I. Pre-blue period: tutelage and development of artistic visionLike many artistic geniuses, Picasso demonstrated rare precocity. Born in 1881, he was already training as a painter in 1888 when his father, a naturalist and professor of Fine Arts, began to teach him figure drawing and oil painting (Walther 90). Rumor has it that Picasso's father gave up painting when he saw his son revising his unfinished sketch (Wertenbacker 11). After the death of his sister in 1895, Picasso was severely depressed and the family moved to Barcelona, ​​which later became Picasso's refuge and sanctuary (Wertenbacker 13). During this period, Picasso focused on historical pieces and portraiture, genres popular at the time and in which his father specialized. His father, convinced by his son's precocious abilities, persuaded officials at the School of Fine Arts, where he worked, to allow the 13-year-old boy to take the entrance exam. Most students needed several weeks to complete the exam; however, Picasso completed it in just a week and was accepted (Walther 90). Eventually, the young Picasso was sent to Madrid to attend the Royal Academy of San Fernando, the most prestigious art school in the country (Wertenbacker 13). Eventually detached from his father, Picasso left for Madrid to explore his own artistic interests and voice. Before this development, Picasso had been managed by his father, who supervised Picasso's artistic productions and who sent him to study under teachers whom he himself supervised. He quickly discovered himself to be a non-conformist, disliking the supervision of instructors. Furthermore, Picasso, at this time, aspired to rediscover the vision of classical painters, such as Rembrandt; however, he was not strong...... middle of paper ...... oholics and beggars, up to circus performers. Works Cited Charles, Victoria. Pablo Picasso. New York: Parkstone International, 2011. Cirlot, Juan Eduardo. Picasso: Birth of a genius. New York: Praeger, 1972. Daix, Pierre. Picasso: Life and Art. Toronto: Harper Collins, 1993. Gardner, Howard. Creating minds: an anatomy of creativity seen through the lives of Freud, Einstein, Picasso, Stravinsky, Eliot, Graham and Gandhi. New York: Persée, 2011. Gasman, Lydia. War and the Cosmos in Picasso's Texts, 1936-1940.Lincoln, NE: iUniverse, 2007.Holloway, MJ Making Time: Picasso's Suite 347. New York: Peter Lang, 2006.McNeese, Tim. Pablo Picasso. New York: Chelsea House, 2006. Walther, Ingo F. Picasso. Trans. Hugues Beyer. Cologne: Benedikt TaschenVerlag, 2000.Wertenbacker, LT The world of Picasso. New York: Time Life books,1967.