Although he was a cubist
instead of an abstract expressionist, Pablo Picasso greatly contributed to the
way that politics and art would work together in the future. He was a rather
political artist who showed his beliefs through his work instead of through
joining the military. Through the
two world wars and the Spanish-American war, Picasso refused to become a
soldier. His anarchist beliefs were most evident in his anti-war paintings Guernica and Massacre in Korea.
Guernica
Massacre in Korea
Picasso’s early life
experience largely shaped the way he viewed the world. In Barcelona, he was surrounded
by poverty and anarchism. In many of his works, mainly the Blue Period, he
portrayed the poor and their struggles. But, unlike most communist or socialist
painters who portrayed the poor as optimistic, Picasso portrayed the
impoverished everyman’s pain and oppression. The first highly political work and propaganda Picasso
created was entitled The Dream and Lie of Franco. This piece was a postcard with prints and a
poem and its profits would go to the Spanish Republican Party.
The Old Guitarist from Picasso's Blue Period
The Dream and Lie of Franco
Picasso was a part of the
French communist movement and remained a communist until his death. During this
time, he was an active member of the party who was even awarded the Stalin
Peace Prize. However, his non-Socialist Realism artwork often faced criticism
from the other members. When Picasso was commissioned to create a portrait of
Stalin, many communists were upset with the results. Their powerful leader
appeared weak and unmanly. This lead to a falling out between the Premier and
Picasso, who refused to change the way he painted because of his political
party. For the remainder of Picasso’s life, his personal politics continued to
influence his paintings.
Portrait of Stalin
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