Pablo Picasso and The Tragedy

'The Tragedy' (1903) by Pablo Picasso; National Gallery of Art, Washington 

It's no easy task to choose one painting for today's post on one of the greatest and most versatile artists of the 20th century, Pablo Picasso, born on 25 October 1881 and died on 8 April 1973. I have never been a great fan of Cubism but have grown to appreciate it more and more. So I could have posted one of Picasso's later works or the famous and great Guernica, but I have always liked his blue and rose period, ever since I was a student and had a postcard of the painting 'The Tragedy' hung in a frame on my wall. This painting so reminds me of my student period in Utrecht. So it's a bit of a nostalgic choice but I still love this painting. Picasso's blue period is famous for its somber paintings. This blue period started after the suicide of his friend Carlos Casagemas. The painting 'The Tragedy' shows a man, woman and child by the sea, but it's not clear what tragedy really occurred. During examination of the painting, it was revealed that Picasso had painted over another image and even later examination showed that the canvas had been used a minimum of four times. If you're interested in reading more about how this painting came about, click here.