This first painting, La Vie, comes from his Blue Period, penniless and homeless, Picasso was a dark way when he painted this one. The work presents a youthful couple, faced with the responsibility of age.
In his Rose Period, Picasso saw his first taste of money and fame. The art reflects this, as in this work entitled Circus Acrobats and Ape. The parents are affectionate towards their small child; it is no longer the curse it appears to be in the previous painting. Even the monkey shares in the quiet joy.
After his invention and experimentation with Cubism, Picasso briefly took up realistic-looking work in the early 1920s. Portrait of Olga in an Armchair depicts his current wife in a somewhat realistic, dare we say "pretty" way. Reminds me of Frida Kahlo (the style, not the woman in the painting).
Following this, Picasso would go through some personal troubles, especially with in his love life. His depictions of women during this time seem to reflect this. He distorts the feminine body in ways that seem almost cruel. This was not for art's sake, this was Picasso seeking vengeance.
Many years and a few marriages later, Picasso settled down (somewhat) as an older man with a younger, beautiful wife, and healthy happy children. No longer at the front of the art world, he was content to enjoy the simple things. The limits of parenthood in La Vie give way to a candid, happy moment. His artistic journey brings him full circle. First Steps is a touching picture, even in its unusual style. The mother is presented as a plain, maternal figure, proudly helping her child, with a beautifully ugly (or ugly beautiful) grin of nonchalant happiness and even a little bit of pride.
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