If you ask someone to name a famous artist, you can guarantee that a huge amount of people will say Pablo Picasso without a second thought.
There is no denying that Picasso was one of the most famous artists ever to have blessed us with his talent. He became known for his revolutionary artistic accomplishments and the immense fortune that came with it. Consequently, he is one of the most well-known and loved figures in 20th-century art.
However, there are a few things that you may be surprised to learn about Picasso. I was surprised by a few of these…especially the last one!
Picasso thought his poems would make him famous
It seems that Picasso did not initially know where his talents lay. He thought he’d be more famous for his poems than his paintings but they never took off! Imagine how different art history would be if they had.
Picasso was an awful student
You would never expect someone so successful to be such an awful student but this is definitely the case when it comes to Picasso. In artistic terms, he was years and years ahead of all of his classmates, despite the fact that they were all five or six years older than him. However, this did not stop Picasso from getting into trouble. He was often sent to detention because he did not like the teachers telling him what to do. Nevertheless, it did not seem to be much punishment for him. Picasso recalls taking his sketch pad along with him. He stated that he could have stayed in detention forever, drawing and never stopping!
Picasso was accused to stealing the Mona Lisa
Why would Picasso steal the Mona Lisa with all the talent his had? However, he ended up in court because he had purchased artwork that was stolen – although he apparently had no knowledge of this. It was claimed he stole the Mona Lisa to bring her back to Italy but there was no evidence of this – not guilty!
The first word Picasso uttered was ‘pencil’
This has to be a favourite fact about Picasso. It seems that he was destined to be an artist from the moment he was born. The first word he ever uttered was ‘piz.’ For those who are unaware, this is short for ‘lapiz,’ which is, indeed, the word for ‘pencil’ in Spanish. And, as they say, the rest is definitely history!
Picasso’s real name is long… very long!
If you are looking for a tongue twister, try pronouncing Picasso’s name without making a mistake. You may think it’s easy, but did you know that his name actually consists of 25 words? That’s right; it’s Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso.
So there you have it: some of the most surprising facts about Picasso!
Did you know any of the facts that were mentioned above?
Maybe you have some of your own interesting facts to share?
