How Picasso Found Subject Matter for his Painting
Today’s article is taking a look at Picasso, his paintings, and how he finds his subject matter. How do you get the subject matter for your paintings or photography? Well, the subjects for photography are easy for me it seems, but when I sit down and try to draw I have no idea what I should sketch. Keep in mind I’m not great at drawing, but I would still like to sketch every now and then to see where I go with it. So again, what should I draw? Join in and see what we can learn from Picasso to inspire our work!
What to Draw
Yes, there are lots of things I could draw, but what defines me? I need to practice proportions, anatomy, shading…all kinds of stuff…that’s why copying the masters is good. Copying someone is far from unique though. They say “sex sells,” but I don’t want to default to the nude female like everyone else…I’d rather create something of my own. It finally hit me when I was watching an excellent documentary about Picasso and his life.
Below is the video which sparked the inspiration. There is a part in the video where they say Picasso’s paintings are a diary of his life. As we look at the examples below we can see this is true. The majority of his work includes the people and events in his life. This is amazing, why didn’t I think of that?! I’ve been inspired by Bouguereau, Degas, Van Gogh…I really
like love their paintings, but if I were to draw a Satyr, Ballerina, or Sunflower, I wouldn’t really feel like it was expressing what I wanted.
So, now that I know inspiration can be pulled from my own life, the possibilities are endless! I can draw or paint scenes from my childhood. Good memories, bad, exciting adventures, loved ones, pets, toys…so much to choose from and it will all mean something special to me. If I run out of inspiration there for some reason I can always pull it from the impressions the world makes on me. What I find humorous, sad, or exciting. I can even use different symbols (see Day 364) to represent things in my art. I hope this inspires you to take a look at your own life and possibilities for the subject matter of your art.
Below you’ll find Picasso’s paintings as well as a little description of who it was in relation to. Thanks for the support everyone, see you next time!