Angela Liu:
This is one of Picasso’s earliest paintings. He made this portrait of his father, José Ruiz y Blasco, when he was just thirteen or fourteen years old.
What makes this painting special though? The young Picasso’s talent is obvious. What’s more interesting is how this painting captures Picasso’s relationship with his father. Ruiz y Blasco was an art teacher, curator, and painter known for his depictions of birds, particularly pigeons and doves. The dove later became one of Picasso’s most well-known motifs.
Picasso’s father played an important role in Picasso’s journey in becoming an artist. Not only did he encouraged Picasso to create, but he also facilitated his son’s admission to the art schools where he taught. Picasso once said, ‘Every time I draw a man, involuntarily I think of my father. For me, man is “Don José,” and that will be true all my life. He wore a beard. All the men I draw have more or less his features.’
Don’t know about you, but looking at the portrait, can you not feel how Picasso felt about his father, and the sentiments that his father had for his whizzkid son?