Pablo Picasso

Pable Picasso Ceramic Plate 1952 Ramie Toros A.R. 161 Edition of 500

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Description

Artist: Pablo Picasso - “Toros”, Madoura Ceramic Plate with Bulls, circa 1953
Medium: White earthenware ceramic plate with black oxide, colored engobe, and glaze, Design conceived in 1952
Details:: From the edition of 500; with publisher's stamps underneath: 'Edition Picasso, Madoura Plein feu ed.'
Size: 8" inches in diameter - 18" x 18" framed
Condition: The work is in excellent condition.

Gallery Certificate of Authenticity included.

A result of a life-long fascination, the motif of the bull stretches throughout the massive body of work Pablo Picasso produced. We can find it in numerous artworks and in practically all the mediums the master delved in, appearing as a single majestic image, or as a chief character in bullfighting or mythological scenes. One of the most iconic sculptures Picasso created is definitely the “Bull's Head” from 1942, an avant-garde piece composed out of bicycle parts. Contemplation of the bull culminated in his 1945 lithograph series captioned “La Taureau”, in which he used the figure of the animal to depict the artistic evolution of form, from representational to abstract. Albeit simple, these images portray a wide range of artistic influences and show the extent of Picasso’s understanding of art and history, as well as philosophy, while he returns to the very basics of the visual image with abstract figures resembling the cave drawings of Lascaux.

Several years later, the bull became one of the favorite motifs in Madoura ceramics and the artist conceived an entire series entitled “Toros” in 1952. The piece on offer belongs to this series, as one of the 500 copies issued over the years. It is an early work of the series, related to the earlier and more valuable realm of the artist’s Madoura production.

With two different portrayals of the bull, Picasso divided the scene into two planes, hinting perspective in proportion and composition. Still, his vision remains schematic and balanced, with two different emblematic silhouettes of the animal resting and standing. We can sense the power of the two animals, each one oozing the archetypal masculinity through mass and posture. The dark bodies of the bulls dominate the gentle landscape clad in aquatic hues. They are larger than life, eternal, emitting virile potential energy in contrast with the mild suggestions of surrounding flora.

This particular plate is created circa 1953, in white earthenware and it’s decorated with engobes, oxidized paraffin for color, and white enamel. The mark on the bottom “Edition Picasso Madoura” is one of the most common markings of the Vallauris ceramics, indication an authentic limited edition conceived by Picasso.

About Pablo Picasso

A man of unparalleled talent, Pablo Picasso was the most influential figure in the 20th-century art. With an unequivocal sense of invention, he was devoted to creating art throughout his life, crossing media with utter ease and elegance, always following his limitless imagination as the ultimate indicator of truth. Together with Georges Braque, Picasso fathered one of the most progressive art movements - Cubism, rethinking the representation of the three-dimensional space on a two-dimensional surface in a radical way. Inspired by the art of Africa and the Iberian peninsula, his ideas and works left a deep mark on other modernist movements, including Expressionism and Surrealism. His most famous work, the powerful “Guernica” (1937), was created in reaction to the Spanish Civil War, today celebrated as the supreme example of anti-war art. Resolute and vital throughout his life, Picasso left behind a colossal body of work of paintings, sculptures, drawings, prints, ceramics, costumes and stage set designs.

With a name synonymous with greatness, Picasso is considered a legend. He was infamous for his many passionate relationships with women, as well as for his charisma. With an ego to match his gift, the great artist once said about himself: “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.”

Pablo Picasso was born in Málaga, Spain, in 1881. He lived in Paris and Mougins, France, where he died in 1973.

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