Pablo Picasso and his Art School Years
In 1895, when Picasso was 14 years old, he moved with his family to
Spain. He there attended the Fine Art School of Barcelona, Spain.
Picasso chafed at the Schools' strict rules and formalities, and began skipping class so
that he could roam the streets, sketching the city scenes
he observed.
In 1897, a 16-year-old Picasso moved to Madrid to attend the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando.
Picasso again became frustrated with his school's singular focus on classical subjects and techniques. He soon began skipping class to wander the city and paint what he observed, including gypsies, beggars and prostitutes.
"When
I was a child, my mother said to me, 'If you become a soldier, you'll
be a general. If you become a monk you'll end up as the pope,'" he
later recalled. "Instead, I became a painter and wound up as Picasso."
