One of life’s greatest gifts is the ability to see the world through the eyes of an artist. Their paintings invite you to experience life’s raw, unfiltered beauty, transcending you into a world where passion and creativity reign supreme. Each masterpiece evokes a spectrum of emotions – joy, love, admiration, and wonder – interwoven with pain, sorrow, and longing. Yet, isn’t that the beauty of living?
Behind every marvelous piece of art lies the story of its creator – human, imperfect, and profoundly inspiring. Their lives, filled with triumphs, struggles, and moments of genius, remind us that even the most celebrated figures were shaped by the same joys and challenges that define us all. This article aims to explore their journeys and humanize their existence, connecting you with the essence of what it means to be alive.
Pablo Picasso
Born in Spain, he lived an extraordinary 91 years, during which he created an astonishing legacy of 50000 pieces; Picasso wasn’t solely a painter but also a sculptor, ceramicist, and theatre designer.
His artistic journey was a continuous evolution, marked by an exploration of diverse phases and styles such as the Blue Period, The Rose Period, Realism, Cubism, Modernism, Post-Impressionism, and Symbolism. Artists are far from being saints, as even the greatest of people whose memory never dies have shadow sides.
Picasso, like many men, had a deep passion for women and never settled for one only. He never managed to quench his thirst for women, as he cheated on each one of them, including on his first wife.
However, no human relationship could ever be more important than his connection with art. His love for women and devotion to his children often took a backseat, overshadowed by his relentless drive to experiment and redefine artistic boundaries.
Even though it was reported that he was physically and emotionally abusive to some women, two of his ex-girlfriends committed suicide due to the unbearable grief they felt after his death (Picasso died without a will, and that might have upset them as well).
Vincent Van Gogh
Van Gogh encountered financial problems during his early life, forcing him to leave school and start work at the young age of 15. Despite his poorness, his mind was rich, as he was fluent in French, German, English, and his native Dutch. After working at his uncle’s art gallery, he moved to London, a place that made him fall in love with literature.
He also fell in love with a girl for the first time, but their story lacks the happy ending he hoped for, as she broke his heart by rejecting his marriage proposal. This dreadful event led to a mental breakdown in which he threw away all of his books, except for the Bible.
Then, he attended the School of Theology in Amsterdam, hoping to become a minister. Still, his dream never materialized, as after years of studying, he firmly refused to take the Latin exams, shamelessly saying in front of everyone that Latin is a dead language only poor people learn. As you can imagine, this event canceled his chance of becoming a minister.
He didn’t start painting until 27, and he never received any professional training. Despite his outstanding paintings that evoke emotional depth and convey the complexities of the human spirit, Van Gogh died poor without having the slightest idea about the recognition and appreciation he would get in the future.
He suffered from bipolar disorder and lived a tumultuous life, with lots of breakdowns and hallucinations, eventually leading to harmful gestures such as cutting his left ear. As for his love life, he was mainly attracted to unstable women, thinking he could help them get better (he couldn’t).
Van Gogh’s spectacular paintings inspired countless individuals to explore the world of art, visit museums, and adorn their homes with diverse masterpieces; And it might do the same for you.
It’s never too late to start your art journey. Considering the digital age, we now live in a world where you can find abstract paintings and sculptures for sale at just one click away, offering limitless access to different artworks that can expand your horizons and cultivate a refined sense of taste.
Leonardo da Vinci
Da Vinci lived an honorable life, and it’s one of the most brilliant intellects in history, as he wasn’t only a painter but also a reputable writer, sculptor, and musician.
If you’d believe, people crowd at The Louvre Museum to see the paintings of a man who never actually went to school. Yet, that didn’t stop him from independently reading, writing, and doing mathematics.
He proved an enormous potential and created marvelous artworks such as Monalisa, The Last Supper, The Virgin of the Rocks, and Salvator Mundi. However, he was a chronic procrastinator, and his wealth of varied passions didn’t allow him to complete his paintings and projects.
He spent his free time conducting scientific experiments and dissecting human and animal bodies. Moreover, he did a lot of writing but most of his work was written from right to left, crafting a mirror script that puzzled anyone attempting to decipher it.
He never married and had children, and naturally, this gave rise to speculations about his sexuality, which was emphasized by several writings from his notebooks in which he described the disgust he felt for male-female intercourse. Even though Da Vinci serves as a synonym for the word “genius”, his image hasn’t remained untarnished, as he was accused of sodomy in 1476.
Nowadays, love knows no barriers, and gender is no longer a barrier to how you experience and express affection. Still, unfortunately, Da Vinci lived in times when these kinds of acts held a penalty of death. He could only truly experience freedom through his artwork and creative projects, unbounded by any limitations and expectations.
Final Thoughts
This article gave you a glimpse into the personas of Picasso, Van Gogh, and Da Vinci, revealing the individuals behind the brushstrokes. Ultimately, it’s up to you whether you separate the art from the artist or embrace both as one inseparable narrative.
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