Pablo Picasso Artwork Details

 
 

Detailed Description

Edition : 100 unsigned and unnumbered proofs Reference: Georges Bloch (Catalogue de l’oeuvre grave et lithograpohe 1904 - 1967) - Volume 1 Reference : 100 Brigitte Baer (Picasso Peintre-Graveur - Volume 1: Catalogue Raisonee de L’Oeuvre Grave et Lithographie et des Monotypes 1899 - 1931 - Volume 1) Reference Ba 144 Cramer (Patrick Cramer “Pablo Picasso: The Illustrated Books, Geneva 1983) - Reference 19 Note 1: On the Editioning:: This is a very complex series and there were several editions struck from the uncancelled plate without remorques. The plates were later cancelled, in 1931, remorques added and an edition of 100 made from which this comes. Note 2 : On the History of the Series: This was made as an illustration for “Les Metamorphoses” by Publius Ovidus Naso (Known to us as OVID). Albert Skira has founded a publishing house in Lausanne in 1928 and contacted Picasso with a view to having a book illustrated by him. As a result of discussions between Picasso and Pierre Matisse (The painters son) it was decided that the book concerned should be “Les Metamorphoses” by Ovid. This was a subject which fascinated Picasso since it dealt with a whimsical incident in which women were transformed into fish. The original work was written in hexametric verse and is considered a classic from the ancient world. Skira copied the French version suggesting that Picasso should make 15 etchings to be included within the book. Picasso delayed a long while but eventually went on to create a total of 30 etchings. These, unusually, generally kept to the subject matter of the Roman poets words. Picasso employed a style of classicism interpreted in pure contours with subtle eroticism. The artist was newly celebrating his 50th birthday at this time. He had also recently met his new young mistress, Marie Therese Walter and installed her in an apartment just a few hundred yards away from the marital home in rue La Boete, Paris. This new affair thrilled the artist and illustrations of his new love abound in the series of the Metamorphoses. A later facsimile edition of this work was made in 1973 in a smaller format (280 x 220 mms) and this is readily identifiable due to it’s size. Note 3: On the subject matter: Ovid's famous work deals with classical stories and myths. Deucalion and Pyrrha is the flood story of ancient Greek mythology. Warned by his father, Prometheus, Deucalion built an ark to survive the coming great flood that Zeus, the chief of the gods, was sending to punish the wickedness of mankind. Deucalion and his wife, Pyrrha (daughter of Prometheus' brother Epimetheus and Pandora), survived for 9 days of flooding and then landed at Mt. Parnassus. All alone in the world they wanted company and were told by Themis that they should throw the bones of their mother behind them. They interpreted this mysterious instruction as meaning "throw stones over their shoulders onto mother earth," and did so. The stones Deucalion threw became men and those Pyrrha threw became women. Deucalion and Pyrrha settled in Thessaly where they produced offspring the old-fashioned way. Their two sons were Hellen and Amphictyon. Hellen sired Aeolus (founder of the Aeolians), Dorus (founder of the Dorians), and Xuthus. Xuthus sired Achaeus (founder of the Achaeans) and Ion (founder of the Ionians) Published by: Albert Skira Printed by: Roger Lacourier, Paris, France Size: 449 x 337 mms (paper size)
 

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