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拍品專文
Depicting a glass, lemon and three radishes strewn over a checkered tablecloth, Verre et citron belongs to a series of war-time still-lifes that Picasso painted during the summer months of June and July 1944 (Zervos, vol. 13, nos. 275-290). The simplicity of this humble subject belies the work’s compositional complexity: with a few sparse yet commanding black brushstrokes, Picasso convincingly synthesizes the still-life’s geometrical forms to which he adds lively strokes of color for dimension. Picasso returned to this subject repeatedly, compulsively experimenting with new vocabulary to reinvent the time old still-life genre.
Painted on 18-22 June 1944, Verre et citron was executed at the height of the Second World War and captures the tension of this intensely fraught historical moment. A long, hard winter's night had descended over Paris during the four years of the occupation, inducing a bleak and benumbed existence that Picasso translated into some of the most austere and solemn still-life compositions of his oeuvre. On the 6th of June, however, the Allies had bravely landed on the coast of Normandy, accelerating the defeat of the German forces. Following suit, Charles de Gaulle established the Free French Forces, liberating a third of the country and joining the Allies in their efforts. As the war raged on, Picasso continued to live in Paris, where he further developed the subjects and visual languages that had occupied him before the conflict. The anguish of those difficult years left a mark on Picasso’s work. After the Liberation, the artist admitted: “I did not paint the war because I am not the kind of painter who searches for a subject, like a photographer. But there is no doubt that the war exists in the paintings I did at the time” (quoted in B. Léal, C. Piot and M.L. Bernadac, The Ultimate Picasso, New York, 2003, p. 343). Indeed, the dramatic, somber contour lines employed in this painting are balanced by vibrant reds, yellows and blues which, generously applied, convey a tenuous feeling of optimism for an end to the war. Through a web of contour lines and planes of color, Picasso unifies disparate elements to create a visually harmonious whole.
In Verre et citron, Picasso engages with the rich cultural associations of the long-standing still-life genre. In their simplicity, these war time paintings recall the works of Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin, the 18th century founder of the French tradition, and in their austerity, those of the 17th century Spaniard Francisco de Zurbarán. Through his depiction of these humble objects, Picasso rejects the genre’s traditional imagery of wealth and plentitude to elevate the ordinary during these trying war-time years.
Painted on 18-22 June 1944, Verre et citron was executed at the height of the Second World War and captures the tension of this intensely fraught historical moment. A long, hard winter's night had descended over Paris during the four years of the occupation, inducing a bleak and benumbed existence that Picasso translated into some of the most austere and solemn still-life compositions of his oeuvre. On the 6th of June, however, the Allies had bravely landed on the coast of Normandy, accelerating the defeat of the German forces. Following suit, Charles de Gaulle established the Free French Forces, liberating a third of the country and joining the Allies in their efforts. As the war raged on, Picasso continued to live in Paris, where he further developed the subjects and visual languages that had occupied him before the conflict. The anguish of those difficult years left a mark on Picasso’s work. After the Liberation, the artist admitted: “I did not paint the war because I am not the kind of painter who searches for a subject, like a photographer. But there is no doubt that the war exists in the paintings I did at the time” (quoted in B. Léal, C. Piot and M.L. Bernadac, The Ultimate Picasso, New York, 2003, p. 343). Indeed, the dramatic, somber contour lines employed in this painting are balanced by vibrant reds, yellows and blues which, generously applied, convey a tenuous feeling of optimism for an end to the war. Through a web of contour lines and planes of color, Picasso unifies disparate elements to create a visually harmonious whole.
In Verre et citron, Picasso engages with the rich cultural associations of the long-standing still-life genre. In their simplicity, these war time paintings recall the works of Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin, the 18th century founder of the French tradition, and in their austerity, those of the 17th century Spaniard Francisco de Zurbarán. Through his depiction of these humble objects, Picasso rejects the genre’s traditional imagery of wealth and plentitude to elevate the ordinary during these trying war-time years.