Pablo Picasso: Blue and Rose Periods

Even though the transition from the depressive Blue Period to the Rose Period happened in a short span of time, there are in fact several stylistic aspects that differ. Besides the obvious change of the dominant color in paintings, the anxiety of the Blue Period is changed by a series of quieter canvases in which humanity is seen less from its suffering aspect than its plastic values. In contrast to the previous period, characters in the Rose Period were freed from their personal histories as well as from the events of their daily lives (Lecaldano 12). Throughout time the painting’s surface became ampler and bodily proportions were changed as well. It can be seen by comparing The Blind Man’s Meal and The Family of Saltimbanques. In fig.1 the body looks broken, disproportioned and unnatural, whereas in fig.3 despite the various body forms, people are depicted in a more realistic way. In short, the artistic style of the Rose Period was more elaborate than the simplified techniques used in the Blue Period. It has to be noted that probably the most significant difference between these both periods is the change of subject matter. Picasso found himself in a company of good friends and a loving life partner, so the subject of sorrow was not of great importance to him anymore. Hence, the positive changes in his life introduced changes in his paintings making them seem happier in spirit and able to create more pleasant mood than the ones of the Blue Period. However, it is also important to understand that it doesn’t matter if those were circus people or beggars depicted in Picasso’s paintings because representatives of both of these social classes were in some ways outsiders in the society.
In conclusion, the Blue and Rose periods prove that in no other time in Picasso’s career was his life so closely interwoven with his art as in those years when he chose color as the most significant attribute to depict his feeling about the world. The work of Picasso is more than a mirror of the historic circumstances; its vitality and insight and love for humanity fulfills an essential purpose – the augmentation of feeling and the education of the spirit. That is why years after his death he is still an irreplaceable figure in the world of art; his fame rests upon his modernity.
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