Description:Standing as a vibrant example of Picasso's limited work with the medium of color aquatints, this image offers a playful rendering of a fumeur, a theme that the artist explored during the summer of 1964.
Dated in the plate 22 août 64, this work is part of the Galerie Louise Leiris edition produced in 1965. The work was printed by Pennequin on d'Auvergne Richard de Bas paper and published by Crommelynck. Hand signed by Pabloe Picasso (1881 – 1973) in pencil in the lower right margin and numbered 25/50 in pencil in the lower left margin.
Gestural in nature, this work demonstrates the artist's play with color and energetic use of line. Uninhibited in nature, Picasso indulges in vibrant pigments focusing the viewer's attention upon the reflective attitude of the subject. The lose handling of the fumeur, the sense of spontaneity and raw energy of its execution come together to evoke a sense of intense August heat and pensive attitude of the subject.
One of the most revolutionary artists of the twentieth century, Picasso was a contemporary of Braque, historically important for working closely in collaboration experimenting with early forms of Cubism.
Catalogue Raisonné & COA:
It is fully documented and referenced in the below catalogue raisonnés and texts (copies will be enclosed as added documentation with the invoices that will accompany the final sale of the work).
1) Bloch, Georges, Pablo Picasso, Volume I, Catalogue of the printed graphic work 1904-1967, 1984, listed on pg 246 as image 1167.
2) Baer, Brigitte, Picasso Peintre-Graveur, Tome V, 1989, listed on pg186 as image 1167.
About the Framing:
The layers of sculptural detailing work tandem with the spontaneity of the piece itself to create a truly unique dialogue between the work and its encompassing border. The variation in the scale of the frentic sculptural detailing mimics the impulsive gesturing of the piece. Adding to the grandeur of the frame and the piece itself is a delicate creamy silk matting and complementing inner fillet.
