R50,000 - R80,000
After Pablo Picasso (Spanish 1881 - 1973) MADAME RICARDO CANALS, 1905 from the BARCELONA SUITE, a proof before letters outside of the edition of 60.
signed 'Picasso' in pencil in the margin, publisher's dry stamp on the lower left corner of the print
offset lithograph
sheet size: 69 by 45cm
plate size: 58 by 44cm
The print we have on offer ‘Madame Ricardo Canals’, 1905, from the ’Barcelona Suite’ s a 1966 colour lithograph, a proof before letters outside of the edition of 60, published by Museo Picasso, Barcelona.
In 1895, after the tragic death of his 7-year-old sister, Picasso’s family relocated to Barcelona where his father found work La Lonja, Barcelona’s Academy of Fine Arts. After completing the entrance exam in record time, the academy was persuaded to accept the 13-year-old Picasso into their advanced program.
Seeking respite from a grieving and tumultuous home life, Picasso thrived in Barcelona, finding subject matter in its inhabitants.
Three years later his father enrolled him in a top Spanish school which happened to be in Madrid. Frustrated with his father and the confines of his formal education, Picasso soon dropped out. He left Madrid in 1900 to travel to Paris in pursuit of an artistic career and notably dropped his father’s surname Ruiz when signing his work.
It was during early days in Paris that Picasso began creating the ‘Barcelona Suite’, five oil paintings that depict the striking characters he met during his time in Barcelona. The paintings currently reside in the Museu Picasso in Barcelona. In 1966, to celebrate the artist’s 85th birthday, the museum published a limited edition of offset lithographs, after the paintings from the Barcelona Suite, to honour the artist as well as the city often considered his spiritual home.
The Portrait that our print is based on is ‘Madame Canals’, her real name is Benedetta Banco, the partner of Ricard Canals. Picasso and his partner at the time, Fernande, and their friends Canals and Benedetta, were quite a close foursome.
The portrait of Benedetta was painted in 1905, having just abandoned his Blue Period in 1904, and on the cup of his Rose Period where the theme of the circus would infiltrate his work.
Madame Canals appears striking, strong and intense, adorned in black mantilla, with a face of pastel shades and otherwise muted tones. She is a beautiful but peculiar work to be produced by the artist at this time in his oeuvre. He selects to use elements that are particularly Spanish, as if a nod to his good experiences in Barcelona.
By focussing on her face, with a less worked background, Picasso may have been influenced by Ingres, whose work the artist became acquainted with before painting Benedetta. In so doing, he focusses all attention on the human subject, rather than her attire, which is secondary.
The portrait of Madame Ricardo Canals is a turning point for Picasso, a transitional work between his Blue and Rose periods.
S.D
Park West Gallery: “The Barcelona Suite: Picasso at the Turn of the Century” last accessed: 15 May, 2021: https://parkwestgallery.com/barcelona-suite-picasso-west-museum/
Del Museu Picasso: “El Blog: What lies behind a work? Reflections about Madame Canals (Benedetta Bianco)” last accessed: 15 may, 2021: https://www.blogmuseupicassobcn.org/2016/06/madame-canals-benedetta-bianca-picasso/?lang=en
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