In the second half of his life, Picasso (1881-1973) began to consider his place in history. He began to make paintings as statements about his relationship with old master artists. In these, we see him paraphrasing their work. rather than creating new, exciting art.
Picasso continued to extend his visible language, which developed out of Cubism. This development is what we see when we look at his paintings, sculptures and drawings. It shows his capacity for playfulness, energy and creativity.
These qualities allowed him to develop and make individual high quality pieces. Many of these are strong works. Despite this, Picasso no longer played an essential part in the ongoing story of modern art. The last movement that Picasso had direct involvement in was Surrealism. After the Second World War, the main drive of Modern Art moved from Europe to America.