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PICASSO, Pablo, Avant la pique (Before the Lance), 1959
"Yet Cubism and Modern art weren't either scientific or intellectual; they were visual and came from the eye and mind of one of the greatest g… [Read biography »]
Signed Pablo Picasso (1881 - 1973), Original Color Linoleum Cut, Avant la pique (Before the Lance), 1959  |
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| Artist: | Picasso, Pablo (1881 - 1973) |
|---|---|
| Title: | Avant la pique (Before the Lance), 1959 |
| Medium: | Original Color Linoleum Cut |
| Image Size: | 26 1/4 in x 21 1/2 in (66.7 cm x 54.6 cm) |
| Sheet Size: | 29 5/8 in x 24 5/8 in (75.3 cm x 62.5 cm) |
| Framed Size: | 46 3/4 in x 41 3/4 in (118.7 cm x 106 cm) |
| Signed: | Hand-signed in pencil by Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) in the lower right margin |
| Edition: | Numbered 38/50 in pencil in the lower left margin. From the total edition of 50 proofs pulled on vélin d’Arches paper, 2nd state Ba impression (according to Baer) |
| Condition: | The colors are brilliant and fresh. Excellent condition |
Price :Item# 2130 | $90,000 To speak directly with the Director, Alex Adelman, please call (510) 777-9970 / 1-800-805-7060. |
| Description: | |
Created in 1959, this original color linoleum cut printed in black, brown, and beige is hand signed by Pablo Picasso (1881 – 1973) in pencil in the lower right margin. Published by Galerie Louise Leiris, Paris in 1960 and printed by Arnéra, Vallauris on vélin d’Arches paper; numbered 38/50 in pencil in the lower left margin. This fascinating glimpse into the brief seconds that make the climax of any traditional bullfight “before the lance.” Picasso has bathed our central image of the banderillo in sunlight, however it is the picador and the bull that dominate the scene. Having masterfully crafted the linoleum block, Picasso has carved these characters in swift, jagged strokes, giving them a character and edge of their own. He is able to encapsulate the excitement and momentum of the scene while subtle detail throughout the background illustrate the cheering crowd beyond. Catalogue Raisonné & COA: 1) Baer, Brigitte. Picasso Peintre-Graveur, Tome V: Catalogue Raisonné de l’Œuvre Gravé et des Monotypes 1959-1965, Paris, 1989. Listed and illustrated as cat. no. 1224, state IIBa on pg. 255. 2) Bloch, Georges. Pablo Picasso, Volume I: Catalogue of the Printed Graphic Work 1904-1967, Berne, 1975. Listed and illustrated as cat. no. 941 on pg. 205. 3) Mr. & Mrs. Charles Kramer Collection in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Picasso Linoleum Cuts, New York, 1985. Listed and illustrated as cat. no. 21 on pg. 35. About the Framing: | |
| Style: | 20th Century Modern Art, Modern Artist, Cubism, Cubist |
Biography of Pablo Picasso
Pablo Picasso (1881 - 1973)
"Yet Cubism and Modern art weren't either scientific or intellectual; they were visual and came from the eye and mind of one of the greatest geniuses in art history. Pablo Picasso, born in Spain, was a child prodigy who was recognized as such by his art-teacher father, who ably led him along. The small Museo de Picasso in Barcelona is devoted primarily to his early works, which include strikingly realistic renderings of casts of ancient sculpture.
"He was a rebel from the start and, as a teenager, began to frequent the Barcelona cafes where intellectuals gathered. He soon went to Paris, the capital of art, and soaked up the works of Manet, Gustave Courbet, and Toulouse-Lautrec, whose sketchy style impressed him greatly. Then it was back to Spain, a return to France, and again back to Spain - all in the years 1899 to 1904.
"Before he struck upon Cubism, Picasso went through a prodigious number of styles - realism, caricature, the Blue Period, and the Rose Period. The Blue Period dates from 1901 to 1904 and is characterized by a predominantly blue palette and subjects focusing on outcasts, beggars, and prostitutes. This was when he also produced his first sculptures. The most poignant work of the style is in Cleveland's Museum of Art, La Vie (1903), which was created in memory of a great childhood friend, the Spanish poet Casagemas, who had committed suicide. The painting started as a self-portrait, but Picasso's features became those of his lost friend. The composition is stilted, the space compressed, the gestures stiff, and the tones predominantly blue. Another outstanding Blue Period work, of 1903, is in the Metropolitan, The Blind Man's Meal. Yet another example, perhaps the most lyrical and mysterious ever, is in the Toledo Museum of Art, the haunting Woman with a Crow (1903).
"The Rose Period began around 1904 when Picasso's palette brightened, the paintings dominated by pinks and beiges, light blues, and roses. His subjects are saltimbanques (circus people), harlequins, and clowns, all of whom seem to be mute and strangely inactive. One of the premier works of this period is in Washington, D.C., the National Gallery's large and extremely beautiful Family of Saltimbanques dating to 1905, which portrays a group of circus workers who appear alienated and incapable of communicating with each other, set in a one-dimensional space.
"In 1905, Picasso went briefly to Holland, and on his return to Paris, his works took on a classical aura with large male and fernale figures seen frontally or in distinct profile, almost like early Greek art. One of the best of these of 1906 is inthe Albright-Knox Gallery in Buffalo, NY, La Toilette. Several pieces in this new style were purchased by Gertrude (the art patron and writer) and her brother, Leo Stein. The other major artist promoted by the Steins during this
