Pablo Picasso Spanish, 1881-1973
Saltimbanque au repos, 1905
Drypoint on Van Gelder vellum paper.
Image : 12 x 8.5 cm
Sheet : 33 x 51 cm
Sheet : 33 x 51 cm
Printed by Louis Fort, Paris, and edited in 250 proofs by Ambroise Vollard, Paris.
In 1904 and 1905, Picasso was in between the Blue and Rose periods. Printmaking was a new medium for him, and one he will proceed to work and push to its limits up until his death.
During those years, Picasso explored the theme of the Saltimbanque. The artist lived and worked at the Bateau-Lavoir, a dilapidated place in Montmartre. This period, full of solitude, inspired him to develop a special sensitivity to the life of the saltimbanques, whom he portrayed with a unique sensibility, showing all their humanity. His friendship with Guillaume Apollinaire, whose figure of the travelling acrobat, the "Arlequin trismégiste" as a vagabond and tragic being, also had a visible impact on the blue period.
Nevertheless, rather than a hidden portrait of Apollinaire, as some exegetes have seen in the Vieux saltimbanque, this drypoint represents the real figure of El Tio Pepe Don José, a clown from the El Medrano circus in Montmartre, which Picasso frequented. The figure of El Tio Pepe, isolated in a group or alone, lost in thought, became a recurring theme for the artist, in drawings, paintings and prints.
Nevertheless, rather than a hidden portrait of Apollinaire, as some exegetes have seen in the Vieux saltimbanque, this drypoint represents the real figure of El Tio Pepe Don José, a clown from the El Medrano circus in Montmartre, which Picasso frequented. The figure of El Tio Pepe, isolated in a group or alone, lost in thought, became a recurring theme for the artist, in drawings, paintings and prints.
The tragic figure of the old clown, in all his misery and solitude without his audience, is a leitmotif in modern art, from Seurat and Honoré Daumier to Rouault. But Picasso, unlike others, manages to imbue his fairground characters with human dignity.
In 1904 and 1905, Picasso was in between the Blue and Rose periods. Printmaking was a new medium for him, and one he will proceed to work and push to its limits up until his death.
During those years, Picasso explored the theme of the Saltimbanque. The artist lived and worked at the Bateau-Lavoir, a dilapidated place in Montmartre. This period, full of solitude, inspired him to develop a special sensitivity to the life of the saltimbanques, whom he portrayed with a unique sensibility, showing all their humanity. His friendship with Guillaume Apollinaire, whose figure of the travelling acrobat, the "Arlequin trismégiste" as a vagabond and tragic being, also had a visible impact on the blue period.
Nevertheless, rather than a hidden portrait of Apollinaire, as some exegetes have seen in the Vieux saltimbanque, this drypoint represents the real figure of El Tio Pepe Don José, a clown from the El Medrano circus in Montmartre, which Picasso frequented. The figure of El Tio Pepe, isolated in a group or alone, lost in thought, became a recurring theme for the artist, in drawings, paintings and prints.
Nevertheless, rather than a hidden portrait of Apollinaire, as some exegetes have seen in the Vieux saltimbanque, this drypoint represents the real figure of El Tio Pepe Don José, a clown from the El Medrano circus in Montmartre, which Picasso frequented. The figure of El Tio Pepe, isolated in a group or alone, lost in thought, became a recurring theme for the artist, in drawings, paintings and prints.
The tragic figure of the old clown, in all his misery and solitude without his audience, is a leitmotif in modern art, from Seurat and Honoré Daumier to Rouault. But Picasso, unlike others, manages to imbue his fairground characters with human dignity.
Provenance
Ambroise Vollard, Paris (Picaso's merchant and the first editor of his print works)Henri-Marie Petiet (great 20th century merchant and print collector, he bought part of Vollard's fonds after the latter died in 1939)
Succession Henri-Marie Petiet
Exhibitions
New York, USA, A Picasso Portfolio: Prints from the Museum of Modern Art, Museum of Modern Art, 24 March - 6 September 2010, n°2.Picasso, Bleu et Rose (5103) : Paris (France), Musée d'Orsay, 18 septembre 2018-06 janvier 2019 // Bâle (Suisse), Fondation Beyeler - Beyeler Museum, 03 février 2019-16 juin 2019.
Picasso 1905-1906 : Barcelone (Espagne), Museu Picasso, 05 février 1992-28 juin 1992
Pablo Picasso 1905-1906 : Berne (Suisse), Kunstmuseum Bern, 29 juillet 1992-09 août 1992
Centenaire de Guillaume Apollinaire : Galeries nationales du Grand Palais,Paris (France), 31 octobre 1980-30 novembre 1980
Literature
Bloch n°10
Baer n°12