Picasso: The Artist of the Unreal!

http://guysread.typepad.com/theblurb/2008/09/picasso-the-art.html

Pablo Picasso was born at midnight on October 25, 1881, in Malaga a seaside town in the south of Spain. When he was born the doctor thought that he was born dead. Picasso died at his home in Notre Dame De Vie in Mougins, France, on April 8, 1973. He was 91. In Picasso’s final years his eye sight and hearing started to fail. He never lost his creative energy, although he refused to see many of his relatives, even his own children. The last portrait that he painted of himself was in 1972 and the painting was a painting of an old man with a twisted face with pain.
Picasso lived in many places. When Picasso was born he lived in Malaga, Spain. Then in 1891 when Picasso was 10 his family moved to La Corona, a province on the north coast of Spain.
Pablo Picasso had a weird childhood. His family was poor but loving. His fathers name was Jose Ruiz Blasco. He was a painter and an art teacher and he often struggled to support his family. His mother’s name was Maria Picasso Lopez. She encouraged Picasso to become an artist. In 1884 Lola, Picasso’s sister was born but when she was 7 years old she died. Picasso’s father also took him to bullfights in Malaga. He always enjoyed watching the battles between the bull and the bullfighter (toreador). The bullfights later inspired many of his paintings.
Picasso’s mother recalled that Picasso could draw before he knew how to speak. His mother also said his first words were (Piz, Piz) which in Spanish means pencil. Also by the time he was 9 his sketches proved that he had far better drawing ability than all the other kids his same age. At school Picasso preferred doodling instead of paying attention in class. He was not good in math and later in his life he claimed he never learned the alphabet correctly. When Picasso behaved badly in school he was sent to the cells. He liked being sent there because he drew while in the cell.