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Linocut in grey, yellow, red, light blue and dark purple printed from two blocks on velin d’Arches watermarked paper.
Image size 34.6 x 27 cm. Sheet size 62.7 x 44.2 cm. Framed size: 73.5 x 59.4 cm. Presented in a white gold leaf frame with conservation acrylic glazing. Excellent condition.
One of approximately 20 artist’s proofs aside from the edition of 50, inscribed and signed in pencil lower right by the artist, Pour Arnera pére, Picasso. The dedicatee is Hildago Arnéra, the printer of this linocut.
Picasso was a leading proponent of printmaking, producing over 2,400 prints over the course of his lifetime and experimenting with etchings, aquatints, woodcuts and, finally, linocuts. Under the expert guidance of printer Hildalgo Arnéra in Vallauris, Picasso mastered the linocutting medium, elevating a technique formerly associated with commercial printing and advertising to a sophisticated and collectable artform. This artistic period in Picasso’s life coincided with his relationship with Jacqueline Roque, his second wife and most significant muse.
Discussing this period of collaboration, Arnéra wrote “Picasso worked at night; in the morning, Marcel the chauffeur brought what he had completed to the print shop with notes added by Jacqueline Roque. I pulled the proofs and returned them to [his home] La Californie at exactly 1:30.”
This linocut was printed by Hildalgo Arnéra in 1962 as a limited edition run of only 50 prints. This is one of approximately 20 additional artist’s proofs produced, and the significance of this specific proof cannot be overestimated. The print depicts Jacqueline, the last great love of Picasso’s life, and this edition number is signed and inscribed lower left Pour Arnera pére, Picasso, to Arnéra, Picasso’s great mentor and printer. The print thus incorporates arguably the two most significant figures in Picasso’s life at the time – depicting his lover and dedicated to his teacher.
