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Briefly examines the life and work of the renowned twentieth-century artist, describing and giving examples from his various periods or styles

32 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1988

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204 people want to read

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Mike Venezia

164 books62 followers

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5 stars
107 (40%)
4 stars
101 (37%)
3 stars
49 (18%)
2 stars
7 (2%)
1 star
3 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
Profile Image for Nabila Tabassum Chowdhury.
379 reviews279 followers
October 7, 2015
আম্রিকাতে থার্ড গ্রেডে বাচ্চাদের পিকাসোকে বুঝতে শিখায়। আর্টফর্মের ট্রানজিশন কেন ঘটলো সেটা জানায়। হাহ্‌... আম্রিকার স্কুলে পড়তে না পারার জন্য আমার একটুও খারাপ লাগে নাই। :/
Profile Image for Dodie.
843 reviews4 followers
June 20, 2018
A great kid’s book. A lot of illustration and pictures of Picasso’s work. There were bits of information about Picasso here and there.
Profile Image for Pam.
1,646 reviews
August 1, 2017
A very good introduction to Picasso, both the artist and the person. The book has great illustrations including many of his most important works. I loved the humor.
1,927 reviews22 followers
April 15, 2019
A great introductory text on Picasso. My second graders were very intrigued with his painting styles, and very opinionated too!
Profile Image for Meagan.
575 reviews1 follower
September 20, 2024
I love this series. Information is kid-friendly and presented in palatable amounts. The format is engaging, with large photos and illustrations and shorter paragraphs.
77 reviews
Read
September 26, 2016
This is a great book about the artist, Picasso. It is filled with fun pictures and facts that will keep young readers engaged. The book goes through Picasso's life starting with the fact that his father was an art teacher who pushed Picasso to paint certain styles of art. As Picasso got older, he discovered that he was interested in a new kind of art. He started to stylize his paintings to make them his own - instead of doing paintings that everyone else did. He used odd shapes to make people and put eyes, ears, mouth, legs, and arms where they weren't suppose to be. Many people didn't care for this type of art... but Picasso didn't care. He started doing cubism and went through different stages in life that were noticeable through his art.

I love this book because of it's simple words used to talk about a great artist and his work.

I would use this book to teach art students about Pablo Picasso, of course!
Profile Image for Yesenia.
27 reviews
November 21, 2013
Picasso written and illustrated by Mike Venezia is a wonderful biographical picture book. This book is great for third graders and up. The way that the material is presented would surely have students learning effortlessly.
The book is the biography of Pablo Ruiz Picasso, the author walks the reader through the different stages that Picasso underwent in his lifetime. The first picture of the book is actually a black and white photograph. This picture is quite contrary to the book cover which is cartoon art. Yet, I liked how the author chose this picture because it allows the readers to put a face to the name that a cartoon could not necessarily do. I also enjoyed how the author did not used a lot of text throughout the book, and the text nicely complemented the illustrations. This book would be great for beginners that do not know a lot about art. The information that the author wrote is not a lot that it would be a cognitive load for students, it will however spark their imagination, and probably plant a little seed to know more about Pablo Picasso. The illustrator actually has the authentic paintings, but to add a fun element to the mix, here and there he disperses a couple of cartoon drawings allowing the student to reflect back on the material in a fun way. An example of this is demonstrated after the author presented Picasso’s Blue Period. After he demonstrated a couple works of Picasso’s Blue Period he has a little cartoon. The cartoon is set in a gallery that has people bickering over the masterpiece. Some see it as a work of art, while others like his father, criticize the painting. On the next page is a cartoon version of Picasso out of a store with buckets of pink paint. The author tells the reader that Picasso met a girl named Fernande and fell in love, and that was the beginning of the Rose Period.
Throughout the book the reader can learn to love art and have fun with art. In addition, one of the paintings is Pablo Picasso’s friend, which the author gave a full page to the painting. On the other page is a black and white photograph of the friend with a bubble that says “I’d hate to see how I would have come out if I wasn’t his best friend.” This is sure going to be a hit with children.
The book is more like a collage rather than illustrations from the Venezia. He does however add his own twist and personality throughout the book. The font of the book is large and simple. The book includes a variation of single and double spread pages.
I really enjoyed how the author presented his information to the audience. This book can open the door to art to many students, so that they too can be Picassos. I rate the book five stars.

Profile Image for Jon Hewelt.
487 reviews8 followers
December 28, 2014
Previously read: currently playing catch-up.

Ah, now this is the one I remember from my childhood. As an artist, Pablo Picasso stood out to me more than any other, and it was this biography of him that inspired my own artistic pursuits. I tried to replicate Picasso's painting of a blue guitarist, but ended up with some deformed creature with a blue baboon butt.

Again, as with Edgar Degas, Venezia's selection of introductory artworks feels incredibly comprehensive. Included with the famous pieces (Guernica, in particular, comes to mind) are examples of Picasso's more "traditional" work, which once illustrated for me that Picasso's experiments were calculated and skillful, and not--as my own work was for years and years and years--random and chaotic.

The cartoons, too, really stood out in my mind. As I reread this book a few weeks ago, I remembered the cartoons that accompanied the historical anecdotes seconds before I saw them again. That really has no bearing on the book's merit, but it made the process of rereading it all the more enjoyable.

If you, as my adult friends, are interested in reading a juvenile biography on famous artists, I recommend this series. And if you read this series, I HIGHLY recommend you start with Picasso.
30 reviews2 followers
November 28, 2011
This book is so bright and colorful and will really attract the eyes of young children. Focusing on the life of Picasso, the biographical story shows images of not only Picasso but of his many famous works. It explains the different periods that Picasso went through in his life and the paintings that came out of each period. I really enjoyed how the language is perfect for young children and turns mature and complicated concepts into easy to read language. For example, they explain that for certain photos Picasso was sad and depressed. Mike Venezia uses language that children can understand making it a great book for children who are just becoming interested in modern art. The illustrations are drawn and many are photos of Picasso throughout his life and of his many artworks. Overall, this book is perfect for young children who are beginning to learn about art, modern art, and the influence that Picasso has had on the history or art.
Profile Image for Amber.
31 reviews
April 21, 2015
I thought Picasso by Mike Venezia did a fantastic job outlining Picasso's life. It nicely balances key moments in his life and his style and techniques. There are plenty of pictures to show his diverse styles. It also walks through the different stages of his life in artwork. It highlights pictures of his early work up unto his late work, from realistic paintings to modern style. It compares and contrasts various styles and emotions. I thought it was very well done, but written in a manner that children can understand.
39 reviews
March 24, 2010
This book about the life of Picasso is a clever version of a biography.

The first few pages are illustrated with cartoon pictures. The text is easily read and understood by young readers. It is placed in easy and comprehendable sentences. Throughout the rest of the book, the pictures are duplicates of Picasso's actual art works. I think this helps the reader to respond to Picasso's life story as well has his artwork.
Profile Image for Shelli.
5,172 reviews56 followers
September 8, 2014
Getting to Know the World's Greatest Artists, Picasso is a nice edition in this fantastic collection by Mike Venezia. These books are perfect for exposing elementary and junior high aged students to a large variety of artists and styles of art.

I was surprised to learn how drastically Picasso's style of art changed over his lifetime. Personally Cubism is not a style I enjoy, but I have much respect for his originality and ability to start an entirely new way of doing art.
Profile Image for Sevinj.
6 reviews
November 8, 2012
I have a 2 and a half year-old daughter. I took the book for her. She enjoyed the book. But to tell the truth I enjoyed more. I learned so many things about Picasso. I heard about his Blue period. But I had no idea about other periods. The pictures are great. My daughter even saw houses in the picture painted in the cubism style. The language is very easy for kids to understand.
Profile Image for Morgan Duplechin.
255 reviews70 followers
October 21, 2014
Mike Venezia has once again done an amazing job of creating a interesting and fun biography. The life of Picasso was extremely interesting and Venezia does a great job of keeping what would be boring facts and turning them into an interesting story.
Profile Image for Rosa Ramôa.
1,570 reviews85 followers
May 15, 2015

"Apenas deixe para amanhã o que você está disposto a morrer tendo deixado de fazer".
(Pablo Picasso)
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews

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