(Málaga 1881–1973 Mougins) Buste dhomme. 1965. Oil on canvas. Signed upper right: Picasso. Dated on the reverse of the canvas: 17.2.65. 65 × 50 cm. Certificate: Louise Leiris, Paris, 27.6.1973. Provenance: - Galerie Louise Leiris, Paris, acquired directly from the artist in 1973 (label on the reverse). - Galleria Nuovo Sagittario, Milan (stamp on the reverse). - Private collection Italy, probably acquired from the above gallery and by descent to the present owner. Literature: Christian Zervos: Pablo Picasso, vol. 25, ?uvres de 1965 à 1967, Paris 1972, p. 8, no. 27 (with ill.). In 1961, when Pablo Picasso was 80 years old, he married Jacqueline Roque and the couple moved to Mougins, in the mountains above Cannes on the Cote dAzur. It was there, secluded from the hustle and bustle of everyday life, that Pablo Picasso produced his late work. The artist had met Jacqueline, an assistant at the Madoura pottery works, in the early 1950s and soon fell in love with her. She awakened a new wave of inspiration in him and became his last muse. Picasso produced around 400 images of Jacqueline, more than any of his previous lovers. The late work of the Spanish painter is characterised by a flood of productivity, which began in 1963 with an intensive examination of the theme of "artist and model". Previously a portraitist of Jacqueline, he then assumed the position of the observer, the "voyeur", and depicted the way the artist transfers his model to the canvas. These images often have the same structure: seated in front of his easel towards the left of the composition and armed with a palette and brush, the painter portrays the model in the nude, who is sitting or reclining on the right. His investigation of this theme also included a series of portraits of men. From time to time Picasso would isolate the artist from his studio and depict him facing the viewer, showing his head, shoulders and a small section of the torso. Created on 17 February 1965, "Buste dhomme" belongs to this series of paintings. While these portraits may differ in colour, size and details such as the accessories, they all share the same features. Characteristic of these paintings are the expressive, rapid brushwork, the jagged, interlocking lines of colour that adorn the sitters face, the areas of the canvas left in reserve and employed as white fields, the stubble beard and the round, black eyes that stare back at the viewer. In the present work, the viewer immediately notices the choice of the clothing. The blue-and-white striped Breton sailors shirt is regarded as one of Picassos signatures and can be seen as self-referential. Throughout his artistic career, Picasso repeatedly explored his own identity, readily adopting alter egos and portraying himself through a series of surrogate personalities, be they faun, harlequin, minotaur or musketeer, which he employed as a means of reinforcing the allegorical aspects of his work. In the present work, Picasso has not only portrayed an artist archetype, it is also a representation of the young Picasso himself. At the time he painted "Buste dhomme ", Picasso was 84 years old and increasingly coming to terms with his life and especially with his youth. He was aware that he had entered the last years of his life, a fact that gave him renewed strength and vitality. His creative process continued its compulsive development and took the form of intensive, almost obsessive production, with the painter completing two or more paintings per day. Francois Gilot quoted Picasso as saying: "I have less and less time, and yet more and more to say" (Gilot, 1964, p. 123 ). PABLO PICASSO (Málaga 1881–1973 Mougins) Buste dhomme. 1965. ?l auf Leinwand. Oben rechts signiert: Picasso. Verso auf der Leinwand datiert: 17.2.65. 65 × 50 cm. Gutachten: Louise Leiris, Paris, 27.6.1973. Provenienz: - Galerie Louise Leiris, Paris, 1973 direkt beim Künstler erworben (verso mit Etikett). - Galleria Nuovo Sagittario, Mailand (verso mit Stempel). - Privatbesitz Italien, wohl in obiger Galerie erworben und durch Erbschaft an**heutigen Besitzer. Literatur: Christian Zervos: Pablo Picasso, vol. 25, ?uvres de 1965 à 1967, Paris 1972, S. 8, Nr. 27 (mit Abb). 1961, Pablo Picasso ist bereits 80 Jahre alt, heiratet er Jacqueline Roque und das Paar zieht nach Mougins über den Bergen von Cannes an**C?te d’Azur. Dort, abgeschieden vom Trubel des allt?glichen Lebens, entsteht Pablo Picassos Sp?twerk. Der Künstler lernt**Keramikverk?uferin Jacqueline bereits Anfang der 1950er-Jahre kennen und bald darauf lieben. Sie weckt eine neue Welle der Inspiration in ihm und wird zu seiner letzten Muse. Etwa 400 Werke fertigt Picasso von Jacqueline an, mehr als von irgendeiner anderen Frau zuvor. Das Sp?twerk des spanischen Malers ist gepr?gt von einer Flut an produktivem Schaffen, welches 1963 in der intensiven Auseinandersetzung mit dem Thema ?Künstler und Modell“ seinen Anfang findet. Zuvor Portr?tist von Jacqueline versetzt er sich nun in**Position des Beobachters, des "Voyeurs", und stellt dar, wie der Künstler sein Modell auf**Leinwand bringt. Diese Darstellungen sind oft gleich aufgebaut: Der Maler sitzt mit Farbpalette und Pinsel bewaffnet vor seiner Staffelei auf der linken Seite des Gem?ldes und portr?tiert das Modell als Akt, welches auf der rechten Seite der Komposition sitzt oder liegt. In**Bearbeitung dieses Themas f?llt auch eine Serie von M?nnerportr?ts. Von Zeit zu Zeit isoliert Picasso den Künstler aus seinem Atelier und bringt ihn, Kopf, Schultern und wenig Brust zeigend, frontal auf**Leinwand. ?Buste d’homme“ entsteht am 17. Februar 1965 und ist in eben diese Bildreihe einzuordnen. Unterscheiden sich diese Portr?ts zwar durch Farbgebung, Leinwandgr?sse und Details wie Accessoires, vereinen sie doch alle gleiche Eigenschaften. Charakteristisch für diese Bildnisse sind der expressive schnelle Strich,**zackenf?rmigen, ineinandergreifenden Farblinien,**das Gesicht des Portr?tierten zieren,**Aussparung der Leinwand und dessen Nutzung als weisse Farbfl?che, der Stoppelbart und**schwarzen, den Zuschauer anstarrenden Kugelaugen. Bei dem vorliegenden Werk f?llt dem Betrachter**Wahl des Oberteils sofort ins Auge. Das blauweiss-gestreifte bretonische Matrosenhemd gilt als Picassos Markenzeichen und hat einen selbstreferenziellen Charakter. Im Laufe seiner künstlerischen Karriere erforscht Picasso immer wieder seine eigene Identit?t, schlüpft gerne in Rollen und stellt sich durch eine Reihe von Ersatzpers?nlichkeiten, sei dies als Faun, Harlekin, Minotaurus oder Musketier,**er als Mittel zur Verst?rkung der allegorischen Aspekte seiner Malerei einsetzt, dar. In dem vorliegenden Portr?t gibt Picasso also nicht nur den Künstler im Allgemeinen wieder, vielmehr ist es eine Darstellung des jungen Künstlers "Picasso" selbst. Bei der Entstehung von ?Buste d’homme“ ist Picasso 84 Jahre alt und er setzt sich mehr und mehr mit seinem Leben und vor allem mit seiner Jugend auseinander. Er weiss, dass er sich in den letzten Jahren seines Lebens befindet, was ihm neue Kraft und Vitalit?t gibt. Sein kreativer Prozess entwickelt sich zwanghaft weiter und nimmt**Form einer intensiven, fast obsessiven Produktion an, bei der der Maler zwei oder mehr Gem?lde pro Tag fertigstellt. Francois Gilot zitiert Picasso in Ihrem Buch "Leben mit Picasso" folgendermassen: ?I have less and less time, and yet more and more to say“ (Gilot, 1964, S. 123). notes:*
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