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Lot Essay
From 1909 to 1914, Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque engaged in an exchange of ideas that shaped the nature of 20th-century art. The result of this dialogue was the Cubist style, a revolution in the arts on par with the ground-breaking Italian Renaissance. Printmaking, because of it economic advantages and impulsive nature, was the vehicle for constant experimentation and change necessary to fully develop this new visual language. The stark confines of the medium limited Cubist artists to monochromatic compositions and strictly linear forms. These compositional elements aligned perfectly with what would become the hallmarks of the Cubist style.
In 1910 during the course of this heady period of experimentation, the art dealer Daniel Henry Kahweiler commissioned the two artists to create two large-scale etchings. The result of this exercise for Braque was Fox (seen here). The print was created while the two artists were together working closely in Ceret, and illustrates clearly their attempt to eliminate the personal and arrive at a clear, linear depiction of space. In Fox, Braque mobilizes the drypoint medium to create texture and line in its most raw state. Perspective is all but abandoned, as is customary pictorial order, in favor of the most absolute depiction of form. As a result, the print is a critical and oft-overlooked landmark in the development of the Cubist style.
Despite this achievement, Braque produced a very small number of Cubist prints from 1907-1912 and of these prints only Fox and Job were published during the period. Other impressions were published from their original plates following the important Braque retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art in 1948. Individual impressions are comparatively rare at auction, and the present collection offers an unusual glimpse into this critical phase of artistic production.
In 1910 during the course of this heady period of experimentation, the art dealer Daniel Henry Kahweiler commissioned the two artists to create two large-scale etchings. The result of this exercise for Braque was Fox (seen here). The print was created while the two artists were together working closely in Ceret, and illustrates clearly their attempt to eliminate the personal and arrive at a clear, linear depiction of space. In Fox, Braque mobilizes the drypoint medium to create texture and line in its most raw state. Perspective is all but abandoned, as is customary pictorial order, in favor of the most absolute depiction of form. As a result, the print is a critical and oft-overlooked landmark in the development of the Cubist style.
Despite this achievement, Braque produced a very small number of Cubist prints from 1907-1912 and of these prints only Fox and Job were published during the period. Other impressions were published from their original plates following the important Braque retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art in 1948. Individual impressions are comparatively rare at auction, and the present collection offers an unusual glimpse into this critical phase of artistic production.