Heather and I recently wrapped up a wonderful trip to Spain. We visited Barcelona, where Pablo Picasso spent much of his life, and the small coastal town of Cadaques, where Salvador Dali called home.
You can’t help but stumble upon a great deal of their art while in Spain. What struck us, in particular, was the evolution of their work. Picasso, for example, was classically trained, and much of his early work was done in a true-to-life, realist style. Only later did he explore a range of other styles, including his revolutionary take on modernism. Also notable was the artists’ breadth of expertise. Dali was not only one of the world’s foremost surrealist painters, but he also successfully branched out to sculpture, printmaking, fashion, advertising, writing, and filmmaking.
At their core, they were creatives, and their art evolved with them. They gained mastery of their respective crafts, but rather than remaining in their comfort zones, they pushed the boundaries and developed styles all their own. Their approaches required patience—they perpetually experimented, explored, and examined. But also a sense of urgency—their insatiable creative appetites led them to produce prolific amounts of work.
As a result, they created indelible art for the ages, perhaps admired more—certainly valued more—than at any point during their lifetimes.
