Pablo Picasso Bacchanale
circa 1955 color aquatint signed in pencil, an HC aside from the edition of 300 printed and published by Atelier Crommelynck, Paris, on BFK-Rives, with full margins 20 x 30 inches.
Historical Description:
Depicting a scene of dynamic and pensive activity, Picasso uses a sumptuous color palate, bringing a sense of life and vitality to the work.
Created c. 1959, this color etching and aquatint, is printed on BFK Reves watermarked paper. This work contains a guaranteed authentic signature by Picasso in pencil in the lower right side. The piece is numbered from the edition of 300 in pencil in the lower left. Published by Crommelynck, Pairs, this piece contains the Crommelynck blindstamp in the lower left corner. A pencil notation on the verso notes there are 15 colors, including 5 different whites.
Full of dynamic positioning, creative imagery and vivid color, the figures in this work are created with a high degree of volumetric tonality and life-like energy. Drawing our attention to the ambiguous nude in the center, Picasso highlights the form with detailed and layered coloring that causes the figure to stand out and capture our attention. Utilizing a variety of deep grey tones and whites in the shading, the depth of this work is amplified with the use of overlapping details, as seen with the figures and surrounding architecture. The thoughtful, and fully clothed, male figure on the right is particularly amusing because he possesses an uncanny resemblance to the infamous creator of this work, Pablo Picasso himself. Clad in a horizontal stripped shirt, the favorite sailing attire of Picasso, this mysterious figure possesses a playful and simultaneously deep and mysterious personality. There is a wealth of detail and imagery that captivates our senses in this magnificent and rare work. Combing his color plate from the very early Blue Period with his complex cubist sensibilities of the forties and fifties, this is a well rounded work that will provide an ideal contribution to any serious Picasso collection.
