Description
Artist: Pablo Picasso
Title: Face No. 203
Year: 1956
Medium: Glazed earthenware, Faience
Size: 9.9" in diameter
Edition: 117/150 Alain Ramie Catalog Number: A.R. 496
The face has always been one of the chief visual fascinations of the great Picasso. Throughout his prolific and diverse career, he explored the human body with a special focus on facial expressions rendering them through a number of different inspirations, from early realistic representations, over cubist breakdowns, to childlike drawings inspired by primitive arts.
“Face No. 203” is a part of the large series of ceramic works Picasso found particularly suitable for the subject. The face is described by simplistic blobs of primary colors and a few bold dark brushstrokes, while a set of very light dots describes what is supposed to be a beard. Despite a rather elementary approach, the face does not lack in expression or character, while its thick contours reveal a direct influence of African masks, an important influence in Picasso’s work.
Considered one of the greatest artists of all times, Picasso was a dedicated analyst of the visual world. He scrutinized every subject to the very last detail, building his visual language on the abstracted essentials he found within. His schematic face studies reflect this comprehensive approach, while the apparent simplicity of images hides layers of analysis and contemplation, displaying only the principal features. No other artist has managed to achieve such mastery in using lines and blotches of color to create an image so full of life. Representative of Picasso’s late practice, “Face No. 203” is a glazed earthenware plate created during the Picasso Madoura period. It belongs to an edition of 150 created in 1963, numbered 117/150 and hand marked at the bottom. The work is referenced in Alain Ramie’ s "Picasso, Catalogue of the edited ceramic works" as number 496.
About Pablo Picasso
Pablo Picasso was a man of unparalleled talent and the most influential figure in 20th-century art. Born on October 25, 1881, in Málaga, Spain, he was a visionary whose boundless imagination shaped his revolutionary approach to art. Picasso's collaboration with Georges Braque gave rise to Cubism, a groundbreaking movement that redefined the representation of three-dimensional space on a two-dimensional surface. Drawing inspiration from African and Iberian art, his work resonated deeply across various modernist movements, including Expressionism and Surrealism.
Among his most iconic works is Guernica (1937), a powerful anti-war piece created in response to the Spanish Civil War, which has since become a symbol of peace and resistance. Throughout his life, Picasso amassed a vast and diverse body of work, spanning paintings, sculptures, drawings, prints, ceramics, and even stage design.
Known not only for his art but also for his passionate relationships and magnetic personality, Picasso once said, "My mother said to me, 'If you are a soldier, you will become a general. If you are a monk, you will become the Pope.' Instead, I was a painter, and became Picasso." Picasso lived in Paris and later in Mougins, France, where he passed away in 1973. His legacy endures as a symbol of creative genius and innovation.