show his artistic talents at such a young age that some say his first word was "piz" -- short for "lapiz," the Spanish word for "pencil." At age 16 he entered the Royal Academy of San Fernando, a prestigious art school in Madrid. There, Picasso passed all of his art examinations on the first day. His teachers encouraged him to make realistic portraits and landscapes, which he did very well. But as he grew older, he began to develop different artistic styles, experimenting with shapes, lines and shading, as you can see in this drawing titled "The Bull."
Picasso lived to be 91, creating paintings, drawings, sculptures, ceramics and more until the end of his life.
To see more of his artworks and make your own animal images inspired by Picasso, attend the Norton Simon Museum's next Family Day, "Meet Pablo Picasso," at 1 p.m. March 19. Call (626) 844-6980 or visit www.nortonsimon.org for more information.
This Learning Link was provided by the Education Department at the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena, where the 210 and 134 freeways meet.
