Always etablish the parallels between the pictural process and vital of Picasso
This exhibition is an attempt to study in depth the creative process of the seminal years in Picasso’s oeuvre, before he settled in Paris, when he was still travelling back and forth between Barcelona and Paris. The parallels between the pictorial technique and the life of an artist such as Picasso cannot be overlooked. As well as familiarising ourselves with his work and making it known, it is essential that we examine his life extensively, without dividing lines, in order to learn how and in what circumstances he produced his creations.
The period between Picasso’s first trip to Paris and his decision to settle in the city in April 1904, albeit short, is characterised by a highly original and prolific output that clearly reveals the transition from the vivid colours of 1901 to the blues of 1902–04. While the great works produced during these four years of intense dedication are well known, many others were not shown in public and remained hidden beneath successive layers of paint and were transformed into new compositions, either produced at the same time or in later years.
One such example is Barcelona Rooftops, a canvas kept by Picasso in his own private collection[1] and which has belonged to Museu Picasso since 1991.[2] The discovery of a hidden underlying composition connected this work with La Vie, one of the key paintings of Picasso’s Blue Period, confirming the persistence of the artist’s characteristic colour range of 1901 in coexistence with the blue works.
[1] See the photograph dated 1915–16 of confiscated by the Soviets. the atelier on Rue Schoelcher in Paris (fig. 6, p. 23).
[2] See the essay by Malén Gual in this catalogue.
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Summary