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Fifth Grade Print
Portrait of Marie-Therese (1937)
By Pablo Picasso (Pa-bloh Pee-kahs-so)
Technique: oil on canvas
Size: 39 ¼” x 32”
Collection: Musee Picasso, Paris, France
Art Genre: Cubist Portrait
OBJECTIVES:
 The students will examine Picasso’s experimentation with color, shape, and perspective.
 The students will paint a portrait using a combined profile and frontal view.
 The students will experiment with color and shape in their portraits.
ABOUT THE ARTIST:
Pablo Picasso was born in Malaga, Spain, in 1881. His father, an art teacher, taught him the rudiments of
painting and drawing at a very early age and, by 1897, Picasso’s technical training was complete.
Picasso was a curious and talkative person by nature, and liked to meet his poet friends in bars and night clubs,
where they would stay up till all hours of the night talking about life and art. Tales of Paris’ lively cultural life
soon lured him to the city, and, from 1900 to 1904, Picasso traveled back and forth between Spain and France.
This was the artist’s so-called “Blue Period,” during which he painted predominantly blue canvases depicting
life’s sorrow and vicissitudes.
Picasso’s “Rose Period” (1905-1907) followed, when he settled in Paris for good. Picasso’s paintings of this
period display a cautious optimism, and depict paupers, acrobats, and circus performers. Picasso also painted
maternity scenes during this period.
Picasso was particularly influenced by African art, and gradually abandoned naturalist painting for an art in
which volume and the structure of objects became chief concerns. Les demoiselles d’Avignon (The Ladies of
Avignon) is typical of Picasso’s early experiments in cubism. In this large 244 cm x 234 cm figure study,
Picasso breaks down the human body into wide angular planes which occupy the entire picture space. Cubism,
characterized by the presentation of a single object from a number of different angles, was to take on increasing
importance and influence among Picasso’s contemporaries. During his cubist period, Picasso became
increasingly preoccupied with the organization of colors and shapes, as is seen in his celebrated painting Three
Musicians. Although the colors are applied in large, flat areas, without relief or modeling, Picasso has
succeeded in creating depth through the juxtaposition of the blue, red, yellow, black and white planes which fit
together like the pieces of a giant jigsaw puzzle.
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When Pablo Picasso was in love, his paintings shone with joy; when his relationships with women turned sour,
his portraits grew distorted. Andre Breton described these strange portraits as “convulsive”; other critics were
less kind, labeling them monsters.
Picasso reinvented the historical painting by demonstrating that it was possible to create an art that was in touch
with the important events of the time, an art that was free of the artifices of color and concessions to realist
literalism.
In 1936, the Spanish Civil War broke out and Picasso, who passionately supported the Republican cause, found
himself publicly involved in the struggle. In early 1937, he created two satirical engravings entitled The Dream
and Lie of Franco, which were printed on post cards and sold to collect money for the Republicans. On April
26, 1937, German bombers completely leveled the Basque town of Guernica, prompting Picasso, in his anger ,
to paint the famous Guernica, a large black and white canvas condemning the bombing. The great historical
importance of this painting shows that art can be a form of social activism, as well as a means of educating the
public.
Picasso was a prolific artist who worked mainly in paint, but who also worked extensively in sculpture,
ceramics, and engraving.
Picasso’s home was a veritable paradise for children. Every available surface was littered with an eccentric
collection of objects – weird masks, bugles, guitars, and enormous sombreros. Crates overflowing with
marvelous odds and ends stood in every corner. These objects, which Picasso used as subjects for his art, also
provided an inexhaustible supply of toys for children.
Picasso was a true magician, one who was able to transform the most commonplace object into a work of art
which would sometimes fetch enormous sums of money from collectors. He could fashion a guitar from nails,
an old newspaper, and pieces of string; make a baboon’s head from his son’s toy car; or create a charming
collage from a pin, a few matchsticks, and a butterfly.
Picasso was a tireless worker, and left a legacy of paintings which is so enormous that it would not even fit in a
large museum.
*Biographical text from: Thompson, C. (2000). Art image early years (2nd ed.). Champlain, N.Y.: Art Image
Publications, Inc. (Original work published 1994)
*Note that there is a Venezia Series biographical book on Picasso. You may check it out from the library for
use during your lesson. The book should NOT leave the Tarwater campus. You can use the book as a read
aloud, but most likely you will only have enough time to use selected pages to enhance your lesson. Please
preview the book carefully and skip any images that are inappropriate for the elementary classroom.
*Additional posters of Picasso’s work will be available in the supply tub.
QUESTIONS AND POINTS FOR DISCUSSION:
Subject Matter
 Picasso once said, “I paint objects as I think them, not as I see them.” What do you notice about the way
Picasso painted this portrait?
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This portrait is abstract and not realistic.
Different views (profile and frontal) of the same person are combined in one image (related to
Picasso’s Cubism).
 Picasso used distortion and exaggeration in his portraits.
Elements of Art
 What do you notice about the color in this portrait? (Bold and contrasting colors; not realistic colors)
 What do you notice about Picasso’s use of line? (Thick black outlining to emphasize shapes and add
contrast)
 What do you notice about Picasso’s use of shape? (Picasso loved to experiment with shapes, sometimes
reducing his subjects to more simple shapes)
Principles of Design
 Where do you see repetition in this portrait? (The striped pattern is repeated.)
 What might suggest movement in this painting? (Several viewpoints of the woman in one image;
diagonal lines; “Picasso believed that paintings should move in the same way that life moves – all the
time.”)
Evaluation
 Do you like this type of painting or do you prefer a more realistic portrait?
PROJECT: The students will paint a portrait (self or other) with a combined profile and frontal view. The
combined profile/frontal view may be more easily achieved by following Picasso’s example of a face in his
painting, Girl Before a Mirror (page 8 in the Venezia biographical book). The students will first pencil in an
outline of the head and shoulders. The head and shoulders should fill most of the paper. Then the students can
go back and draw a profile line going down through the middle of the face. The facial features on the profile
side will be drawn with a side view. The facial features on the other side of the face will be drawn with a frontal
view. The students should get creative with the facial feature shapes as well as the hair shape. The students can
add shapes and patterns to the clothing that covers the shoulders/chest. When the basic light pencil outline is
finished, the students can begin painting. Remind them that their color choices do not need to be realistic, and
that bright, contrasting colors are desired. While the portrait part dries, the students may paint a background
(solid or patterned). When the background is finished, the students can use black paint to outline the portrait
and shapes within the portrait. Showing a sample of the project is always a good idea. This project will require
a lot of time (1 hour for the project portion of the lesson). Have the students sign their finished artwork. When
the artwork is dry, it can be displayed or filed in the students’ portfolios.
SUPPLIES:
 Tempera paint bottles – primary colors, secondary colors, black, brown, & white (Pour paint sparingly.
You can always add more if need be.)
 Egg cartons (use as paint tray) – Collect these ahead of time.
 Water cups (You may want to bring your own disposable cups for easy clean-up.)
 9 x 12 white drawing paper
 Brushes
 Paper towels
 Newspaper for covering desks (Individual art guides provide the newspaper. Please scan the newspaper
carefully, and do not use any papers with inappropriate pictures, headlines, or advertisements.)
 Large garbage sack for clean up (This is optional and to be provided by the individual art guides.)