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La Vie

1903
(Spanish, 1881–1973)
Spain, 20th century
oil on canvas
Framed: 239 x 170 x 10 cm (94 1/8 x 66 15/16 x 3 15/16 in.); Unframed: 196.5 x 129.2 cm (77 3/8 x 50 7/8 in.)
Gift of the Hanna Fund 1945.24
© Estate of Pablo Picasso / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Location: 223 20th Century Avant-Garde
This artwork is known to be under copyright.

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Did You Know?

Picasso began drawing as a child and studying at an art school at age eleven. He later remarked that "art is a lie that makes us realize the truth."

Description

In 1901, depressed over the suicide of a close friend, Picasso launched into the melancholic paintings of his Blue period (1901–4). Only 21 years old and desperately poor, he restricted his palette to cold colors suggestive of night, mystery, dreams, and death. His obsession with themes of human misery and social alienation reached its climax with this painting. The subject has been interpreted variously as an allegory of sacred and profane love, a symbolic representation of the cycle of life, and a working-class couple facing the hazards of real life.
La Vie

La Vie

1903

Pablo Picasso

(Spanish, 1881–1973)
Spain, 20th century

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Picasso and the Mysteries of Life: La Vie
Picasso and the Mysteries of Life: La Vie
By William H. Robinson Few artistic moments are as instantly recognizable as Pablo Picasso's Blue Period, and from it the painting, La Vie (Life) has emerged as the culminating masterpiece. This book not only examines La Vie's history and physical structure in unprecedented detail but also uses the painting as the touchstone for exploring a broad array of issues vital to modernist culture of the 19th and 20th centuries. New contextual analysis is provided for understanding the paintings enigmatic subject, along with its relationship to the art of Picasso and his contemporaries. 164 pages Published 2012
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Treasures from the Cleveland Museum of Art
Treasures from the Cleveland Museum of Art
Forward by David Franklin Introduction by C. Griffith Mann with contributions by Curators and Associate Curators of the Cleveland Museum Staff The Cleveland Museum of Art is renowned for the quality and breadth of its collection, which includes more than 40,000 objects and spans 6,000 years of achievement in the arts. Published to celebrate the closing stages of a long-term renovation and expansion, this exquisitely illustrated volume features treasures from the museum's deep and wide-reaching collection including Asian Art, African Art, American Painting and Sculpture, European Painting and Sculpture, Medieval Art, Ancient Egyptian Art, Ancient Near East and Greek and Roman Art, Islamic Art, Art of the Ancient Americas, Drawings, Prints, Photography, Decorative Art and Design, Textiles, Modern Art, and Contemporary Art. 352 pages Published 2012
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Gardens: The Cleveland Museum of Art
Gardens: The Cleveland Museum of Art
By Mary Hoerner, Jeffrey Strean, Leslie Cade The Cleveland Museum of Art opened to the public in 1916. In front of the majestic marble structure, however, was a neglected parcel of land with a small lake owned by the City of Cleveland. In the 1920s the Garden Club of Cleveland took on the job of transforming this blighted plot into the Fine Arts Garden, a beautiful place everyone could enjoy. Mary Hoerner delves into the history of the Fine Arts Garden, and Jeffrey Strean and Leslie Cade discuss past and present developments of the museum’s grounds as well as plans for the future. This lavishly illustrated and beautifully designed book presents a new aspect of the history of a distinguished institution. 108 pages Published 2016
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The Cleveland Museum of Art: Art Spaces
The Cleveland Museum of Art: Art Spaces
This fully illustrated book presents a brief view of the museum’s recent renovations and additions by famed architect Rafael VinÞoly. Confronted with the need to address facility concerns, devise more gallery space, and connect the various pre-existing styles from earlier additions, VinÞoly designs an architectural masterpiece by using a scheme of various spaces and architectural elements, all united by a soaring glass-roofed atrium to harmonize the museums architecture. 64 pages Published 2013

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