"Biography lends to death a new terror."

Probably one of the greatest contributing artists of the 20th century is Pablo Picasso. Many know his name in connection to Cubism, the art movement he is responsible with other artists for creating, but there is more to this artist then a few odd shapes on a canvas.

He was born in Spain in 1881 and was admitted to advanced classes in the Academy of Barcelona at 15. He was influenced by artists such as Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, who was a late 19th century artist that captured the nightlife of Paris of the time onto canvas. By 1901, Picasso had begun his career as a painter, through what is known today as "The Blue Period" and lasted from (1901-1904).

During "The Blue Period", his subjects were melancholy and his paintings were done in dark tones. After this came "The Rose Period". This period of two years was when Picasso's paintings took a brighter turn, with circus life as subjects and lighter colors used in the pieces.

He developed Cubism into what it is known today as primarily after 1912, with works such as "The Three Musicians" (1921). Through this development, collage became one of the several techniques of the style.

One of Picasso's most famous works however is "Guernica", which was painted in 1937 and is named after a Spanish town that was bombed. There was a brutal civil war going on in Spain at the time, and Picasso is deeply troubled by it. The underlying theme of the painting is mainly a condemnation of war, and Picasso's outrage at the destruction and rubble of the targeted town.

Picasso continued to paint until his death in 1973 and it is estimates that he has produced 22,000 works in a variety of mediums over the course of his lifetime. He will forever remain a beloved artist, and his impact on the art world is most notable.

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