Superficial studies. Characteristics of the work and state of conservation
The range of colours employed in the making of Barcelona Rooftops comprises greys, pale and dark blues, reds and different shades of earthy colours, all of which were commercial colours Picasso mixed on his palette with Prussian blue, in a greater proportion.
Prussian blue is a dark blue artificial pigment that has been highly regarded since it was first manufactured in the early eighteenth century – saturates colours easily, it favours subtle nuances in shades and varies the effects of blues. We know that Picasso didn’t use the pure pigment in this painting (only when drawing), as the analyses carried out on the composition have also detected particles of different materials, confirming the fact that he employed iron oxides, vermilion and cadmium yellow in varying measures to achieve greenish and purplish gradations. Although white lead has been found in all the layers, it was of course employed to a far greater extent in the pale colours.[1]
The painting has a rough surface and organic, curvilinear brushstrokes that do not match the rooftop scene but suggest instead the presence of a previous layer of paint. Picasso worked comprehensively on this picture, establishing the basic lines of the buildings, conceived as great rectilinear volumes silhouetted in blue. He probably used these large areas of flat colour to cover up the previous picture, although due to the pigment being applied in thin layers, the marks of earlier brushstrokes did not disappear completely and the underlying layers of paint surfaced here and there as sparkles of orange that enhance the blue. Finally, he achieved the desired perspective by applying a thin layer of earthy grey paint that acted as an opaque screen or glaze, visually relegating certain
elements to the background in order to grant the buildings a sense of remoteness.
As in so many other works from the Blue Period, this painting was at some point subjected to restoration, which is when we believe the original stretcher was replaced and the work was re-stretched following the artist’s instructions.
The analytical data confirms that Picasso used a commercially prepared canvas, although we do not know whether there was any seal, mark or identifying label printed or adhered to the back. Unfortunately, the re-stretching (fig. 6) prevents us from seeing the original reverse of the painting in order to establish its provenance,[2] so it will be difficult to obtain further information regarding the possible origin of the canvas and whether or not it was brought over from Paris or purchased in Barcelona. Luckily, the restoration only stabilised the support – no chromatic retouching of the layer of paint was made, nor were the three perpendicular cracks that led to the loss of paint concealed (in fact, they are still visible today). Such changes are commonplace occurrences in works that have been rolled
up and subjected to pressure, and the fissures could even have derived from careless storage in the artist’s own studio. On the other hand, the work has an exceptional matt finish. Bearing in mind Picasso’s well-known fear of aggressive interventions[3] we imagine that he himself supervised the restoration process and perhaps even protected the surface from unwanted varnish, thereby preserving his original intention.[4]
cat. 1 X-ray image of Barcelona Rooftops
cat. 2 Infrared reflectography of Barcelona Rooftops
[1] ‘The palette is on the ground: the white in the middle, in abundance, constitutes the base of this sort of mortar he composes, particularly with blue.’ Jaime Sabartés, Picasso. Retratos y recuerdos. Madrid, Afrodisio Aguado, 1953, p. 90. Our translation from the Spanish.
[2] Some works in the collection still preserve the seals of firms in Barcelona, such as Teixidor (MPB 110.012) or Antigua Casa Planella (MPB 110.001).
[3] On one occasion, Planque acted as an intermediary for Picasso on a sale. The painter wanted to acquire a Cézanne he had seen in a photograph, but the picture didn’t capture the pitiful restoration the work had suffered. Planque knew that Picasso wouldn’t accept it in that state, as was eventually the case. This marked the start of a close relationship. See Florian Rodari (dir.), Colección Jean Planque. La novela de un coleccionista. Barcelona, Museu Picasso. ICUB / Hazan, 2002.
[4] The tests of materials performed on La Vie have not revealed any traces of varnish on the layer that corresponds to Last Moments (data obtained from the report drawn up by the Cleveland Museum of Art and the Indianapolis Museum of Art).
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Summary