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From Wondery, I'm Victor Clark, and this is Who's Amazing Life.
You've heard of people who changed the course of history.
But before they made their mark on the world, they were people like you and me still figuring out what they wanted to do with their lives.
On this episode, you will be that person everyone knows.
You might be a musician or an athlete, a scientist or a painter.
You may know what the person accomplished later in life, but now you can experience everything they faced along the way, from challenges and heartbreak to triumphs and excitement.
All the moments that built this person into someone who would change the world.
There will be clues, so pay attention.
But only at the end will you find out who you are.
So sit back and imagine your amazing life as The Painter.
Imagine you're 14 years old watching your art teacher work in his studio in Barcelona, Spain.
He's painting his favorite subject, a bird.
His model is a plump little pigeon who pecks at a pile of seeds on a nearby tabletop.
Your teacher's already painted the bird's head and body.
Now he's working on the feet, and he's struggling.
In a sudden swift move, he hurls his palette and paintbrush angrily across the room.
I'll get it, Father.
Your art teacher isn't just your teacher.
He's also your dad.
He's a professional artist and a teacher at the local academy.
You've been studying with him for years.
You love art and spend all your time and energy, even when you're supposed to be paying attention in school sketching and painting, or watching your dad sketch and paint.
You hop off your stool, gather your dad's supplies from the floor and carefully hand them back to him.
Thanks.
For as many years as I've been painting, you'd think I'd have mastered feet.
Can I try?
Your eyes go wide.
You blurted out an offer for help without thinking about it, and now you regret speaking up.
You didn't mean to suggest that you could do it better than your father could.
What if you made him mad?
But to your surprise, your father isn't angry.
Instead, he's smiling at you.
He paints over the pigeon's feet so it looks like the bird is floating in the air, and hands you the brush.
Why not?
This is a good opportunity for you to practice.
You have 10 minutes.
And with that, he leaves you alone in the studio.
10 minutes to fix something your father has been working on for an hour?
What have you gotten yourself into?
You look at the real pigeon for inspiration, but he just stares back at you, bobbing his head.
You're on your own, but you've got to try something.
You take a deep breath.
Then you begin to paint.
You start with the pigeon's legs, using quick, sure strokes to create lines jutting out from his body.
Then you sharply slash the brush in three directions to create the framework for the feet.
Next, you begin to shade and highlight, adding dimension.
It's looking pretty good.
When you have a brush or a pen in your hand, you know exactly what to do.
It's just you and your tools creating your own world on a canvas.
You spin around to see your father standing in the doorway.
Okay, let's see what you've got.
He walks over and stares for a long time at the canvas.
Your stomach twists into knots.
What is he thinking?
Why doesn't he say something?
Finally, he walks slowly and silently to the cabinet that holds all of his art supplies.
He gathers all of the tubes and jars of paint, the brushes, the cloths, and the pallets in his arms.
You hope he doesn't start throwing them.
Your family really doesn't have the money to replace all of these items.
But he doesn't throw them.
Instead, he holds them out to you.
Take them.
You just stare at him, so he thrusts them into your arms.
I said take them, son!
You've been studying with me for years, but after today it's clear that I have no more to teach you.
It's time for us to enroll you in the Academy.
Make your family proud.
You look down at the pile of artist's tools in your arms.
Lessons at the academy?
That sounds scary.
And kind of exciting.
The truth is, your dad teaches you like there's only one right way to make art.
Sometimes it feels frustrating.
And lately, it's been harder and harder to do things his way.
But now, you're going to go to the academy.
Finally, you'll get to make your art your way.
It's a huge opportunity, and you can't wait to get started.
At 14.
You are much younger than all the other students at the academy, but your age doesn't hold you back.
You finish your entrance exam, which is supposed to take an entire month, in just one day.
Everyone quickly realizes you are the most talented artist in the entire school.
It's fun to be the best, but the school is not what you expected it to be.
You thought you'd have more freedom to create outside of your father's studio.
But the truth is now you have your father and all of your professors telling you what to do and how to make your art.
You're relieved when two years later, your father tells you he's sending you to a new school.
It's the most prestigious academy of art in Spain and it's all the way in Madrid.
You'll get to learn about all kinds of art and, perhaps even better, you'll be living on your own, without anyone to watch over you or tell you what to do.
Maybe now you'll get to make your art your way.
Unfortunately, your new school is just like the last one.
You're still the youngest student and the most talented.
And like before, everyone keeps telling you how to paint.
It's so frustrating.
So one day, you decide to take matters into your own hands.
Without telling anyone, you just stop going to class.
You're still going to make art, but now it's going to be on your terms.
You just hope your decision won't disappoint your family.
You are 17 years old.
You and your father are rushing through the halls of the world famous Prado Art Museum in Madrid.
You love this museum.
You've been here tons of times.
Usually you take your time and enjoy all of the amazing art.
But today, your father is on a mission.
Come along, son.
Hurry up.
Father, can't we stop here?
I want to see the medieval paintings.
Or maybe we can go see the ancient Iberian sculptures.
I love those.
But your dad rushes past all of it.
You practically have to run to keep up with him.
At last, he finally stops in front of a large gallery.
Hanging on the wall are formal portraits of great men and women, including some past leaders.
Here we are.
See, you could have a painting in a museum like this one day.
Imagine painting a king.
And all you have to do is keep applying yourself in school.
You get a queasy feeling in your stomach.
Your father has no idea you've dropped out of school.
You know he's not going to like hearing this news, but you think you may have a way to tell him and convince him that you've made the right decision.
Why don't we go to my studio?
I'd love to show you what I'm working on.
When you get to your studio, your father walks around silently taking in your work.
There's a lot to see.
Dozens of paintings and sketches all painted on your own outside of school.
Your father picks up a small canvas you've been working on and gives you a strange look.
What is this?
I don't understand it.
It's a different way of seeing things, father.
It's my way of seeing things.
Your father sneers.
And you think this is art?
What are they teaching you at that school?
They're not teaching me anything.
I left.
I'm making art on my own.
My way.
Your father holds up his hand to tell you to stop talking.
Can't you see that this is garbage?
Untalented painters are the ones who make this type of chaos.
Because they can't do what you can do.
You, my son, have a gift.
You could be a painter of kings.
Maybe I don't want to paint kings.
I want to paint in my own style.
Your father stares at your artwork with a look so sharp it could slice the canvas.
It's so hard to see the disappointment on your father's face.
He's right.
You are good enough to paint portraits of great men and women.
Maybe even good enough to paint a king.
But that's not what you want to do.
As your father storms away, you feel your heart sink.
You had no idea how much being independent could hurt.
Once your family hears about your new artistic direction, they stop sending you money.
Without their support, you have to leave Madrid and try to make it on your own.
Over the next few years, you move around a lot.
You never have enough money, which is a challenge.
But on the other hand, you're finally free to do what you want.
You paint and sketch and it feels great to make art the way you feel like making it.
Your dad's reaction to seeing your art still stings, and the two of you don't really see eye to eye anymore.
Now, when you sign your drawings and paintings, you leave out your dad's last name and only use your mother's.
There are other artists like you, artists who are on the cutting edge, experimenting with new styles and techniques.
A lot of these artists live in Paris, and you want to join them.
Even though your parents don't understand the choices you're making, they finally decide to support you.
They gather what money they can to help you and see you off at the train station.
Their encouragement means so much to you because secretly, you're a little bit scared.
You're going to be on your own in a way you have never been.
Before you leave, you paint your feelings into a self-portrait.
First, you paint your head and shoulders.
Then, you paint a phrase encircling your head.
It reads, "'I the king, I the king, I the king.'"
You may not become a painter of kings, but you are determined to be the ruler of your own life.
You are 26 years old.
You have been living in Paris off and on for eight years.
It was scary at first, but you quickly discovered you love it here.
In Paris, you have a big group of friends.
Like you, they make art the way they want to, without following the rules of what anything is supposed to look like.
Tonight, you have asked everyone to come over so you can show them your latest work.
Alright everyone, are you ready?
I'm about to show you what I've been doing for the past few months.
I made over 100 sketches of this before ever picking up my paintbrush.
This is why I haven't been coming to your parties.
I hope you'll agree it was worth it.
You pull back a cloth to reveal your painting.
What is this?
Certainly different.
Well, that wasn't what you were expecting.
The subject of your painting is a group of five women.
You've painted them so that they don't appear to be anywhere.
It's hard to tell whether they are outside or inside, or what time of day it is.
Some stare out at the viewer in a confrontational and unfriendly way.
Your friends stare right back at the painted women.
Well, what do you think?
After an uncomfortable moment, your friend Henri steps forward.
Well, if no one else will say it, I will.
It's hideous.
Your friends chuckle at his reaction.
Henri gestures at the painting.
I don't even know what I'm looking at.
You try to explain your work.
Well, they're women.
Oh, I can see that.
But none of them are the same.
The one on the left is straight out of an Egyptian hieroglyph.
And the ones in the middle, they're straight out of a geometry textbook.
The ones on the right, are those masks they're wearing?
These women are from entirely different worlds.
They are from my world.
Well, I'm sorry, my friend, but I don't get it.
Unfortunately, Henri is not alone in his opinion.
Most of your friends don't like your painting or seem to understand it.
But as the party continues, you take a moment to stare at your painting.
And you smile.
Who cares what other people think about your art?
You like it.
As long as you're creating art your way, you know you'll be happy.
Over the nine decades of your life, you create an astonishing volume of work.
Close to 150,000 paintings, sculptures, collages and drawings.
You refuse to listen to your critics and continue to create art your way.
Eventually, you win people over and your art is appreciated by artists, experts and ordinary people who just like art.
You experiment with different art styles like surrealism, modern art, and neoclassicism.
You are credited with pioneering an entirely new style called cubism, which shows a figure from all angles and perspectives all in one painting.
Your art is in museums all over the world, including the Prado, where your father took you to learn from the masters.
Now you are one of the masters.
You and your father never do agree about art.
He had a dream for you as an artist, and you chose to do your own thing.
But your connection to him remains strong.
He is a frequent subject in your paintings and sketches.
The birds he painted remain important to you too.
You name one of your children Paloma, which means dove or pigeon in Spanish.
You also draw the dove of peace that becomes the symbol for the United Nations.
As for that painting your friends disliked so much, it ends up being regarded as the dividing line between the past and the future of western art.
30 years after the party where you shared it with your friends, it is purchased by the museum of modern art in new york city, where it remains to this day.
And though you often struggled to feed yourself when you were starting out as an artist, This painting alone is now valued at over 1 billion.
You are widely considered one of the most important visual artists of the entire 20th century.
You are Pablo Picasso.
If you like Who's Amazing Life, you can binge all episodes early and ad-free right now by joining Wondry Plus in the Wondry app or on Apple Podcasts.
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Before you go, tell us about yourself by filling out a short survey at wondry.com slash survey.
From Wondery, this is Who's Amazing Life.
This episode contains reenactments and dramatized details.
While we can't know exactly what was said, we use many sources when researching our stories.
Some that were particularly helpful include Picasso Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by Norman Mailer and the documentaries Picasso Fractured Mind and The Turbulent Life of Pablo Picasso.
I'm your host, Victor Clark.
This episode was written by Carolyn Almos.
Sound design by Andre Pluss.
Additional audio assistance is by Sergio Enriquez.
Desi Blaylock is our managing producer.
Callum Pluss is our senior managing producer.
Our senior producers are Megan Begala, Ginny Bloom, and Jennifer Klein Walker.
Executive producers are Lauren Dee, Marshall Louis, and Erin O'Flaherty for Wondery.
Wondery.
