Almost representational, this elegantly simple work condenses the image to that of pure form. Expressive curves meet the rigidity of the straight line, infusing the work with a poetic unconscious. Birdlike, without being didactic or figurative, gestural marks convey an essence of flight with an abstract sensibility. Richly colored, the inky black impression glistens in light, and floats in negative space, unframed, and central. Its shape and location dominate the composition, and engage the negative space, emblematic of the delicate aesthetic balance mastered in Braque’s later works.

Created in 1962, this color wood engraving on wove paper is hand-signed by Georges Braque (Argentueil, Val-d’Oise, 1882 – Paris, 1963) in pencil in the lower right margin. Numbered from the edition of 40 in pencil in the lower left, this work is one out of a series of 18 such color wood engravings that accompany text by Guillaume Apolliaire in the book Si je mourais la-bas which was published by Louis Broder, Paris and printed by Féquet and Baudier, Paris.

Catalogue Raisonné & COA:
This work is fully documented and referenced in the below catalogue raisonnès and texts (copies will be enclosed as added documentation with the invoices that will accompany the final sale of the work.

1. Vallier, Dora. Braque: The Complete Graphics. New York: Gallery Books, 1982. Listed and illustrated as catalogue raisonné no. 181.

2. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany this work.

About the Framing:
This work is framed to museum-grade, conservation standards, presented in a complementary moulding and finished with silk-wrapped mats and optical grade Plexiglas.