Pablo Picasso is one of the forerunners of Cubism, an art movement that began in the early 1900’s. He began painting subjects from multiple viewpoints, giving his work a blocky, fractured look. Words I would use to describe his work are messy, explosive, and even disturbing. Your students will have a lot to talk about when they look at his portraits!
This artist and project may challenge a lot of your students because it is not traditionally “pretty”. So many great discussions can be had from the topic, and unfortunately there’s not enough time to talk through them all in class. Some options to encourage parents to discuss at home are “Does art have to be pretty to be successful?”, “What’s more important: the way art looks, or the message it conveys?”, and “In order to be a true portrait, does the artwork have to look like the person?”.
Materials:
Images of Picasso’s work
Pencils
Watercolor paper
Paint brushes
Watercolor paints
Plastic palettes (if needed)
Water, cups, paper towels
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