Expressing the talent and skill of Braque’s graphic works, Georges Braque Pitcher and the Bird (Pichet et Oiseau), 1955 illustrates the artist’s remarkable ability to create imaginative abstract still lives. In this sense, Braque has taken familiar objects and modified them to emphasize their symbolic value. While the innate symbolism of a black bird, pitcher, and small dining table may not be initially apparent, it is precisely the inexplicability of this combination that encourages us as viewers to probe our own imaginations and construct meaning and significance for ourselves. In addition to the importance of the elements within the work, Braque has also taken great care with his selection of colors.

The artist has employed a rich dark palate that is occasionally interrupted with splashes of bright yellow, white, and emerald and sea-foam greens. The application of color is masterfully executed, so as to emphasize a variety of textures throughout the work. This emphasis on texture similarly accentuates the layered collage effect—a typical characteristic of Braque’s earlier cubist works.

Created c. 1955, this original color etching and aquatint is hand-signed by Georges Braque (Argenteuil-sur-Seine, 1882 - Paris, 1963) in pencil in the lower right margin. Numbered from the edition of 200 in pencil in the lower left margin; published by Maeght Editeur, Paris.

Documented and Illustrated In:

1. Vallier, Dora, Braque: The Complete Graphics, 1982, listed as Maeght no. 1005.
2. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany this work.

About the Framing:

Georges Braque Pitcher and the Bird (Pichet et Oiseau), 1955, is framed to museum-grade, conservation standards, presented in a complementary moulding and finished with linen-wrapped mats and optical grade Plexiglas.