International Art Treasures Web Magazine

July 2004  

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Pablo the Prolific!

Title: Jug with Bull with Yellow Banderillas, 17 April 1957
Artist: Pablo Picasso (Spanish 1881-1973)
Medium: White earthenware; painted with slips, incised
Private Collection
© Succession Picasso (Paris) / SODRAC (Montreal) 2004
Image Courtesy: Musée National des Beaux-Arts du Québec

Picasso

Avant garde, cubism, blue period and genius have all been used to describe Pablo Picasso and yet that is the tip of a massive iceberg of terms and accolades that can be given to this artist.

Less well known is the artist's work with ceramics, which is the subject of a fascinating exhibition that recently left the Musée National des Beaux-Arts du Québec heading to Toronto's Gardiner Museum of Art.

Title: Dish with Bullfight Scene, 20 April 1951
Artist: Pablo Picasso (Spanish 1881-1973)
Medium: White earthenware; painted with oxides, white glaze
Private Collection
© Succession Picasso (Paris) / SODRAC (Montreal) 2004
Image Courtesy: Musée National des Beaux-Arts du Québec

Vallauris

The small village in Provence, France is where Picasso's interest with ceramics began to take off in earnest after a meeting in July 1946 with George and Suzanne Ramié, of the Madoura workshop.

First he painted finished products. However he quickly turned to altering the shapes of the pottery before it was fired and then added his artistic skills to the finished product.

Title: Pablo Picasso at Vallauris, 1954
Artist: Yousuf Karsh (1908-2002)
© Yousuf Karsh
© Succession Picasso (Paris) / SODRAC (Montreal) 2004
Image Courtesy: Musée National des Beaux-Arts du Québec

It was at Vallauris that one famous artist met another as Picasso was photographed by Karsh.

Exhibition

Close to one hundred original ceramic works are on display from collections in France, Spain, Switzerland, Germany and Canada. An added bonus is the inclusion of some of Picasso's posters that he produced for Ceramic Exhibitions that featured his work. Photographs of the artist at work complement the experience.

Title: Large Vase with Dancers and Musicians, 24 June 1950
Artist: Pablo Picasso (Spanish 1881-1973)
Medium: Red earthenware (empreinte originale)
painted with slips, incised (artist's copy)
Collection: Musée d'art et d'histoire de Saint-Denis
© Succession Picasso (Paris) / SODRAC (Montreal) 2004
Image Courtesy: Musée National des Beaux-Arts du Québec

The vase as the canvas is a perfect motif for the human body. Picasso was known to associate different items with this theme as his artistic eye saw the work.

Picasso liked the use of color on a three dimensional image, finding ceramics and sculpture closely related mediums for his exploration. Title: Two-Handled Vase with the Artist and His Model, 7 January 1954 Artist: Pablo Picasso (Spanish 1881-1973) Medium: White earthenware; painted with oxides, wax resist with oxides, white glaze Permanent Collection: Museum de Ceràmica, Barcelona © Succession Picasso (Paris) / SODRAC (Montreal) 2004 Image Courtesy: Musée National des Beaux-Arts du Québec

Picasso made 20 sketches on the theme of "kids" on October 1, 1947. It is believed at least four ceramics were created from the sketches. Left: Title: Reclining Kid, 1947 or 1948 Artist: Pablo Picasso (Spanish 1881-1973) Medium: White earthenware; painted with slips and oxides Permanent Collection: Musée Picasso, Antibes © Succession Picasso (Paris) / SODRAC (Montreal) 2004 Image Courtesy: Musée National des Beaux-Arts du Québec

The Quotable Artist

"You ought to go into ceramics! It is amazing! I made a head. Well, you can look at it from all angles, it's flat. Of course, it is the painting that makes it flat...it has been painted. I made it appear flat from all sides by painting it. What does one expect and look for in a painting?: depths, and as much space as possible. With a sculpture one must try to make it flat for the spectator, seen from anywhere." Picasso so described Head of a Woman to Henri Laurens and his growing fascination with ceramics.

Title: Head of a Woman [Large Sculpted Head with Bow], 1948
Artist: Pablo Picasso (Spanish 1881-1973)
Medium: White earthenware; painted with slips, incised, white glaze highlights, partial transparent glaze.
Private Collection
© Succession Picasso (Paris) / SODRAC (Montreal) 2004
Image Courtesy: Musée National des Beaux-Arts du Québec

Female Faun is a compilation of several thrown vases that have been paired. Picasso was beginning to look at the ceramic as a piece of artwork to be developed itself, rather than an empty canvas for his paintbrush. This piece is a homage of Picasso to his fondness for Cypriot ceramics.

Title: Female Faun, 1947 or 1948
Artist: Pablo Picasso (Spanish 1881-1973)
Medium: White earthenware; wax resist, patina,
white glaze, partial transparent glaze
Private Collection
© Succession Picasso (Paris) / SODRAC (Montreal) 2004
Image Courtesy: Musée National des Beaux-Arts du Québec

Title: Dish with Still Life with Aubergine, 1947 or 1948
Artist: Pablo Picasso (Spanish 1881-1973)
Medium: White earthenware; painted with slips and oxides,
incised, clear glaze
Permanent Collection: Musée Picasso, Antibes
© Succession Picasso (Paris) / SODRAC (Montreal) 2004
Image Courtesy: Musée National des Beaux-Arts du Québec

Picasso demonstrates the "work within a work" technique. First the checked tablecloth obliterates the dish and then becomes the canvas for the still life, whimsically using food as the theme.

The artist was known for the immense number of creations that he made. Whatever his chosen method and his willingness to step outside the norms he let his creative juices flow. A retrospective of his work with ceramics is a fascinating look at this famous contemporary artist, Pablo Picasso.

Musée Picasso, Antibes: February through May 2005