Pablo Picasso. La Vie (Life) (1903)

La Vie

Fundamental Paintings to Understand the History of Painting

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La Vie (Life) (1903). Pablo Picasso
Oil on canvas. 197 cm x 127.5 cm
Cleveland Museum of Art. United States

This is an exemplary painting of the Blue period of Picasso (1901-1904). This stage in the life of the painter is called Blue period because his work is basically painted with just one color (what is called monochrome painting). It was something surprising since the only similar thing seen until that moment were the grisailles in the Middle Ages (works painted in grey).

The different tones of blue generate an overwhelming environment, of existential anguish. And the characters of those blue paintings —“lengthened” as the characters of El Greco— are often those alienated from society, those who live in poverty and desperation, in environments where the miseries of life are exposed.

The strange tones of the faces —a hint that Expressionism was coming— give those characters a distant air, as if they were silently lost in their depression and thoughts.
Blue is often used as a symbol of sadness. Undoubtedly there is sadness in this stage of Picasso. The social reality it reflects was his own reality: his economic situation was critical, and he was hungry as he could not sell his paintings.

The suicide of one of his friends was the triggering factor for him to start painting this series of cold and melancholic paintings. “I started painting in blue when I learned of Casagemas’s death.”

If we only took into consideration this stage of his career, which was not understood in his time, we would still consider him an amazing artist. And he had not revolutionized the history of painting yet.

Recommended links:

Six Paintings: Blue Picasso.

Guernica (1937).

Six Paintings: The series of Picasso that continues the Guernica.

Fundamental Paintings to Understand the History of Painting: Les Demoiselles d’Avignon, Picasso.

Six Paintings: Picasso and the Portraits of Marie-Thérèse.

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