Enjoy Barcelona following Picasso's footsteps

Barcelona is known throughout the world as a cultural city with considerable heritage of the artistic modernism movement. Whereas Antoni Gaudi is considered to be the most famous representative of this period with regard to architectural outcomes, the works of the young Pablo Picasso are likely to be the counterpart for the art-scene. Pablo Ruiz Picasso was born on the 25th October 1881 and spent his childhood in Malaga and Coruña before his family decided to move to Barcelona when he was 13. There he visited the La Llotja School of Fine Arts to further strengthen and develop his academic skills. Besides school he enjoyed painting urban scenes from his surrounding like from the sea, the beach of Barceloneta, and scenes from the park of Cituadella. By that time his father José Ruiz Picasso who was the indisputable promoter of Picasso's artistic career and the mentor of his early years encouraged him to take part in his first official competition. Hence in April 1896 he presented his first painting 'Primera comunión' at the Exhibition of Fine arts and Artistic Industries in Barcelona which shows the first communion of his younger sister Lola. With that being the starting-point of his professional career he rented his first studio in Carrer de la Plata, no 5 in the Barri Gotic ( old-town of Barcelona) and in 1987 he began to frequently visit the Els Quatre Gats in Carrer Montsio No 3 where he met up with other contemporists and friends of his like the painters Carles Casagemas, Ramon Pitxot, Isidre Nonell,Ricard Canals, Sebastia Junyer-Vidal, the writer Ramon Reventös, and the sculptors Manolo Hugue, Juli Gonzalez and Pau Gargallo. He designed pictures for the cafe and cabaret and published illustrations for the art and literature magazine of modernism like ElsQuatre Gats or Pel i Ploma. Many of these works Pablo Picasso created during these years can nowadays be seen in the Picasso Museum in Barcelona. To experience a special touch of Picasso when visiting Barcelona, tourist have the possibility to rent Picasso's first studio in Carrer de la Plata (for example via www.oh-barcelona.com).

by Simone Hohoff
Open House Spain, S.L.

http://www.oh-barcelona.com/accomm_descr_short.php3?lan=1&refnr=323321
www.oh-barcelona.com