José Ruiz y Blasco (12 April 1838 – 3 May 1913) was a Spanish painter, an art teacher, and the father of artist
Pablo Ruiz Picasso (1881–1973).
Family life
José Ruiz y Blasco who was known by his family as "Pepe" was born in
Málaga
Málaga (; ) is a Municipalities in Spain, municipality of Spain, capital of the Province of Málaga, in the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia. With a population of 591,637 in 2024, it is the second-most populo ...
, Spain in 1838 and grew up in a middle-class family. At 42 years of age, he married María Picasso López (1855–1938),
who was 17 years younger than him.
The couple had three children; Pablo was born on 25 October 1881, Dolores, who was nicknamed "Lola", was born in 1884, and Concepción, who was nicknamed "Conchita", was born in 1887. When Pablo was 13 years old, Conchita died at the age of seven from
diphtheria
Diphtheria is an infection caused by the bacteria, bacterium ''Corynebacterium diphtheriae''. Most infections are asymptomatic or have a mild Course (medicine), clinical course, but in some outbreaks, the mortality rate approaches 10%. Signs a ...
.
Career
From 1875 to 1890, José Ruiz y Blasco worked as an art teacher at the Escuela Provincial de Bellas Artes San Telmo. He specialised in
still life
A still life (: still lifes) is a work of art depicting mostly wikt:inanimate, inanimate subject matter, typically commonplace objects which are either natural (food, flowers, dead animals, plants, rocks, shells, etc.) or artificiality, human-m ...
s,
landscapes, and images of doves and pigeons. He also worked as curator and restorer at the
Museo Municipal in Málaga.
In 1891 Ruiz y Blasco moved his family to
A Coruña
A Coruña (; ; also informally called just Coruña; historical English: Corunna or The Groyne) is a city and municipality in Galicia, Spain. It is Galicia's second largest city, behind Vigo. The city is the provincial capital of the province ...
and taught at the Escuela de Bellas Artes,
and Pablo attended his ornamental drawing classes.
Ruiz y Blasco attempted to achieve an income from his paintings, but was unsuccessful. He exhibited his work twice in A Coruña but received lukewarm reviews, which were in contrast to the praise that his son Pablo received for his artwork. As a result, he decided to give up these aspirations.
In 1895 he moved to Barcelona and taught at the
Escuela de Bellas Artes ("La Lonja").
Influence on Picasso
Early in his son's life, Ruiz y Blasco recognised the artistic talent of Pablo. He began to teach him art at the age of seven. Pablo completed his first painting ''
Le petit picador jaune'' at the age of eight.
His father believed that the best way to learn art was to copy the great masters.
In 1892, he enrolled Pablo in the Fine Arts School in Coruña, where Picasso developed his drawing skills.
At the age of 13, Pablo started to attend the Escuela de Bellas Artes in Barcelona. His father was impressed by his son's talent, but they maintained a volatile relationship.
In Barcelona, Ruiz y Blasco was a model for his son's artwork and Pablo made numerous portraits of his father. Ruiz y Blasco also helped his son to create some of his artworks, including ''
Science and Charity''. He also rented a studio to help Picasso to work.
Later in life, Picasso admitted to the photographer
Brassaï the reason why he painted so many bearded men: "Yes, they are all bearded, do you know why? Every time I draw a man, I accidentally think of my father. For me, the man is Don José and he will be like that all my life..."
Death
Ruiz y Blasco died in Barcelona in 1913 at the age of 75.
Gallery of paintings
File:Pastora en el campo.jpg, left, Shepherdess in the field, painted by José Ruiz y Blasco in 1890
File:Jose Ruiz Blasco - doves.jpg, left, A group of doves, painted by José Ruiz y Blasco
File:Paloma con tinaja. Conjunto.jpg, left, A dove, painted by José Ruiz y Blasco
See also
* ''
Dove
Columbidae is a bird family consisting of doves and pigeons. It is the only family in the order Columbiformes. These are stout-bodied birds with small heads, relatively short necks and slender bills that in some species feature fleshy ceres. ...
'', a 1949 lithograph by Pablo Picasso
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ruiz y Blasco, Jose
Painters from Andalusia
19th-century Spanish educators
1838 births
1913 deaths
Painters from Barcelona
People from Málaga
19th-century Spanish painters
19th-century Spanish male artists
Spanish male painters
20th-century Spanish painters
20th-century Spanish male artists
Pablo Picasso
Burials at Poblenou Cemetery