Let’s Learn from the Great Artist- Pablo Picasso

 

Ms. Leung Kwan Yi

 

Pablo Picasso is one of my favourite artists in art history. He was a painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist, stage designer, poet and playwright. He was born and raised in Spain but he spent most of his adult life working as an artist in France. He was renowned as one of the most influential artists in modern art.

 

The reason why I like Pablo Picasso is that he was a very creative person and he tried very best to walk out of his own comfort zone.  Actually Picasso demonstrated extraordinary artistic talent in his early years, painting in a naturalistic manner through his childhood and adolescence. He had become very famous already and was well-known for his great painting skills. Despite regarded as a successful artist, Picasso kept challenging himself and he changed his style as he experimented with different theories, techniques, and ideas. He made his decisive break from the classical methods in which he had been trained, and began his lifelong process of experimentation and innovation.

 

Picasso’s later paintings display simple, childlike imagery techniques. “Why did he paint like a child?” My students always ask me this question when I introduce Pablo Picasso to them. Picasso once said, “All children are artists.” I can’t agree more. I hope my students can also act like Picasso.  I believe students are always creative and imaginative, if they just try their best and always think out of the box, all students can be great artists. 

 

My goal as a teacher is not only to provide academic knowledge and technical skills related to art to my students, but also develop their passion in creating art. I have to remind my students that there is no right or wrong in art, but there is beauty and possibility. It pleases me to see my students getting so involved in their artworks, and they often surprise me with their creativity. Even when it is time to leave, they don’t want to stop painting. This is when I know the lesson is successful.

 

The weeping woman, 1937 (Pablo Picasso)